Books

Advice to British ServicemenBodleian Library PpressAnyone who has been on holiday in a foreign country or lived abroad for an extended period of time knows how hard it can be to adjust to local customs, languages and ways of life even underthe best circumstances. Iimagine, then, how difficult adjusting must have been for the British servicemen who entered a war-torn France in 1944 in order to help their ally recover from German occupation. Ddifferences of opinion about the two countries’ respective conduct during Wworld Wwar IIii had strained relations and there was no doubt that the British servicemen were entering a delicate situation.In an attempt to perhaps ease the servicemen’s entry into France, in 1944 the British government issued a guidebook. Eentitled Iinstructions For British Sservicemen in France 1944, this small but detailed pamphlet offered the soldiers comprehensive advice on everything from whether to drink the water to useful French phrases and how to behave with French women. Aalthoughthe pamphlet was originally intended to provide information about France, to modern readers it gives a fascinating glimpse into British identity during the 1940s.On the whole the advice ranges from the serious, “Ddon’t, even if food is offered to you, eat the French out of house and home”, to the unintentionally comical, “The French are more polite than most of us. Remember to call them ‘Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle’ not just ‘Oy!’” Iit is always illuminating, interesting and unexpected.Overall, the pamphlet would make a perfect gift for any historian or WWIIwwii buff. Rrunning at a mere hundred pages, it can be read in less than an hour and may leave readers wishing for something more substantial. Nevertheless, the pamphlet is a fun, educational read that offers both genuine historical information and advice that readers would do well to heed even today: “Iif you should happen to imagine that the first pretty French girl who smiles at you intends to take you to bed, you will risk stirring up a lot of trouble for yourself – and for our relations with the French.”ARCHIVE: 6th week MT 2005