Scandalous Conduct
Canadian Officer Courts Martial, 1914–45
- Publisher
- UBC Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2022
- Category
- Canada, Social History, Military
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780774865456
- Publish Date
- Apr 2022
- List Price
- $89.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9780774867610
- Publish Date
- Apr 2022
- List Price
- $32.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780774867597
- Publish Date
- Nov 2022
- List Price
- $32.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Drunken disorderliness. Cowardice in battle. Writing bad cheques. Vulgarity. Sexual indecency. Adultery. Following courts martial for such disgraceful behaviour, hundreds of Canadian officers lost their commissions during the First and Second World Wars. Scandalous Conduct investigates the changing definitions that shaped the quintessential honour crime known as “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.” The dishonour represented a direct challenge to the discredited officer’s prestige, livelihood, and sense of manhood. Drawing on fascinating court cases never before studied, Scandalous Conduct concludes that military honour was not a stable concept; instead it depended on social circumstances and disciplinary requirements.
About the author
Matthew Barrett is an historian, illustrator, and postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian War Museum.