By Warrant Officer Class Two James Bahr, 9 Regiment Army Air Corps
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EDITION
It seems it is part of human nature to discuss, analyse and often criticise the younger generations. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for young people to be viewed negatively by their older counterparts.(1) Personally, I remembered having experienced this kind of generational criticism during my earlier years in the military. However, it is also interesting to notice that, as I reach the latter stages of my career, I now occasionally find myself drawn into similar conversations. This form of generational stereotyping has been pervasive across society for centuries. More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle wrote about the youth of his time:
They are passionate, hot-tempered, and carried away by impulse, and unable to control their passion; for owing to their ambition, they cannot endure to be slighted, and become indignant when they think they are being wronged. they think they know everything, and confidently affirm it, and this is the cause of their excess in everything.(2)
It seems that each generation has succumbed to the temptation of criticising those who will one day take their place in society. People of the same generation supposedly share life experiences and critical stages of development, created by specific historical events, societal changes, and technological advances. These shared experiences often lead individuals to develop common psychological and emotional traits and a sense of belonging. Any other age groups is therefore ‘other’ and as such liable to be criticised and diminished.(3)
A study at the University of California tested approximately 5,000 adults to find out why this phenomenon occurs. The study examined adults that excel in a particular subject. The researchers invited the adults to compare their adolescent selves to the current, younger generation in their chosen field of expertise. The study concluded that the tested adults appeared to judge the younger generation by the same standards they judge their experienced, adult selves, forgetting the development it took to reach their adult form.(4) A similar phenomenon occurs across the Army. As argued in Leadership Insight No.52, sceptical views about the younger generations are not uncommon in our organisation and create unnecessary tensions within multigenerational teams.(5)
Yet, history shows that any time the British Army was involved in conflicts and crises, the nature and quality of young British soldiers has proved to be consistently outstanding. The British Army demands exceptional leadership and followership, and our history offers plenty of examples of young leaders who rose to – and often exceeded – the expected standards, with courage and resilience. From the British Squares at the Battle of Waterloo to the evacuation at Kabul Airfield during Operation Pitting, young leaders have transitioned effortlessly along the spectrum of transactional and transformational leadership.(6) The last three recipients of the Victoria Cross from the British Army alone averaged an age of just 25 years. The youngest ever recipient of the Victoria Cross was only 15 years old. A few of many examples that demonstrate the very essence of leading by example regardless of age.(7)
To help pay homage to the British Army’s young leaders and followers, and to refocus our mindset on what unites us, I have composed a poem. It is based on my strong belief that although the character of conflict has changed considerably over time, the nature and quality of our young leaders and followers, which has been critical to the British Army’s success through history, has remained resolute.
Inspiration has come from Lance Corporal of Horse Jo Woodgate, Household Cavalry Regiment. We served together on the Brigade Reconnaissance Force in Afghanistan on Operation Herrick 11. Although Jo and I did not work together directly, I appreciated the leadership qualities he embodied, and which made him so loved and respected by his colleagues. Prior to Jo’s last mission, he quoted Shakespeare’s Henry V on social media writing ‘once more into the breach, dear friends.’ At just 26 years old, Jo sadly lost his life the day before he was due to return to the UK. (8)
(1) Protzko, J., Schooler, J. ‘Kids these days: Why the youth of today seem lacking’, Science Advances 5(10). Oct 19.
(2) As quoted in ‘Rhetoric’ in J. H. Freese, (ed.) Aristotle Rhetoric. Cambridge/London: Harvard University Press, Book 2, Chapter 12, Section 5/14.
(3)Weiss, D., Zhang X. ‘Multiple Sources of Aging Attitudes: Perceptions of Age Groups and Generations from Adolescence to Old Age Across China, Germany, and the United States’. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 51(6). Jun 20.
(4) Stillman, J. ‘A New Study Reveals the Surprising Reason Why Every Generation Complains About “Kids These Days”’. Inc. (no date).
(5) WO2 Dan Waterfield, ‘Teaching and Learning is a Two-Way Street: How to Teach our Future Army Leaders’ CAL Leadership Onsight No. 52, May 2024
(6) Sharp, Lt Col Langley MBE, The Habit of Excellence: Why British Army Leadership Works (London: Penguin, 2021). See also Army Leadership Code (2015), AC 72021; and Army Leadership Doctrine (2021), AC 72029.
(7) National Army Museum. The Victoria Cross.
(8) Gillan, A. (2010) ‘No return from the breach this time for my friend Jo Woodgate’, The Guardian, 28 Mar 10. Ministry of Defence, ‘Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate killed in Afghanistan’, Gov.uk website, 27 March 2010. William Shakespeare, Henry V. Act 3 Scene 1.
Once More Unto The Breach
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.
A mindset shared in history’s past,
By British soldiers, their nature unsurpassed.
Hold the line, half a league onward,
Fresh faces, loyalty unquivering, bravery undeterred.
Crimea, its cries of war, have echoed before,
Our casualties boundless, harrowing tales,
Through darkness we hail the efforts of Florence Nightingale.
They faced bitter cold and cholera’s grasp.
The constant absence of repast.
Yet still our soldiers, you can rely,
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to question why.
They charged, witness heroics parade,
Of the steadfast bravery of the Light Brigade.
The guns fell, Victoria’s cross is born,
Young soldiers, the relentless probing thorn.
Forever more,
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.
The Somme, twists and meanders through natures divine,
Yet once, friend and foe stood either side.
The landscape changed, trench systems cast,
Attrition vast,
War it seemed shall ever last.
At the western front time trudged its slow march,
Dragging days to months, months to years,
Years spent with insidious clouds and mustard tears.
Still the land grab tug of war ensued,
When the order came, up they rose,
Ladders placed, whistles cried,
Motivation electrified,
Over the top young leaders drove,
Forward into lands of no men,
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.
In short succession came devastating oppression,
Land and power driving a dictator’s conquering obsession.
Black eagles soared, their wings cast shadows afar,
Darkness enveloped David’s Star.
Bombs rained, buildings buckled, sirens whaled on,
Our nation stayed calm, and they carried on.
On the beaches they fought, and in the hills,
Landing grounds, streets and in the fields,
Never did the young British soldier yield.
Onwards they went, until the job was done, and not before,
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.
Head south eight thousand miles,
To isolated lands, with cutting winds and driving snow,
Nigh on baron, baron but beautiful,
Tis this Antarctic archipelago.
History steeped in rivals quarrel,
One dares to move, conflict issues, the cause?
Claiming what is not rightfully yours.
Young soldiers, they march,
They march, they fight,
Through Goose Green, and Mount Longdon’s plight,
Push on, until the red, white and blue ascends,
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.
The Middle East calls,
Desert plains, oil fields burn,
The shivering site of the familiar poppy field returns.
Through the cross swords and zones of green,
Explosions riff, sites obscene.
Heed one’s words, a wise soldier stressed,
To one’s detriment do you stray from the footsteps ahead.
Our superior technology vast,
The conditions harsh.
They fought with weapons, but the fight was won by women and men,
Hour by hour, day by day, always asked to go again,
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.
One tries to predict the character of conflict.
However, in histories depths, lessons learnt interject,
For the character of conflict, the character of war,
Bears only partial resemblance of what has come before.
And yet, the same lesson in history portrays,
That the nature of conflict remains timeless, unchanged.
Human influence, leadership, followership, all factors that ensure,
That a British soldier’s nature in conflict will ever endure,
Whilst the drumbeat continues to bang as it has done before.
Selfless commitment, respect for others, loyalty,
Discipline, courage, integrity,
Core values that run deep in our vast British history.
So much so that when conflict once again bares its face of war,
Young soldiers, followers, leaders,
Will march in the footsteps of those that have come before,
Through hardship, loss, pain, together, side by side,
One more charge, one more flank, one more patrol, one more bound.
Once more into the breach dear friends, once more.