Reading this book of this general's career reminded me in an odd way of my own military experience, how awfully boring and uneventful it was. First Horrocks was captured by the Germans in WWI, then he was sent to Poland in the 1920s and he was taken prisoner again. Of course, back home the bureaucracy is grinding along, cutting his pay checks and promoting him on schedule. Then WWII rolls around and he waits for the Phony War to end. Then he is wounded in North Africa and has to recuperate for a year or so. But after that he did get the boot in, so good for him. After the war he was the sergeant-at-arms for the House of Lords; not exactly a job requiring a cosh or brass knuckles, I would guess. He would be seen on TV in the chamber with his head bent forward and the assumption was that he was engrossed in heady affairs of state but he was just working the day's crossword puzzle. ( )