An interesting career

"William John King had deserted a total of five times in his career in the army. He had (re-)joined the same regiment six times. This was, perhaps, by force, by choice, or because he had no other opportunities available to him. He had spent 6 years and 176 days in India. He had been sent to France in the BEF for 15 days, received a gunshot wound in his right arm, and then been sent home for 20 days. He returned to France for 48 days, before being sent home for 2 years and 65 days, before being sent back to France to fight for 96 days, and finally return to the depot for 1 year and 64 days. He had been court martialled four times. He was detained at the depot three times and imprisoned three times. Ultimately, he had served his 12 years, but had remained in the army between 1902 and 1930 (a total of 28 years). He forfeited his entire service, and it was only reckoned from 10 December 1918 until 24 September 1930, a total of 12 years. He received an army pension as a result only for that period. He was awarded the Victory Medal as part of the BEF16and also the 1914 Star Medal (TNA 1921)17. Perhaps, as previously stated, the time in the army had afforded him the luxuries that he would not have been able to access outside of the army, given his social status and lack of opportunity. The fact that his pension was only reckoned from 1918, therefore, must be seen in the light of the advantages that he had gained while serving: food and accommodation, and perhaps some sense of structure, and employment (although with his own personal adoption of flexibility towards that, from time to time)."

From Andrew Milne, The Typography of Forgetting: The Unsettling of Dominant Social Narratives in the Resurfacing of a Military Deserter in Family Memory, Genealogy 8(2) 60 (2024).