"forcing the Navy, Army and Royal Air Force to the margins of national experience."
which was the case for much of British history - and that's how the average man-in -the-street likes it - no wars, no large armed forces, no draftwith the military as a place for those who want to be there (or, in past times, a place who have no alternative)
The novels of Ms Austen, Mr Trollope & Mr Dickens contain many interesting characters but the military (as opposed to the Militia) are rarely seen or referred to