Sunfish,
May I commend an interesting book for you to read? It has lots about the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The book is: "Gas! The story of the Special Brigade." by Major General C.H. Foulkes. (My paternal grandfather was a Cpl member). They were the British army guys who did the gas plumbing and gas attacks on the Western Front. (All the Special Brigade Corporals were young guys who importantly had degrees in chemistry.) It was accepted then that most of the army troops came from rather poor, uneducated backgrounds. The troops were issued with gas masks but some of them thought that simply wearing them around their necks would suffice!
These Special Brigade people were recruited from the British Merchant Class. And were wisely rather dubious of the talents of the Upper Class from where the officers came.
My copy of the book was edited by my Grandfather long before he passed away in 1965. He certainly wasn't a "yes- man" for his bosses. (Indeed quite the opposite.) From my 12 year experience in the RAAF, Australians never simply blindly followed their leader there either. Leadership respect had to be earned.