Editing J. R. R. Tolkien (section)

==== France ====
On 5 June 1916, Tolkien boarded a troop transport for an overnight voyage to [[Calais]]. Like other soldiers arriving for the first time, he was sent to the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]]'s base depot at [[Étaples]]. On 7 June, he was informed that he had been assigned as a signals officer to the 11th (Service) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers. The battalion was part of the [[74th Brigade (United Kingdom)|74th Brigade]], [[25th Division (United Kingdom)|25th Division]]. While waiting to be summoned to his unit, Tolkien sank into boredom. To pass the time, he composed a poem titled ''The Lonely Isle'', which was inspired by his feelings during the sea crossing to Calais. To evade the British Army's [[postal censorship]], he developed a code of dots by which Edith could track his movements.<ref name="Garth144">{{harvnb|Garth|2003|pp=144–145}}</ref> He left Étaples on 27 June 1916 and joined his battalion at [[Rubempré]], near [[Amiens]].<ref>{{harvnb|Garth|2003|pp=147–148}}</ref> He found himself commanding enlisted men who were drawn mainly from the mining, milling, and weaving towns of Lancashire.<ref>{{harvnb|Garth|2003|pp=148–149}}</ref> According to [[John Garth (author)|John Garth]], he "felt an affinity for these working class men", but military protocol prohibited friendships with "[[Other ranks (UK)|other ranks]]". Instead, he was required to "take charge of them, discipline them, train them, and probably censor their letters ... If possible, he was supposed to inspire their love and loyalty."<ref name="Garth149">{{harvnb|Garth|2003|p=149}}</ref> Tolkien later lamented, "The most improper job of any man ... is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity."<ref name="Garth149" />