Military Career and War Service
Commissioned into the Cameronians (Scottish Ries) in 1932, Frost
rose steadily through the ranks. By the late 1930s, he was serving
with the Iraq Levies when the Second World War broke out. Frustrated
to be stuck in garrison duties rather than ghting, Frost seized
the rst opportunity to transfer into Britain’s new airborne forces.
When shown a notice about the formation of a parachute battalion, he
scoffed:
“What on Earth made you think that I would be interested in this?
You don’t suppose I would ever want to get involved in that sort of
thing, do you?”
His clerk, Mr. Sethi, replied with quiet foresight:
“You might be surprised… You never know all that is to come.”
Frost would later acknowledge just how true those words were.
After nally receiving orders to return to Britain and rejoin the 10th
Battalion, The Cameronians, Frost was presented with a farewell gift
from the Hunt Committee: an inscribed copper hunting horn. He would
later carry it into battle, using its call as a rallying signal for his men.
Back in Britain, however, his hopes of active combat were quickly
frustrated. The 10th Cameronians, part of the 15th (Scottish) Division,
were stationed in Sussex on monotonous coastal defence duties. Any
prospect of overseas service soon evaporated, leaving Frost feeling
once again dejected. He resolved to apply for Staff College, but before
submitting his request a notice arrived from the War Ofce seeking captains
to serve as company commanders in the newly formed airborne force.
Frost admitted he knew little about this new unit, which he assumed to be
similar to the Commandos, and he applied immediately. Inuenced by
critical reports in the British press that dismissed German paratroopers
as ineffective, demoralised, and prone to massive jump casualties,
Frost was sceptical about the benets of airborne warfare. He was