The quality of new soldiers is increasing as a lack of civilian jobs prompts fitter, smarter men to opt for a career in uniform. This influx of “recession recruits” has pushed the drop-out rate on the infantry’s gruelling, basictraining course below 30 per cent for the first time.

Brigadier James Stevenson, Commandant of the School of Infantry, said that economic slumps historically boosted army recruitment. “That doesn’t in any way mean that we lower our standards, it just means we have more people to choose from,” he told The Times. “We are starting to notice the stickability of a recruit coming through training today is improving.”

Private Jarred Anthony, 22, from Falkirk, is determined to succeed as a soldier after he failed to find full-time civilian employment, despite leaving school with decent qualifications. “I thought, ‘This is crazy’,” said Private Anthony, who had been working in the summer months as a lock-keeper at his local weir. An army career had always been at the back of his mind, but the recession motivated him to sign up. “It looked like the best option,” he said. “Once you are in, it’s a job for life.”

Ranger Stephen Couter, 21, from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, has a similar attitude after being laid off as an apprentice electrician last year. “I was looking for work but could not find anything,” he said. Asked why becoming a soldier appealed, he said: “The prospect of money coming in, instead of sitting around doing nothing.”

The military is no easy escape from the recession, however. Recruits must endure 26 weeks of exercise, crack-of-dawn starts and mock operations at Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire. One third of those who qualify will be in Afghanistan within three months of passing out.

“I thought I was mentally and physically tough, but there have been a few moments when I’ve thought, ‘What have I got myself into?”, said Private Anthony, squatting in a muddy field after living in a tent for four days. “Getting woken up at 2am with flares going off over your head and it’s freezing and your feet are wet and you just want to sleep, and getting shouted at.”

Dotted across the vast grassy training area at Catterick, three platoons of recruits from the Scots Division, the Queen’s Division and the King’s Division spent last week practising attacks after being split into groups of 10 or 12. Enemy fighters are played by other soldiers.But the mock strike does not always go smoothly. “Where are you f***ing going? The f***ing enemy’s here!”, one trainer shouted at two recruits as they dashed across their side’s line of fire. More than 300 trainers — officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan — put the young men through their paces.

The training also helps instil discipline and a sense of respect among recruits, many of whom come from a tough background. Private Ryan Jack, 17, from near Glasgow, said: “If I was in the street I would be jumping about with my mates drinking, but now I’m here and told what to do, and I do it. It’s good.”

Private James Hall, 18, from Falkirk, thinks joining the Army saved him from taking drugs and ending up in jail like some of his friends. “There was one time when one of my friends got hit in the head with a bottle, and that was the point when I decided I’m not going to live like that and fight all the time, so I decided to join the Army and fight for a cause,” he said.

The current batch of more than 2,000 trainees are, for the first time, being taught Afghan-specific lessons as well as basic skills as the Army redefines its training to reflect the extra demand for manpower in Afghanistan.

The prospect of fighting in the southern Afghan province of Helmand fuels rather than dampens the enthusiasm among the recruits, even though 168 British servicemen and women have died in the country since the conflict began in 2001. Fusilier Ryan Nicholls, 21, from London, said: “I can’t wait to put my training into action and get out there.” Unlike the “recession recruits”, he always wanted to be a soldier. “It was a schoolboy’s dream,” Fusilier Nicholls said, dressed in camouflage as part of the attack exercise.

Brigadier Stevenson believes the infantry, which has been operating at a deficit of about 1,500 soldiers, will soon hit full strength. The annual target of trained recruits is 3,200 men. There are no women in the infantry. “What we now need to do is make sure we select the most suitable candidates who are going to stick the course here and be effective on operations,” he said.

However, not everyone is sold on army life. Kingsman Anthony Hodges, 17, from Blackburn, said two fellow recruits had taken a week off to decide whether to continue. He, in contrast, wants a long military career. “Most of my friends are on the dole, a few have jobs. This is the best thing.”

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