What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s military rank when he served in the First World War?

J.R.R. Tolkien served as a second lieutenant during the First World War.

Tolkien received a commission in the Lancashire Fusiliers and served as a second lieutenant. He trained with the 13th Battalion and was sent to France in 1916, where he took part in the Battle of the Somme as a signals officer.

Tolkien became ill with trench fever and was returned to England in October 1916. The illness prevented him from returning to active service, and he spent much of the remainder of the war in hospital or on home service. Most of his close school friends were killed in the conflict, an experience that deeply affected him.

His wartime service is often simplified into the claim that he fought continuously at the front. In fact, his time in France was limited by illness. The rank “second lieutenant” is also distinct from the later ranks of captain or major.