Blighty

Tom says he'll return to Blighty by Christmas.

Before I knew it, 8 August had come around and our holiday was over. As my lovely little family headed for the airport to jump ship back to Blighty, I was on the road again with fresh legs.

Living in the US, I have always seized every opportunity to insist things are better in Blighty. But now both countries look ludicrous[.]

The ones who did get a good Blighty were returned to England.

Well maybe I'll have luck this time in the shape of a decent little “Blighty” as its^([sic]) the only way out of it for a while.

"Talk about Blighties——” He lifted his bandaged arm.

With such delights awaiting them only a few miles to the rear, it's no wonder that men prayed for a “blighty” – a small wound that would not incapacitate them for life, but would get them out of the line for a month or even a week. . . . a stray bullet pierced Moore's left foot. Moore cried out, not with pain, but with delight. ¶ “Oh,” he shouted, “it's a beauty, Vic! What a present from the Red Devil! It's a Blighty, I'll bet a dollar.”

And after a short time with the West Yorkshires I came to see that discipline and spirit, even at my platoon level, led to fewer cases of minor ailments like colds and flu, to a substantial reduction in trench foot and to the total absence of suicides or deliberately provoked blighties.

'I don't want any of these blighties', Len Wilton concluded.