the soldier's friend
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An official appointed by the authorities at the various pension boards to assist soldiers in making out and presenting their claims to pensions, etc.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the soldier's friend” mean?
An official appointed by the authorities at the various pension boards to assist soldiers in making out and presenting their claims to pensions, etc.
Is “the soldier's friend” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.