Peter - you could well be right and it is a concocted phrase to fulfill a need to provide an acceptable answer to a question. Perhaps the real reason was he had been discharged in disgrace.
Interesting that you describe him as a "putative" recruit. The company had left Tenby on 23rd February 1900 with a full complement, they then visited Pembroke & Pembroke Dock to receive the adulation of the local population. Finally they arrived in the county town of Haverfordwest for some more adulation and wining and dining before entraining for Liverpool and embarking on the Montrose for SA. By the time they reached Haverfordwest they had lost 4 of their number, for reasons as yet unknown but had the 30 miles of marching been too much for them as only 39 out of 121 had horses? They were also delayed in Haverfordwest because the Montrose was not ready for them. The ex 14th Hussar was a Londoner and was almost certainly sent in haste by IY HQ to fill a hole and I suspect whatever his answers to the questions had been he would have been accepted. He had passed the medical on 1st March, the day before he attested despite being significantly over age and having lied about his age. Just as well they did accept him as he ended up saving the life of his Section Commander, Lieut Basil Jones, which is why he was awarded the DCM.
