I'm sure my wife has read that. I must ask her about it.
I would certainly enjoy having her perspective on it.
Want to mention one other aspect of the book, Bagnold's view of the American troops, towards whom she is clearly ambivalent. On the one hand, she admires their energy, their generosity, their good cheer. On the other hand, she criticizes their disregard for the French, and the lack of any effort on their part to get to know the people they have been fighting with and for. Indeed, the seem to get on better with the German, whom they have been fighting against. She also found the Americans' lack introspection and unwillingness to go below the surface a notable deficiency. Bagnold sets several scenes around the Americans; they clearly interested her.
Ah, yes, the love-hate relationship of Brits and Americans :-)
As for my wife, I'm afraid I misinformed you. She tells me she hasn't read The Happy Foreigner: it was Bagnold's National Velvet, which she read at the age of 12 and later saw as a film:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Velvet