History Main / CampFollower

* In the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries'', after Belisarius recaptures a Persian city his army is crowded with Persian civilians clinging to the Romans for protection. This is TruthInTelevision; many camp followers in history were simply seeking protection from the other army or from the opportunistic banditry that always comes when war breaks down law and order.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Tyrion Lannister enlists the services of one such camp follower called Shae, and later smuggles her into the city to be his concubine.
** Camp followers or [[UnusualEuphemism washerwomen]] (most of whom do very little washing) are often mentioned in ASOIAF, they can be seen following the Freys, the Boltons and the Lannisters (and, presumably, every other army).

* In the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'', camp followers of all kinds are portrayed as very bad people. The D'Harans target the Imperial Order camp whenever they can, not having any qualms about having denying the Imperial Order any service they can, whether it's ''that'' kind of service, or blacksmithing or cleaning or anything else that could give the Imperial Order any advantage.

* Nicholette in ''Literature/SevenMenOfGascony''. In some ways she is a subversion as she is not only a wine seller rather then a prostitute but she is almost prudish for the circumstances, being married to every one of the soldiers she serviced(one at a time of course until he was killed). The only irregularity was that her first husband was married in a French OldSoldier ritual rather then legally.
* The regiments of the Sabbat Crusade in ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' are shown to be accompanied on their travels by various wives, lovers, children and assorted men and women of both business and pleasure. They're even assigned their own decks on the leviathan troop transports. The number of camp followers is said to match or even exceed the actual regiment in size.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* [[Music/EltonJohn Elton John's]] song "Sweet Painted Lady" from ''Music/GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad'' depicts prostitutes "getting paid for being laid" by sailors on leave, whom never even care or think of their conquests once they go back to sea.

* Perhaps the darkest Real Life example would be the Japanese military's "Comfort Women", during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo. Some were recruited by choice, but most were undisputably {{Sex Slave}}s, tricked into thinking they'd be nurses or cooks, or outright held against their will. Most comfort women were drawn from Japanese-occupied or controlled territories, such as Korea, Okinawa, China, Indonesia and the Philippines, essentially kidnapped to be gangraped by dozens of soldiers a day. As many as 200,000 women (some historians estimate even higher figures) suffered these atrocities. Most were just teenagers and some as young as ''12''. Those women who survived were rejected in their own societies for being seen as whores and lived difficult, lonely lives. Or they would keep it secret from their own families for ''decades'' out of shame. Movements demanding justice for the comfort women only began gaining steam in the 1990s, around 50 years after World War II, as the now senior and elderly victims were persuaded by local historians and advocacy groups to finally come forward because even some Western historians had started to doubt comfort women even existed. Some of them would die a few years after coming forward. Up to today, the Japanese government is slow to acknowledge any of this despite pressure from other nations.

* Although these women provided sex and then resulting STD's could decimate an army, many commanders tolerated them since the men needed companionship and more importantly many of the prostitutes would assist in providing medical care to the wounded. Yes, medical care. Really.

** This was not a concern to Field-Marshal [[UsefulNotes/BernardLawMontgomery Montgomery]], who was appalled to realise that at any one time, sexually transmitted diseases were incapacitating '''8-10%''' of British service personnel. This figure peaked when the battles moved to Italy proper. He urged that brothels in the rear area of British forces should be legalised and brought under military jurisdiction, for the pragmatic reason that his men were going to go to them anyway, and the women would then be given full medical supervision. Again, MoralGuardians in Britain were appalled and Churchill came under political pressure to reject the idea. The two British armies in Italy were already attracting erroneous criticism, and were falsely perceived as the D-Day Dodgers, enjoying an extended Mediterranean holiday.

* In modern times, official organizations exist to fill some of the requirements of this trope, such as the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, a Department of Defense owned and operated corporation which operates restaurants, stores, barber shops, etc. for American military personnel, both in garrison and in deployed locations. Indeed, one of AAFES's slogans suggests this trope: "We Go Where You Go".

* Camp followers are absent from the titular mercenary company of the ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'', and the only mention they get is a sentence-long aside to explain why they’re absent: the Black Company’s captain doesn’t tolerate any and drives them off.

* Camp followers are absent from the titular mercenary company of the ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'', and the only mention they get is a sentence-long aside to explain why they’re absent: the captain of the titular mercenary company doesn’t tolerate them and drives them off.

* LTJG Deborah Solomon (Cheryl Ladd) in ''Purple Hearts'' wasn't a prostitute, but a Navy nurse. She provided the romantic interest and motivation to LTCDR Don Jaridan (Ken Wahl), which led him to volunteering for some dangerous missions just so he could see her.

-->He speaks to me in schoolboy French
-->Of a soldiers life inside a trench
-->Of the look of death and the ghastly stench
-->I do my best to please him

[[folder:Theater]]
* ''Theatre/MissSaigon''
* There's one of these in ''Theatre/MotherCourageAndHerChildren''.
* Clementina in ''Theatre/TheDesertSong.''

* A brothel owned by one of these shows up in the third ''Literature/CodexAlera'' book, ''Captain's Fury.'' Tavi tends to use it just for the bath (Due to his immediate superior placing him on indefinite latrine duty for thwarting his embezzlement scheme, Tavi was seriously in need of a bath regularly). [[spoiler:After most of the command structure of his Legion's blown up by Canim sorcery, he hires the madam, who's shown to be a keen businesswoman and good with people, as his Tribune Logistica - basically, supply officer.]]

* Perhaps the darkest Real Life example would be Japanese "Comfort Women" during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo. Some were recruited by choice, but many more were tricked into thinking they'd be nurses or cooks, or outright held against their will. Many were drawn from occupied countries, such as Korea, Okinawa, China, Indonesia and the Philippines, essentially kidnapped to be gangraped by dozens of soldiers a day. As many as 200,000 women suffered these atrocities. Women who survived were rejected in their own societies for being seen as whores and lived difficult, lonely lives. Or they would keep it secret from their ''own'' families for decades out of shame. Movements demanding justice for the comfort women only began gaining steam in the 1990s, around 50 years after World War II, as the elderly victims were persuaded by local historians and advocacy groups to finally come forward because even some Western historians had started to doubt comfort women even existed. Some of them would die a few years after coming forward. Up to today, the Japanese government is slow to acknowledge any of this despite pressure from other nations.

* Occurred a lot in UsefulNotes/{{Vietnam}}, where it was called "Rest and Recreation" and generally occurred in UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}} or UsefulNotes/HongKong. Hence the redirect title -- RestAndProcreation.

* In ''Manga/AnatoliaStory'', Yuri and her friends visit a palace where the ruler, in a fit of apathy, brought in a ton of prostitutes and had his soldiers have an orgy, ignoring the fact that Egyptian forces were on their way and everyone needed to get ready to fight. While Yuri initially orders all the prostitutes out, she's told that their presence in places like that are actually common and it's good to have some around for stress relief for the soldiers. This has her reconsider and say that any prostitutes who want to stay can.

* Inverted in both [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/88520/welcome-to-the-brothel/1/das-laufhaus Welcome To The Brothel]] and [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/106068/1/relax/intimacy Relax]] by Kalash93. Inverted because the soldiers take leave to visit the prostitutes, who work in establishments far away from the front lines.

* ''Film/AmericanGangster''.

* She's not a prostitute, but in some [[Rule34 pornographic]] [[FanArt fan art]], Miss Buxley from ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'' is portrayed as being [[GoodBadGirl sexually liberated]] and she has sexual encounters with [[BiTheWay the men and women]] who are stationed at Camp Swampy. In these works, Miss Buxley's shown having sex with Beetle and General Halftrack, as well as the other male soldiers. She's also shown having [[AThreesomeIsHot mfm and mmf threesomes]] with other male soldiers and [[GirlOnGirlIsHot a lesbian encounter]] with PVT Blips.

* The Ancient Greeks being [[BiTheWay equal-opportunity lovers]], there are several instances of armies being delayed on the march because an officer (and in one case, a King of Sparta) had fallen in love with a local boy and refused to leave him behind.

* In Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'', the soldiers visit a camp brothel in order to steal women's clothes for the purposes of an [[DisguisedInDrag Operation Washerwomen]]. Ironically, [[spoiler:the soldiers are all {{Sweet Polly Oliver}}s ''[[RecursiveCrossdressing anyway]]'', but left most of their clothes at home]].

* [[Music/EltonJohn Elton John's]] song "Sweet Painted Lady" from ''Music/GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad'' depicts sailors "getting paid for being laid" on sailor's leave, never to even care or think of their conquests once they go back to the sea.

-->'''LIZ:''' Oh no... I'm a '''camp follower'''!
--->'''CH'VORTHQ:''' '''Shhh'''! You are my '''assistant''', and we shall pretend those other two words were '''never spoken'''.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': {{Invoked}} by name. Liz is explaining to Ch'vorthq that when her boyfriend rejoined the Toughs, she came along too, and...
-->'''Liz:''' Oh no... I'm a ''CampFollower''!

* Perhaps the darkest Real Life example would be Japanese "Comfort Women" during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo. Some were recruited by choice, but many more were tricked into thinking they'd be nurses or cooks, or outright held against their will. Many were drawn from occupied countries, such as Korea, Okinawa, China, Indonesia and the Philippines, essentially kidnapped to be gangraped by dozens of soldiers a day. As many as 200,000 women suffered these atrocities. Women who survived were rejected in their own societies for being seen as whores and lived difficult, lonely lives. Or they would keep it secret from their ''own'' families for decades out of shame. Movements demanding justice for the comfort women only began gaining steam in the 1990s, around 50 years after World War 2, as the elderly victims began coming forward. Even today the Japanese government is slow to acknowledge any of this despite pressure from other nations.

* Perhaps the darkest Real Life example would be Japanese "Comfort Women" during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo. Some were recruited by choice, but many more were tricked into thinking they'd be nurses or cooks. Many were drawn from occupied countries, such as Korea, Okinawa and China, essentially kidnapped to be gangraped by up to 35 soldiers a day. As many as 200,000 women suffered these atrocities. Japanese women who survived were rejected in their own society for being seen as whores and lived difficult, lonely lives. Even today the Japanese government is slow to acknowledge any of this despite pressure from other nations.

In later wars, camp followers more often consisted of wartime prostitutes -- individuals who provided female companionship to soldiers or sailors.

* Before the king trusted her, French and English soldiers initially thought ''UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc'' was a prostitute. Why else would she be following the army?

* Mistresses and concubines of Red Army officers and generals during WWII were referred to with a mock acronym "[=PPZh=]", which meant "Field and Campaign Wife".

In most wars, you have a bunch of men far from home, who are scared for their lives every day. Camp followers are those people who go with these men, and they originally consisted of the soldier's wives or mistresses, merchants, and others who serviced and supplied the combatants. Up through the mid-19th century, the vast majority of female camp followers were soldiers' wives, and women of every socioeconomic class accompanied armies, creating a military community. They nursed, [[TextileWorkIsFeminine sewed, washed,]] and acted as merchants. Outright prostitution was often restricted or, in some cases, banned -- sometimes to [[InappropriatelyCloseComrades maintain good military order and discipline]] or to maintain the dignity of more "legitimate" camp followers.

In most wars, you have a bunch of men far from home, daily scared for their lives. Along with the men came the campfollowers, a group of women and men who were wives, mistresses, merchants, and others who serviced and supplied the combatants. In later wars these were often the wartime prostitute, someone to provide soldiers, sailors, etc., with female companionship. However, up through the mid-19th century vast majority of female camp followers were soldiers' wives and women of every socioeconomic class accompanying the army and creating a military community. They nursed, [[TextileWorkIsFeminine sewed, washed,]] acted as merchants. Outright prostitution was often restricted or, in some cases, banned, either to maintain good military order and discipline or to maintain dignity of more "legitimate" camp followers.
Not to be confused with a follower who is {{camp}}.

* Mistresses and concubines of Red Army officers and generals during WWII were referred to with a mock acronym "PPZh", which meant "Field and Campaign Wife".

* In a subversion, most of the shipboard stowaway women in the RoyalNavy seem to have been legitimate wives. Love might make a woman endure the life but prostitution did not pay well enough to go to sea just to find jobs, and most prostitutes waited at shore near naval bases.