RECRUITS said yesterday they did not feel they were being misled into a "glamorous" life in the armed forces.

A report said the armed forces emphasised the exciting side of military life and that war was made to seem as "game like" as possible.

The report for the Joseph Rowntree foundation said "the literature rarely refers to the dangers of combat and never mentions the risk of being killed."

But people leaving Bournemouth's recruiting office in Holdenhurst Road said they knew what they were getting into.

Tom Holloway, 19, from the Bournemouth area, said: "I just think people that go in the army know what they are signing on for - everyone sees what's going on in Iraq.

"They don't try and glamorise anything. They stress the hard work."

A 19-year-old friend who is already in the army said: "It's been fantastic. What they say in there is what happens. I was told everything I needed to know, including combat."

David Hulse, 17, from Tuckton, had been enquiring about a job in administration in the RAF.

He said: "They were quite keen to point out that it won't be a cosy office job and that you could be sent out to Iraq.

"But the material does gloss over that side a little bit."

The recruiting office's main brochure was One Army, which is produced centrally by the MoD.

It looks like a university prospectus - much of it consists of smiling testimonials from people playing sport or listening to music, often from an ethnic minority.

The camaraderie and career prospects are strongly emphasised, though combat is discussed - one soldier talks about "full-on fighting" in Afghanistan. Major Nigel Walker, head of recruiting for the Army in Wiltshire and Dorset, said they use the term "operations" rather than "war" for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said recruits were told about the potential for combat and added ironically: "It's a tricky subject to glamorise."

Recruits have eight weeks from walking through the door until they sign up and they can opt out after three months.

He said: "The challenges are great but the opportunities are great as well."

Patrick Mercer MP, a former soldier, agreed with the report's findings and that the army should be "brutally honest."

But Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, said he was surprised at the Rowntree Trust's comments.

"It is a well respected think tank, recognised for its work on tackling the causes of poverty and not matters connected with the military," said Mr Ellwood.

"Our armed forces have one of the most vigorous training programmes in the world which not only prepares soldiers for the front line but also monitors and weeds out those who do not meet the high standards expected.

"A week does not go by without the reality of war making the headlines and any potential recruit is fully aware of what is expected of them."

One woman who left the recruiting centre said she worked for the MOD. She had a son looking to join the Parachute Regiment and his girlfriend wanted to work in medicine.

She said: "I think people join for the action rather than the glamorous side. You could be a dental nurse in Civvy Street, they join because they want the operational side.

"If you are not in the right frame of mind, if you think it's going to be a jolly, they won't take you."