Richard Dix was cast to play the lead role in "The Lost Patrol" but he went into another film instead and Victor McLaglen replaced him. McLaglen himself was a World War I veteran, having served as a Captain (acting) with the 10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Later he claimed to have served with the Royal Irish Fusiliers. He served for a time as military Assistant Provost Marshal for the city of Baghdad. McLaglen would work with Ford and Nichols again in "The Informer". The three of them would win Academy Awards for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.