Do all Second Lieutenants in the British Army command a full platoon?

Question

I am writing a story which features an officer in the British Army during World War I as a character. Would all British Army Second Lieutenants have commanded a full platoon of more than 30 people, or is it possible that some might have ended up commanding sections of just 5-8 men instead?

Answer 1

Second Lieutenants are designated a platoon leaders for the first assignment and there are no lower positions for them.

Answer 2

Usually a 2nd Lieutenant in WW1 was a platoon commander. However, there are some exceptions. Some staff officers didn't command anyone per say, or specialists who were merely given a commission to prevent most of the Army from getting in their way.

Tank and armored units have always had a disproportionately high number of officers - I suspect it was the same with the first British tank units too.