“My uncle used to carry a trifle in the army. He was a desserter”

“Deserter” (a member of the armed forces who deserts) shouldn’t be confused with “desserter” (someone who enjoys desserts), but there are puns. “Waggish comrades say that if the court martial had developed that Leiser ate the apples to finish off his meal he might have been shot as a desserter” was printed in The Sun (Baltimore, MD) on October 24, 1908.
 
“After eating his entree at the mess hall the soldier went AWOL to binge on chocolate eclairs.  He was charged for being a desserter. (Keith Martin)” was posted on the newsgroup alt.humor.jewish on November 25, 2000. “A soldier who stuffed himself with ice cream was a desserter.  (Pun of the Day)” was posted on the newsgroup alt.humor.puns on June 2, 2001.
   
“My uncle used to carry a trifle in the army. He was a desserter” was posted on Twitter by Drivelcast on May 20, 2019.
       
“What do you call someone who can’t stick with a diet?”/“A desserter” is another “desserter” joke.
       
   
24 October 1908, The Sun (Baltimore, MD), “Crime to Eat Green Apples,” pg. 2, col. 5:
Waggish comrades say that if the court martial had developed that Leiser ate the apples to finish off his meal he might have been shot as a desserter.
   
8 November 1908, The Register and Leader (Des Moines, IA), “Artillery Private Punished for Eating Forbidden Fruit,” third sec., pg. 5, col. 5:
Waggish comrades say that if the court martial had developed that Leiser ate the apples to finish off his meal he might have been shot as a desserter.
   
27 May 1996, Lancaster (PA) New Era, “Short and Snappy” by Ken Hussar, pg. B-1, col. 1:
“What were you in the Army?”
“A desserter.”
“You mean, you ran away?”
“No. I was the pastry chef in the canteen.”
 
Google Groups: alt.humor.jewish
“Puns of the Weak” 11/24/00
Stan Kegel
11/25/00
(...)
After eating his entree at the mess hall the soldier went AWOL to binge on chocolate eclairs.  He was charged for being a desserter. (Keith Martin)
     
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
Puns of the Weak 6/1/01
Stan Kegel
6/2/01
(...)
A soldier who stuffed himself with ice cream was a desserter.  (Pun of the Day)
 
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
Puns of the Weak 10/04/02
Stan Kegel
10/4/02
(...)
A soldier who stuffed himself with ice cream was a desserter (Pun of the Day)
         
Google Books
Kids’ Nuttiest Jokes
By Mike Benny
New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
2003
Pg. 17:
Did you hear about the soldier who wanted to be a pastry chef.”
He was a desserter (deserter).
 
Google Books
A Man Walks Into a Bar 3
By Jonathan Swan
London, UK: Ebury Press
2010
Pg. 18:
Why did the soldier stuff himself with pudding? He was a desserter.
   
Google Books
Crap Jokes:
Wet Yourself Laughing with the Ultimate Joke Book
By Jonathan Swan
New York, NY: Random House
2018
Pg. ?:
Why did the soldier stuff himself with pudding? He was a desserter.
 
Twitter
Member of Whale
@sidin
Why did the pastry chef who joined the army get court-martialled?
Because he was a desserter.
3:27 PM - 27 Mar 2019
   
Twitter
Drivelcast
@drivelcast
Replying to @ronald_2008
My uncle used to carry a trifle in the army. He was a desserter.
10:42 AM - 20 May 2019
 
Twitter
🤣 The Dad Joke Man 😉
@DadJokeMan
I got court martialed by the Army after I stole ice cream, trifle and fruit salad.
I was found guilty of being a desserter…
1:44 PM - 8 Jul 2019