What ironic about the naval officer who arrives to resuce the boys? How does Ralph feel about returning to the safety of civilization?

It is ironic that the boys are rescued by a member of the military because his actions in war require him to bring death and destruction to opposing forces. The irony can be found in the fact that the officer immediately chatises the boys for their behavior.

"I should have thought," said the officer as he visualized the search before him, "I should have thought that a pack of British boys—you’re all British, aren’t you?—would have been able to put up a better show than that—I mean—"

"It was like that at *rst," said Ralph, "before things—"

Ralph is overcome by the thought of returning home.

Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a *eeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood—Simon was dead—and Jack had. . . . The tears began to *ow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the *rst time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with *lthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.