The General - Siegfried Sassoon
"Good-morning; good-morning!" the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of ’em dead,
And we’re cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
"He’s a cheery old card," grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.
Comments
Read "Goodbye to all That" a while ago...still have the book, I remember the poem.
Bought the book here in the states, but have ordered WWI books from the UK before, damn near impossible to find decent ones here.
Posted by: Joseph | April 25, 2008 12:27 AM
Is "Goodbye to All That", the Graves autobiography?
Posted by: MP | April 25, 2008 1:24 AM
Correct. He wrote it in 1929 &
at the beginning of Chapter I he stated: 'The objects of this autobiography, written at the age of thirty-three, are simple enough: an opportunity for a formal good-bye to you and to you and to you and to me and to all that; forgetfulness, because once all this has been settled in my mind and written down and published it need never be thought about again; money.'
The book gives details of his education at Charterhouse, his war service (including his relationship with Siegfried Sassoon, and his impression of Wilfred Owen), and the break-up of his first marriage.
Posted by: Mr Free Market | April 26, 2008 12:58 AM
Many thanks. I'll get my paws on a copy. I read it years ago, and vaguely recall that for a while he was an officer in a "bantam battalion" composed of men originally rejected as too small to enlist. Always enjoyed his poetry and, of course, "I, Claudius".
Posted by: MP | April 28, 2008 6:46 PM