Goodbye to All that"There was no patriotism in the trenches. It was too remote a sentiment, and rejected as fit only for civilians. A new arrival who talked patriotism would soon be told to cut it out. As Blighty, Great Britain was a quiet, easy place to get back to out of the present foreign misery, but as a nation it was nothing." This is the original version of Robert Graves's intense memoir of the First World War, restoring this raw, emotionally truthful, darkly comic work to the way it was first written, by a young man still reeling from the trenches. 'We see the dark heart of the book even more clearly, and hear it beating even more loudly, in this original edition than we do in the comparatively careful and considered terms of the later one' Andrew Motion 'One of the most candid self-portraits, warts and all, ever painted' TLS |
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Common terms and phrases
adjutant Army asked attack Attwater battle began Béthune billets blood bombs boys brigade British called Cambrin Captain Carthusian casualties Charterhouse climbing colonel Cuinchy dead depôt division dug-out Egypt enemy father feet felt fighting fire five four France front line gave George Mallory German Graves happened Harlech head headquarters heard Hill hundred Islip killed knew later Laventie letter looked machine-gun mess Middlesex miles military months morning mother Nancy never night officers once orders Oxford patrol platoon played poems poetry prisoners Public Schools Battalion regiment Rhyl rifle Robert Graves round Royal Welch Fusiliers Second Battalion seemed sent sentries Sergeant sergeant-major shell shouted Siegfried Siegfried Sassoon soldier soon talk things told took trench troops turned village wanted week Welsh Welsh Regiment Wilfred Owen Wimbledon wounded Wrexham wrote yards young