Base Details

If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
  I'd live with scarlet Majors at the Base,
And speed glum heroes up the line to death.
  You'd see me with my puffy, petulant face,
Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel,
  Reading the Roll of Honour.  'Poor young chap,'
I'd say --- 'I used to know his father well;
  Yes, we've lost heavily in this last scrap.'
And when the war is done and youth stone dead,
I'd toddle safely home and die --- in bed.

Commentary

It’s the sort of poem which really catches Sassoon’s mood, a jaded contempt for the war and all it stands for. He’s struck the right note for a John Bull sort of officer - the sort who stays behind the lines while others (like Spender) have to do all the dirty work of dying for their country. A refreshing change from the sort of blood and glory patriotism you’d get in most of the romantic poets like Byron.

— Suresh

The Wondering Minstrels, poem #385 · 29 March 2000

Guest poem submitted by Suresh Ramasubramanian

Fair use

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From the Wondering Minstrels mailing list, 1999–2008.

Dasmells · 22 August 2000

i agree, this is a moving poem which displays his great anger

John Dunham · 17 January 2001

Thanks. I saw a reference to this poem in another book and wanted to use it for class I teach. You made it easy to find.

reeves-sassoon-olive · 29 April 2001

Hi
I’m Oliver sassoon grandson of george sassoon and great grandson of seigfreid sassoon. If you need proof I will tell you where the houses he left in my grandads hands are.The houses he gave him are on the isle of mull in scotland.

Cheung Raymond · 28 September 2003

silly………..

Jan Clarke · 26 May 2004

If you are his grandson why cant you spell Siegfried right? huh?

Peter Corbett · 1 April 2006

The houses on the isle of Mull were never the property of George Sassoon’s father, but the property of his mother Hester Sassoon nee Gatty so if you are indeed Siegfried’s grandson you must be Kendal’s progeny, and I suggest you research further into the facts.