15. Devotion to Duty. Sassoon, Siegfried. 1920. Picture-Show

Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967). Picture-Show. 1920.

15. Devotion to Duty

I WAS near the King that day. I saw him snatch
And briskly scan the G.H.Q. dispatch.
Thick-voiced, he read it out. (His face was grave.)
‘This officer advanced with the first wave,

‘And when our first objective had been gained,	5
‘(Though wounded twice), reorganized the line:
‘The spirit of the troops was by his fine
‘Example most effectively sustained.’

He gripped his beard; then closed his eyes and said,
‘Bathsheba must be warned that he is dead.	10
‘Send for her. I will be the first to tell
‘This wife how her heroic husband fell.’