The Wipers Times Page #5

I'll have him shot.

Not if he shoots you first.

That's also a joke.

The war is not funny, sir.

I think the authors

are aware of that.

I have a feeling that may be the

point.

I mean...

It's not all cocking a snook

at the general staff, although...

quite a bit of it is.

I mean, some bits are deadly

serious - words from the heart.

Such as?

"People we take our hats

off to - The French at Verdun,

"the British Navy at Jutland,

"and the Canadians at Ypres."

Saluting our fallen comrades is

hardly sedition, is it?

They also take their hats

off to the officer in charge

of the costume department

of the Poperinghe Fancies.

They are just a gang of backchat

comedians deliberately

undermining morale with this

impertinent, unpatriotic rag.

Could you think of anything more

likely to produce discontent amongst

the men?

Yes. Banning it.

Put your back into it, Henderson.

Sir.

Sergeant, we're running out of

timber.

Go see if you can borrow something

from the communications line.

Henderson. Barnes. You

work on the parapets.

Yes, sir.

Keep down, Barnesy, unless you want

sniper taking your head off.

Smith. Dodd. Start on the supports.

Do I have to work with Dodd, sir?

Yes, you do. Poor Dodd drew

the short straw.

Now get on with it, Smith.

What's the plan?

What I think we should do, Jack...

Up the cover price, get in some new

writers and cut down on the poetry.

You don't think you might be getting

rather obsessed with the paper?

Don't be ridiculous.

I'm a model commanding officer

executing my duties

in exemplary fashion.

What do you think of the poetry?

I think poetry's essential in the

modern battlefield. A bit like mud.

If only it were just mud.

Yes. Perhaps, better not

dwell on the... unmentionables.

Better left unsaid.

That's why I'd rather

think about the paper.

It's important to me

because it's not important.

Oh, dear. You're getting aphoristic.

Am I? Apologies.

So what are we thinking?

I think we should crack out

another couple of issues.

And if it keeps going this well,

try and sell it back home.

You're getting obsessed.

Listen. Listen, Fritz is in

fine voice.

What are they singing, sir?

Sounds like an hymn, sir.

It is.

It's called the Hymn Of Hate.

It goes something like this...

You we will hate with

a lasting hate.

We will never forego our hate.

Hate by water and hate by land.

Hate of the head

and hate of the hand.

Hate of the hammer,

hate of the crown.

Hate of 70 millions choking down.

We love as one. We hate as one.

We have one foe and one alone.

Eng-er-land.

Eng-er-land.

That's not very nice is it, sir?

Spot-on, Dodd.

We don't have any songs like that,

do we, sir?

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