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"""All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on. Discipline, pride, self respect, self confidence and love of glory are attributes which will make a man courageous even when he is afraid."" General George S Patton Jr. US Army ""You men have been selected to serve in the elite branch of the army. Any fool can be taught how to fire a gun, or how to charge across the land waving a bayonet, but only the signaller can tell him where to charge, when to fire, what to fire at, and what his friends and foes are doing. It is we, the signallers, who convey and distribute the intelligence to them. In action, they will depend on you, and you must never, never, let the infantry down."" The Sergeant paused and again studied the nine faces of No.3 Signal Section."" ""The enemy will try to disrupt communications by getting behind the trenches and cutting the lines. Use every trick to keep the lines open and operating, and you can guarantee that the line will be cut, and we'll have to run it. Make life difficult for Jerry. Do not get too close together, use the shell-hole to shell-hole method, and change direction often. If you see any of our boys' bodies, ignore them. Many men have died trying to help a dead mate."" Huddled amid broken pieces of concrete, Bluey watched the enemy trench and his own lines. There was no movement in either. His mind wandered back over the past weeks, months, years. He remembered the first time Al Wilson told them about the 'two days in your life'. All the original No.3 Signal Section had been there, and now they were all gone. Stranded in no-man's land, he had no illusions as to which day it was. Now it was his turn. He wasn't frightened, he was angry. Stuck in no-man's land because of the vindictive Lieutenant Ronald Johnson."

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The narrative is hard to put down once one is used to the elaborate character development of the book's main character Sapper Harold 'Bluey' Dowson, his family and comrades in arms. It is not one for political correctness - such platitudes were not part of the WWI veteran's approach to life - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Racism, sexism, violent and uncouth behaviour were the norm at the time the narrative is set. By retaining such language the book is much more realistic and accurate than a modern watered down historical 'memory' of WWI. Dr Gregory P Gilbert - Australian Naval Institute

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