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The Middle Parts of Fortune: Frederic Manning (1929)

  'Chaps,' said Weeper, suddenly, 'for Christ's sake let's pray for rain!'
  'What good would that do?' said Pacey, reasonably. ' If they don't send us over the top here, they'll send us over somewhere else.  It 'as got to be, an' if it 'as got to be, the4 sooner it's over an' done wi' the better.  If we die, we die, an' it won't trouble  nobody, leastways not for long it won't; an' if we don't die now, we'd 'ave to die some other time.'
   'What d'you want to talk about dyin' for?' said Martlow, resentfully.  'I'd rather kill some other fucker first.  I want to have my fling before I die, I do.'
  'If you want to pray, you 'ad better pray for the war to stop,' continued Pacey, 'so as we can all go back to our own 'omes in peace.  I'm a married man wi' two children, an' I don't say I'm any better'n the next man, but I've a bit o' religion in me still, an' I don't hold wi' sayin' such things in jest.'
  'Aye,' said Madeley, bitterly;' an' what good will all your prayin' do you?  If there were any truth in religion, would there be a war, would God let it go on?'
  'Some on us blame God for our own faults,' said Pacey, coolly, 'an' it were men what made the war.  It's no manner o' use us sittin' 'ere pityin' ourselves, an' blamin' God for our own fault.  I've got nowt to say again Mr Rhys [their officer], 'e talks about liberty, an' fightin' for your country, an' posterity, an' so ion; but what I want to know is what all ys 'ns are fightin' for...'
  'We're fightin' for all we've bloody got,' said Madeley, bluntly.
  'An' that's sweet fuck all,' sadi Weeper Smart.  'A tell thee, that all a want to do is to save me own bloody skin.  An' the first thing a do, when a go into t' line, is to find out where t' bloody dressing stations are; an' if a can get a nice blighty, chaps, when once me face is turned towards home, I'm laughing.  You won't see me bloody arse for dust.  A'm not proud.  A tell thee straight.  Them as thinks different can 'ave all the bloody war they want, and me own share of it, too.'
  'Well, what the 'ell did you come out for?' asked Madeley.
  Weeper lifted up a large, spade-like hand with the solemnity of one making an affirmation.
  'That's where th'ast got me beat, lad,' he admitted.  'When a saw all them as didn't know any better'n we did joinin' up, an' a went walkin' out wi' me girl on Sundays, as usual, a just felt ashamed.  An' a put it away, an' a put it away, until in th' end it got me down.  A knew what ti's be, but it got the better o' me, an' then, like a bloody fool, a went an' joined up too. A were ashamed to be seen walkin' in the streets, a were.  But a tell thee, now, that if a were once out o' these togs an' in civvies again, a wouldn't mind all the shame in the world; no, not if I 'ad to slink through all the back streets, an' didn' dare put me nose in t'Old Vaults again.  A've no pride left in me now, chaps, an' that's the plain truth a'm tellin'.  Let them as made the war come an' fight it, that's what a say.' 
  'That's what I say, too,' said Glazier [....}'Why should us'ns fight an' be killed for all them bloody slackers at 'ome?  It ain't right.  We're doin' our duty, n' they ain't, an' they're coinin' money while we get ten bloody frong a week.  They don't care a fuck about us.  Once we're in the army, they've got us by the balls.  Talk about discipline!  They don't try disciplinin' any o' them fuckin' civvies, do they?  We want to put some o' them bloody politicians in the front line, an' see 'em shelled to shit.  That's buck their ideas up.'
  'I'm not fightin' for a lot o' bloody civvies, ' said Madeley, reasonably.  'I'm fightin' for myself an' me own folk.  It's all bloody fine sayin' let them as made the war fight it.  'twere Germany made the war.'
  'A tell thee,' said Weeper, positively, 'there are thousands o' poor buggers, over there in the German lines, as don' know, no more'n we do ourselves, what it's all about.'
  'Then what do the silly fuckers come an' fight for? asked Madeley, indignantly.  'Why didn' they stay 't 'ome?  Tha'lt be sayin' next that the Frenchies sent 'em an invite.'
  'What a say is, that it weren't none o' our business.  We'd no call to mix ourselves up wi' other folks' quarrels,'  replied Weeper.
  'Well, I dont hold wi' that,' said Glazier, judicially.  'I'm not fightin' for them bloody slackers an' conchies at 'ome; but what I say is that the Fritzes 'ad to be stopped.  If we 'adn't come in, an' they'd got the Frenchies beat, 'twould 'a' been our turn next.'
  'Too bloody true it would,' said Madeley.  'An' I'd rather come an' fight Fritz in France than 'ave 'im come over to Blighty an' start bashin' our  'ouses about, same as 'e's done 'ere.'
  ''e'd never 'ave come to England.  The Navy 'd 'ave seen to that,' said Pacey.
  'Don't you be too bloody sure about the Navy,' said Corporal Hamley, entering into the discussion at last.  'The Navy 'as got all it can bloody well do, as things are.'