of him first as ‘an ideal companion’: But no one was worse that he was at hitting it off with officers who distrusted cleverness and disliked unreserved utterances. In fact he was a positive expert at putting up unintentionally. He was with our Second people’s backs Battalion for a few months before they transferred him to and during that period the Colonel was heard to ‘the First’, remark that young Cromlech threw his tongue a hell of a lot too much, and that it was about time he gave up reading Shakespeare and took to using soap and David water. […] certainly was deplorably untidy he good at being […] wasn’t but not too fond of butting in with his ‘seen heard’. ‘Far opinion before been asked for was often his only he’s it,’ reward for an intelligent suggestion. It was Wilfred Owen who acknowledged that it was easier not to be burdened with imagination or, by implication, the power to express direct experience: Happy are these who lose imagination: They have enough to carry with ammunition. Their spirit drags no pack. Their old wounds, save with cold, can not more ache. Having seen all things red, Their eyes are rid Of the hurt of the colour of blood for ever. This relates to real people in real circumstances, a contrast to the Trojan-war-epic references that can be found in many writers, including on occasion Owen and Sassoon, both of whom were concerned to report truthfully. When Graves and Sassoon first met, Graves looked at some lines in an early wartime poem by Sassoon to greet me, colours that were my joy / Not in – ‘Return the woeful crimson of men and told him my old-soldier slain’ ‘in manner, that he would soon change his In turn, it was style’.
of him first as ‘an ideal companion’: But no one was worse that he was at hitting it off with officers who distrusted cleverness and disliked unreserved utterances. In fact he was a positive expert at putting people’s backs up unintentionally. He was with our Second Battalion for a few months before they transferred him to ‘the First’, and during that period the Colonel was heard to remark that young Cromlech threw his tongue a hell of a lot too much, and that it was about time he gave up reading Shakespeare and took to using soap and water. […] David certainly was deplorably untidy […] he wasn’t good at being ‘seen but not heard’. ‘Far too fond of butting in with his opinion before he’s been asked for it,’ was often his only reward for an intelligent suggestion. It was Wilfred Owen who acknowledged that it was easier not to be burdened with imagination or, by implication, the power to express direct experience: Happy are these who lose imagination: They have enough to carry with ammunition. Their spirit drags no pack. Their old wounds, save with cold, can not more ache. Having seen all things red, Their eyes are rid Of the hurt of the colour of blood for ever. This relates to real people in real circumstances, a contrast to the Trojan-war-epic references that can be found in many writers, including on occasion Owen and Sassoon, both of whom were concerned to report truthfully. When Graves and Sassoon first met, Graves looked at some lines in an early wartime poem by Sassoon – ‘Return to greet me, colours that were my joy / Not in the woeful crimson of men slain’ and told him ‘in my old-soldier manner, that he would soon change his style’. In turn, it was