<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="" class="head">The Charge of the Light <br xmlns:exist="http://exist.sourceforge.net/NS/exist" xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"/> BRIGADE</h1><h1 align="" class="head">Brought Up to Date</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line">HALF a league, half a league,</p><p class="line">Half a league onward--</p><p class="line">" That is, unless some damned</p><p class="line">Airman has blundered,</p><p class="line">If the map isn't right</p><p class="line">We'll be a funny sight."</p><p class="line">So as they tramped along</p><p class="line">Officers pondered,</p><p class="line">While, with equipment hung,</p><p class="line">Curses on every tongue,</p><p class="line">Forward with rifles slung,</p><p class="line">Slouched the six hundred.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Cannon to right of them,</p><p class="line">Cannon to left of them,</p><p class="line">Cannon in front of them,</p><p class="line">Volleyed and thundered,</p><p class="line">" And--what was twice as bad--</p><p class="line">Our gunners never had</p><p class="line">Strafed that machine-gun lad.</p><p class="line">I always wondered</p><p class="line">If our old barrage could</p><p class="line">Be half as bloody good</p><p class="line">As the Staff said it would."</p><p class="line">Was there a man dismayed?</p><p class="line">Yes, they were damned afraid,</p><p class="line">Loathing both shot and shell,</p><p class="line">Into the mouth of Hell,</p><p class="line">Sticking it pretty well,</p><p class="line">Slouched the six hundred.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Through the barrage they passed,</p><p class="line">Men falling thick and fast,</p><p class="line">Till the machine-gun blast</p><p class="line">Smote them to lying</p><p class="line">Down in the grass a bit;</p><p class="line">Over the roar of it</p><p class="line">Officers yelled, were hit,</p><p class="line">Dropped and lay dying.</p><p class="line">Then the retreat began,</p><p class="line">Every unwounded man</p><p class="line">Staggered or crawled or ran</p><p class="line">Back to the trench again,</p><p class="line">While on the broken plain</p><p class="line">Dead and untroubling,</p><p class="line">Wounded and wondering,</p><p class="line">What help the night would bring,</p><p class="line">Lay the six hundred.</p></div></body></html> · Great War