WarEdgar Wallace

• Edgar Wallace was a medical orderly in

• South Africa when the war begun.

• Later he became a war correspondent.

• He blended his knowledge of the horrible effects of battle with the vivid style of the journalist in his poem War.

• An eye witness account of the battle field operating theatre.

• Written from point of view of a medical orderly.

• He is observing the surgeon’s attempts to save a wounded man.

• We hear the surgeons instructions to the orderly & they reflect the mounting panic & stress of the situation.

• Lots of repetition, at times almost like a list, this enhances the sense of futility at the constant source of casualties, ‘cannon fodder’. Only just have time to wipe the knife.

I

A tent that is pitched at the base:

A wagon that comes from the night:

A stretcher –and on it a Case:

A surgeon, who’s holding a light,

The Infantry’s bearing the brunt –

O hark to the wind-carried cheer!

A mutter of guns at the front:

A whimper of sobs at the rear.

And it’s War! ‘Orderly, hold the light.

You can lay him down on the table: so.

Easily-gently! Thanks – you may go.’

And it’s War! But the part that is not for show.

IIA tent, with a table athwart,

A table that’s laid out for one:A waterproof cover – and nought

But the limp, mangled work of a gun.A bottle that’s stuck by the pole,

A guttering dip in its neck:The flickering light of a soul

On the wandering eyes of The Wreck, And its War! Orderly, hold his hand.

I’m not going to hurt you, so don’t be afraid. A ricochet! God! What a mess it has made!’

And its War! And a very unhealthy trade.

IIIThe clink of a stopper and glass:A sigh as the chloroform drips:

A trickle of – what? On the grass,And bluer and bluer the lips.

The lashes have hidden the stare…A rent, and the clothes fall away…

A touch, and the wound is laid bare…A cut, and the face has turned grey…

And its War! ‘orderly, take it out.Its hard for his child, and its rough on his wife.

There might have been – sooner – a chance for his lifeBut its War! And – Orderly, clean this knife!’

The ‘message’ of the poem

War! But the part that is not for show…

This is the brutal reality of war.

Where men die on tables, without the surgeon knowing his name.

He is referred to as ‘it’ on a waterproof cover to catch the blood.

A brief thought about his family and then its on to the next casualty with barely time to wipe the knife..

I

A tent that is pitched at the base:

A wagon that comes from the night:

A stretcher –and on it a Case:

A surgeon, who’s holding a light,

The Infantry’s bearing the brunt –

O hark to the wind-carried cheer!

A mutter of guns at the front:

A whimper of sobs at the rear.

And it’s War! ‘Orderly, hold the light.

You can lay him down on the table: so.

Easily-gently! Thanks – you may go.’

And it’s War! But the part that is not for show.

‘A’ simple noun, repeated 3 times,

list effect, reinforces scale &

continuity of actions.

Injured soldier brought in. De

personified, he is a ‘case’, something to be processed.

Infantry, foot soldiers, hand to hand combat,

coming of worst

What is this cheer? Have they won the battle? Contrast of emotions, battle

triumph with injured agony. Wind carries

news, unreliable communication in

war.

Spoken words add realism, continual noises

of battle, difficult to drown out despite physical distance.

Short phrase, like a command, repeated

at same point throughout stanzas. Exclamation mark &

italic, the glory of war yet here is the

reality.

They are gentle & polite, contrast to

later in poem.. Speech marks

convey conversation.

The image of an injured man is not what the public want to see or hear about

IIA tent, with a table athwart,

A table that’s laid out for one:A waterproof cover – and nought

But the limp, mangled work of a gun.A bottle that’s stuck by the pole,

A guttering dip in its neck:The flickering light of a soul

On the wandering eyes of The Wreck, And its War! Orderly, hold his hand.

I’m not going to hurt you, so don’t be afraid. A ricochet! God! What a mess it has made!’

And its War! And a very unhealthy trade.

Interior of tent, an operating table

across the middle. Uses contrast of a

dinner table, laid for one to eat, this is

‘laid’ for one casualty.

Practicalities, waterproof to catch the blood & gore. They have neither

time nor resources to wash the tables down

between men. No sustenance as one would find on a dinner table, this has the mangled body of a man after a gun has inflicted injuries

on him.

Candle stuck in a bottle, flickering,

nearly going out like the life its

illuminating.

The case is now a wreck, he is deterioating

before ours & the surgeons

eyes.

Frightened, in & out of

consciousness

Humanity, recognises the

man’s fear, even though he’s one

of many, compassionate

When a bullet bounces off something

Very visual image of ‘mess’, usually

covered up, here is the horror of

war.

Euphemistic irony. The trade between states and statesmen,

bargaining, treaties etc.

IIIThe clink of a stopper and glass:A sigh as the chloroform drips:

A trickle of – what? On the grass,And bluer and bluer the lips.

The lashes have hidden the stare…A rent, and the clothes fall away…

A touch, and the wound is laid bare…A cut, and the face has turned grey…

And its War! ‘orderly, take it out.Its hard for his child, and its rough on his wife.

There might have been – sooner – a chance for his lifeBut its War! And – Orderly, clean this knife!’

Anaesthetic, sigh of relief from the injured as he loses consciousness,

life?

Probably blood, life blood, the injured mans spirit & life,

lost so easily

Vivid, imagery of blue lips that signify death

Rip away his clothes to locate wound, panic in surgeon now, trying

everything to save him.

Another contrast: case-

wreck-itAnother statistic,

quite sinister image

Brief consideration

for man’s life & family

Recrimination of surgeon of his own skills &

system. If the casualty had got to him

sooner, maybe he could have been saved

No time to dwell for long though. Urgency & abrupt order to clean the knife, ready for the next one in a long line of War’s

reality.

Wallace had first hand experience of war.He had been an orderly so knew the extent of the orderly’s job & how they were treated by the surgeons.

Can’t get too emotionally attached to the casualties

He was also a journalist so did have a dramatic,sensational mode of expression.

He met Rudyard Kipling in S. Africa. I wonder what sortof conversations they had about the war?

Where are the following in the poem?

a) Onomatopoeia- a word that sounds like that it is describingb) Metaphor- two things claimed they are the samec) Assonance-repetition of vowel soundsd) Ironic humour- an obvious understatemente) Emotive word- word that stirs emotional response.f) Impersonal pronoun - itg) Rule of three- concept that points in threes are more effectiveh) Pathos- a poem that makes us feel sorrow for others suffering