Diary of a soldier

Tanks will save us

Dear Diary,

General Sir John Campbell announced that 'tanks' are going to help us win the war. But there's a problem. The trenches aren't big enough for one let alone 49.

They are heading south towards the north of the River Somme right now.

I don't know what the General is planning but whatever it is, I hope I don't have to shoot anyone. Stupid, I know, seeing as I am in the middle of a war and all. 

We're part of the Reserve Army and although there have been no advancements with Remy, I have made some friends who are just as angry as I am for being here.

Darren and Alfie are best friends but share one mind, they finish each other's sentence like nobody's business. On the way to France they told us that their fathers were killed during the war with the first batch of soldiers and they were going to avenge them.

Sounded like a fool's errand if you ask me, but I was hardly going to tell them that. After all, I was with them, too.

Richard, on the other hand, hated me for no reason.

But I must admit, I was slightly scared of him.

What with his shaved head and built body, he could crush me in two!

Doctor Harry is pretty messed up. Talks to himself and everything. Not that I blame him, if my brother was killed right in front of me, I don't know what I'd do.

Remy - well, he's all I got. I don't even want to entertain the thought of losing him. It would be like living without a part of myself. I just couldn't do it.

And then there's Billy; the slightly rounder one, Johnny; the scrawny pale one and Ashley. Ashley was one of a kind, he's a punk with dyed blue hair and everything. His little matchstick arms could barely lift the weight of the gun. I'm looking at him right now. He's struggling, but I know that if I offer any help, he'd probably just tell me where to shove it. I don't know how he got here, but he looks so out of place. All three of them were around my age. Single men were needed, no matter what they looked like. 

Nearly everyone here seemed comfortable with the idea that they are going to murder someone and possibly die themselves.

Why is killing one person murder but killing thousands seen as heroism? It's all the same to me. You are taking a life you have no right to take.

It would be so much better if everyone just shook hands and said, "Hey, lets all be friends!" but no, Britain came to France to kill because her ally was in danger.

Big deal!

Since when does violence solve anything anyway?

Now we're just awaiting orders, and soon enough, the killing will begin. And whether I like it or not, I will be a part of it.

       --Ronnie Burges