Jan 27, 2009
On Afghanistan
When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier.
-Kipling’s The Young British Soldier
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I always thought that poem should be read to people looking to join up with any armed service. A bit of an FYI, although the navy might argue it did not apply. A lot of good advice in there. My grandad was a captain of artillery, so I always liked the bit about cannons ’shaking their bustles like ladies so fine’. Seemed darkly hilarious in the context of the poem.
Really nice selection, Kipling wrote a lot of really great stuff, one of my favourites is “Tommy”.
In the re-enactment summer job I work we’re lucky enough to use original British Enfield rifles that were used, and found in Afghanistan.