8. A master of prose because he knows he shares it

Let’s see how Frederic Manning starts his book.  His battalion – Bourne’s battalion – has been in an attack.  He gives us a few words from Shakespeare, which we’ll come back to, then he begins:

The darkness was increasing rapidly, as the whole sky had clouded, and threatened thunder.  There was still some desultory shelling.  When the relief had taken over from them, they set off to return to their original line as best they could.  Bourne, who was beaten to the wide, gradually dropped behind …

He blunders into a dug-out, lights a candle, and discovers a water bottle.  He’s thirsty, so he gulps a drink, but it’s whisky.  He spits, and then he gulps some more.  Three Scotsmen come in, he hides the whisky, then Mr Clinton enters the dug-out.  The officer advises the Scots on how to find their battalion, and they leave.  Bourne is for going too, but Clinton says ‘It’s indecent to follow a kilted Highlander too closely out of a dug-out.  Besides I left something here.’

He means the whisky.  He drinks and Bourne has some more.  We’re three pages in at this stage, and the tone, the voice of the book has been set. [read more]