One of the most moving pieces about that war came from, of all people Lemmy of Motorhead.
1916
16 years old when I went to the war
To fight for a land fit for heroes
God on my side and a gun in my hand
Chasing my days down to zero
And I marched and I fought and I bled and I died
And I never did get any older
But I knew at the time that a year in the line
Was a long enough life for a soldier
We all volunteered and we wrote down our names
And we added two years to our ages
Eager for life and ahead of the game
Ready for history’s pages
And we brawled and we fought and we whored till we stood
Ten thousand shoulder to shoulder
A thirst for the hun, we were food for the gun
And that’s what you are when you’re soldiers
I heard my friend cry and he sank to his knees
Coughing blood as he screamed for his mother
And I fell by his side and that’s how we died
Clinging like kids to each other
And I lay in the mud and the guts and the blood
And I wept as his body grew colder
And I called for my mother and she never came
Though it wasn’t my fault and I wasn’t to blame
The day not half over and ten thousand slain
And now there’s nobody remembers our names
And that’s how it is for a soldier
On a lighter note I would like to quote a music hall song following the reluctance of British manhood to break down doors. This of the recruiting offices. By the way,Some cunning recruiting sergeants let 16 year olds lie and signed them in as of military age. Got a bonus for a head count. Some boys shot for "cowardice" later. Crying in the trench and refusing to go on.
Take my muvver, take my farver, take my sistah and my bruvver.
But for Gawd's Sake, don't take me!
London accent added.