Dedication
TO MY OLD PALS, “BILL,” “BERT,” AND “ALF,” WHO HAVE SAT IN THE MUD WITH ME
Foreword
Down South, in the Valley of the Somme, far from the spots recorded in this book, I began to write this story.
In billets it was. I strolled across the old farmyard and into the wood beyond. Sitting by a gurgling little stream, I began, with the aid of a notebook and a pencil, to record the joys and sorrows of my first six months in France.
I do not claim any unique quality for these experiences. Many thousands have had the same. I have merely, by request, made a record of my times out there, in the way that they appeared to me.
BRUCE BAIRNSFATHER.