Chapter 12 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 12 begins the author's memoirs regarding his personal wartime experiences. It follows a generally chronological development from the point that Graves arrived with five other Royal Welch Fusilier officers in France, near Le Havre. The author notes that the chapter was originally written in 1916 while still fresh in his memory, but was originally created in novelized form. The autobiographical chapter was re-written from the novelized memoir.

Although being officers of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Graves and a few other officers were initially deployed to the Welsh Regiment. Graves was placed in command of a platoon of Welshmen who ranged in age from fifteen to an incredible sixty-three, though most were within the regulation age limits. The unit traveled by train and foot to Cambrin, occasionally experiencing desultory shelling from German artillery. Eventually Graves and his men reached the trenches and took...