# IX: First Sight of the Tanks explained — A Yankee in the Trenches > Chapter companion for A Yankee in the Trenches by Robert Derby Holmes. ## What happens The narrator recovers from trench fever and rejoins his battalion at Mill Street in the Somme district. He describes the use of tear gas, a near-fatal accident with an unexploded bomb, and the psychology of soldiers seeking a 'Blighty' wound. The company moves up to the second line under heavy fire, witnessing horrific scenes of death and decay. At dawn, they encounter the first tanks, which emerge from the fog as monstrous steel machines. ## Themes in this chapter ### Survival and Daily Life The chapter details the daily routines and hazards of trench life, including cooking over braziers, dealing with unexploded bombs, and the constant threat of gas and shelling. ### Horrors and Absurdity of War Vivid descriptions of mutilated corpses, the stench of death, and the psychological impact of seeing so many dead soldiers highlight the horror and absurdity of war. ### Dehumanization and Brutality The casual treatment of dead bodies, the use of tear gas, and the self-inflicted wound of Issy Epstein illustrate the dehumanizing and brutal conditions faced by soldiers. ## Character check-ins ### The Narrator Recovers from trench fever, rejoins battalion at Mill Street, experiences tear gas and a bomb accident, leads men under fire, and sees the first tanks. ### Issy A tailor who shoots himself in the hand to get a Blighty wound, lamenting the loss of his thimble finger. ### Bealer Detailed to take Issy to a dressing station; later diagnosed with shell shock and sent to Blighty. ### Wellsie Shakes the narrator awake, asking about the strange noise of the approaching tanks. ### Mr. Blofeld Orders the men out of shelters as the tanks approach. ## Key lines > I think I ought to say a word right here about the psychology of the Tommy in swinging a 'blighty' case. It is the one first, last, and always ambition of the Tommy to get back to Blighty. The narrator explains that the primary goal of the British soldier is to obtain a wound serious enough to be sent home to England. _Highlights the soldiers' desire to escape the front lines._ > I had a man named Isadore Epstein in my section who was instrumental in getting Blighty for himself and one other. Issy was a tailor by trade. He was no fighting man and didn't pretend to be, and he didn't care who knew it. Issy Epstein, a tailor, deliberately shot himself in the hand to get a Blighty wound, showing his desperation to leave the war. _Illustrates the extreme measures soldiers took to be evacuated._ > I think it was here that I first got the real meaning of that old quotation about the curse of a dead man's eye. With so many lying about, there were always eyes staring at you. The narrator feels haunted by the staring eyes of the many dead bodies around him. _Conveys the psychological trauma of witnessing mass death._ > I shall never forget it. Head-on view of a British tank. In the half darkness they looked twice as big as they really were. They lurched forward, slow, clumsy but irresistible, nosing down into shell holes and out. The narrator recalls the awe-inspiring sight of the first tanks emerging from the mist, appearing massive and unstoppable. _Describes the first encounter with tanks as a transformative moment in modern warfare._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_yankee_in_the_trenches_se/chapters/ix-first-sight-of-the-tanks - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_yankee_in_the_trenches_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_yankee_in_the_trenches_se/chapters