# Escape explained — Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

> Chapter companion for Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon.

## What happens

The chapter follows the protagonist's journey from the front lines to a hospital in Amiens, then to Oxford and Butley, as he grapples with the psychological impact of war, the loss of comrades, and the desire to escape the horrors of battle.

## Themes in this chapter

### Psychological Strain and Survival

The protagonist's internal conflict between duty and the desire to escape the war, highlighting the mental toll of combat.

### Disillusionment with Authority

The protagonist's skepticism about the war's conduct, as seen in his thoughts on the Gommecourt massacre and the propaganda of Haig's despatches.

### Soldier Comradeship and Civilian Alienation

The bond with fellow soldiers like Cromlech and Durley contrasts with the protagonist's feeling of alienation from civilians like Mr. Farrell.

### Anti-War Protest and Conscience

The protagonist's private prayer to be sent to the Base reflects a personal protest against the war's futility.

## Character check-ins

### David Cromlech

Reported killed at High Wood, but later discovered alive in a London hospital, causing a mix of grief and relief.

### Aunt Evelyn

Provides care and comfort during the protagonist's sick leave at Butley.

### Durley

Writes to the protagonist about the Battalion's movements and visits him in the hospital.

### Flook

Brings the protagonist's belongings to the hospital and assists when he falls ill.

### Young Allgood

Mentioned as killed in action, adding to the protagonist's sorrow.

### Colonel Kinjack

Leads the Battalion during the march to La Chaussée, showing pride in his troops.

### Dottrell

Among the officers who comment on Cromlech's death.

### The Doctor

Decides the protagonist's medical fate, sending him to the coast for recovery.

## Key lines

> The door to safety was half open, and though an impartial New Zealand doctor decided one’s destiny, there was a not unnatural impulse to fight for one’s own life instead of against the Germans.

The possibility of being sent away from the front was tempting, and despite the doctor's neutrality, the instinct to survive outweighed the desire to return to battle.

_Highlights the protagonist's internal struggle between duty and self-preservation._

> For him the Wood was a small green patch on a piece of paper. For the Welsh Division it had been a bloody nightmare.

The father saw the war as a distant map exercise, while the soldiers experienced it as a horrific reality.

_Contrasts civilian perception with the brutal truth of combat._

> The level cultivated voice palavers on until the nurse approaches brightly with a spouted feeding-cup. 'Time for some more beef-tea!' Nourishment is administered under approving parental eyes.

The father's calm reading of war news is interrupted by the nurse's routine care, showing the sanitized, almost absurd, nature of hospital life.

_Illustrates the disconnect between the home front and the front lines._

> I sympathized with myself about Allgood, for I had been fond of him. But he was only one among thousands of promising young men who had gone west since the 1st of July.

The protagonist mourns Allgood but recognizes the scale of loss, making personal grief seem insignificant.

_Reflects the numbing effect of mass casualties._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters/v-escape
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_an_infantry_officer_se/chapters