Now It Can Be Told · Chapter
VI explained
The narrator visits the ruined château of Vermelles and the nearby cemetery, encountering a gunner battery of the New Army.
What happens
The narrator visits the ruined château of Vermelles and the nearby cemetery, encountering a gunner battery of the New Army. He observes the destruction, the stench of death, and the camaraderie of the gunner officers, contrasting their humility with the haughtiness of Regular soldiers.
Themes in this chapter
Futility of War
The ruined château, the faceless dead, and the pervasive stench of decay underscore the senseless destruction.
Comradeship and Human Spirit
The gunner officers' camaraderie, their tea invitation, and their honest fear show human connection amid horror.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator visits the château and cemetery, interacts with the gunner officers, and reflects on the day's events.
- The Officer
The gunner officer who guides the narrator to the cemetery and introduces him to the battery.
- The Germans
German gunners are mentioned for their methodical and accurate shelling.
Key passages
“The château of Vermelles, where that had happened, was an empty ruin, and there was no sign of the gilt furniture, or the long mirrors, or the marble Venus when I looked through the charred window-frames upon piles of bricks and timber churned up by shellfire.”
The once-grand château of Vermelles was now a hollow shell, its opulent furnishings and decorations obliterated by artillery, leaving only rubble and charred remains.
Illustrates the theme of futility of war through the complete destruction of a once-beautiful place.
“I stumbled over something soft, like a ball of clay, and saw that it was the head of a faceless man, in a battered képi.”
I tripped over a soft object that felt like a lump of clay, only to realize it was the head of a dead soldier, his face gone, still wearing a worn-out French army cap.
A visceral image of death and dehumanization, emphasizing the horror of war.
“They told me how often they were 'scared stiff.' They had been very frightened an hour before I came, when the German gunners had ranged up and down the street, smashing up ruined houses into greater ruin.”
The officers admitted they were frequently terrified, especially just before my arrival when German artillery systematically destroyed what little remained of the street.
Highlights the psychological trauma of soldiers, even those in the New Army.