We don't meet again,
sir. I'd just like to say it's been a real privilege fighting alongside
you,
Yes, well, this is part of the time -off place
for goodbye speech, eh?
No, no, me and the lads are in on it, sir, but,
well, we might never meet again, sir, so...
Yes, all right,
Blaggett.
Thanks a
No, just a moment, sir.
You see, me and the lads, we've had a little whip around,
sir.
We brought you this, sir.
Well, I don't know what to say.
It's a lovely thought to give you.
Thank you.
But I think we'd
better get going now.
Hang on a tick, sir.
We've got something else for
you as well, sir.
Sorry, it's another clock,
There was a bit of a mix -up.
Walters thought he was buying a present,
and
Spadja and I had already got the other
one.
Well, it's beautiful.
They're both beautiful.
I think we'd better get the coven out, and I'll
thank him properly later on.
Corporal
Sturridge got this for you as well, sir.
He didn't know about the others, sir.
It's
Swiss.
Well, now, that is the
Corporal
Sturridge.
Good man.
And there's a car, sir.
From all of us.
Sorry about the blood, sir.
Thank you all.
Squad, three cheers for
Captain
Beaks.
Hip, hip, hooray!
Hip, hip, hooray!
Hip, hip, hooray!
Thank you. I'll be all right, sir.
Oh, there's just
one other thing, sir.
Spadge, give him the cheque.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, no, this is really going too far.
I don't think we'll be to find you, sir.
Oh, I'll be in bin number
420. go and it.
You shouldn't have said that, sir.
You've hurt his feelings now.
Don't mind me,
Spadge.
Toffle is all the same.
One minute, he'll please and thank
you.
The next, he'll kick you in the teeth.
Yeah.
Let's not give him the cake.
I don't want any cake.
Look,
Blackie's got this specially
for you, you bastard.
Yeah, he saved his
Russians for six weeks.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to be ungrateful.
I'll be all right.
Blackie!
Blackie!
Look at him.
He worked on that cake like no one else I've
ever known.
Some nights, it was so cold,
we could hardly move.
But
Blackie be out there slicing the lemons,
mixing the sugar and the almonds.
I mean, you try trying to get butter to
melt at 15 degrees below zero.
There's love in that cake.
This man's love.
And this man's care.
And his...
Oh, my
Christ!
You bastard!
All right.
We will eat the cake.
They're right.
It's too good a cake not to eat.
Get the plates and knives,
Walters.
Yes, sir.
How many plates?
Six.
I'd better get five.
Tablecloth, sir?
Yes, get the tablecloth.
No, no, no. I'll get the tablecloth.
You'd better get the
Gatelick tablecloth.
And the little mat, sir.
Yes.
Oh, and while you're at it,
you'd better get a doily.
I'll bring two, sir, in case you want
Right.
Grumple.
Okay.
There.
There.
So tea was taken in the mouth of flowers.
The dying rays of the summer sun glinted on
fresh sliced cucumber sandwiches and caught
the rough textured richness
of the garibaldi biscuits.
The sound of crackling brandy
snaps filled the still air.
The soldiers chuckled over their
Swiss roll and spread thick butter
upon their scones.
Squaddies passed the milk to majors and
colonels offered apricot jam to their batmen.
generals and runners sat down to crumpet together the
great tea of 1914 -18 had begun.
They haven't said much about the meaning of life so far,
have they?
Well, it's been building
up to it, hasn't it?
Yeah, I expect I'll get on to it now.
No, no room.
This is the end of the side,
you see.
There's no more time
for any meaning to be revealed.
Look, it's coming up!
Look out!
There it is!
Oh