Overlord Page #3

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That's all for now.

All right, Sergeant-Major.

I thought you were meeting me tonight.

- I was called away.

- Why?

To fight the war.

- Couldn't you have told me?

- There was no time.

So you left me.

- There was no choice.

- Are you coming back?

Don't know.

Am I going to wait for you?

I don't know.

I do though.

Good-bye, Tom.

Please...

don't go.

Fill in the form, please.

Name and address of next of kin.

If I get killed,

they've already got a photograph.

It's for our records,

Private Beddows.

Oh.

Follow the sign outside, please,

and get your anti-louse ware from the stores...

if you haven't already.

God. How much more?

There's a will form...

B-2089... to fill in.

- What for?

- What do you think?

Cannon fodder.

That's what we are.

Die of boredom, die in battle.

What's the difference?

Did you hear what Tom did

this morning?

No.

He went to see old Nickelby...

and asked him if they gave out compassionate leave

if there'd been a death in the family.

So Nickelby said, "Oh, yeah, yeah,

depending on the circumstances."

And Tom said, "Well, there hasn't

been a death in my family yet...

"but there's gonna be one very soon.

I request leave to go home

and console my parents."

What did Nickelby do?

He sent Tom with a note to the M.O.

Oh, Tommy. He's nuts.

No, no. No, Tommy's not nuts.

He could do with a break.

Well, we could all do

with a break.

It's been nothing but film shows,

housey-housey...

and lemonade in the bleedin' NAAFI

when the beer runs out.

- Ah.

- Ah!

They're for me.

Sh*t.

Don't tell me it's your birthday.

Yeah. Couple of days ago.

The mail was held up.

What's that?

- It's a key.

- That's a funny sort of birthday present.

- What's it for?

- What? It's a custom in our family.

You know, key to the door,

coming of age, that sort of thing.

- You just 21?

- Yeah.

Happy birthday, kid.

- Plenty more of 'em.

- Thanks.

How about this, Jack?

Oh, that's nice.

I think I'll go and get some ink

and write back to them.

- Can I have a look at your cards?

- Yeah, help yourself. See you later.

Army post office, England.

Dearest Mum and Dad.

Thank you very much for your letter

and the presents, which have just arrived.

My fountain pen works very well,

as you can see.

We're very cut-off here,

as you can see from the address.

I don't know where we are, exactly.

It was so nice to hear from you.

You don't have to worry about me.

We are eating very well in this camp.

Although the beds are hard,

I'm getting plenty of sleep.

We all think the invasion

can't be far off.

It's like being part of a machine

which gets bigger and bigger...

while we grow smaller and smaller

until there's nothing left.

I wish I had some news.

Yesterday I saw a fox

on the other side of the barbed wire.

And when we could still go out I went to see

This Happy Breed with Celia Johnson in it.

I thought it was terrific at the time...

but I can't remember much about it now.

Seems so distant.

Everything outside the army

and my mates here has faded away.

I must have done even more traveling

in the last two weeks...

than when I went to France

on that school holiday.

But I couldn't tell you where we are

or where we've come from.

All we seem to do is sit in trucks and barracks,

waiting for our bit of the war to start.

At any other time...

your news about Tina would have left me

unable to think of anything else.

But now it just seems

part of the war...

like everything else.

I was going to ask you

to keep one of the puppies...

but I don't think

there's much point.

I don't think I shall live

to see the end of this war.

It sounds silly...

but this war has killed

so many people already.

I'm just going to be another one.

Of that I'm sure.

I can feel it...

the way you feel it

when you're going to get a cold.

I didn't know whether to tell you.

I thought you shouldn't get

one of those official letters...

without knowing what was inside.

Please be brave.

I shall be all right.

I'm not frightened.

It is necessary to burn

all personal letters and papers...

or wrap them in the paper being issued

to be sent home.

The choice is yours.

You will carry nothing

except your pay book, part one, and Bible.

I've got nothing now.

I've thrown it all away.

I don't think

I'm gonna get through this.

You'll be all right.

We'll get you through.

- I'm not walking through this lot.

- So much for the seaside.

# And I don't care for him #

# He can go and get another #

# That I hope he will enjoy #

# For I'm going to marry #

# A far nicer boy #

- Sing it again, Susannah.

- Please, Mommy.

Sing it right through once more,

for the soldiers.

# So let him go #

# Let him tarry #

# Let him sink or let him swim #

# He doesn't care for me #

# And I don't care for him #

# He can go and get another #

# That I hope he will enjoy #

- # For I'm... #

- Don't go, tommies.

Tommies, please don't go.

I think I'm gonna be sick again.

- Why didn't you become an officer, Jack?

- I failed the initiative test.

They locked me

in a broken-down potting shed...

and told me to imagine

I was a prisoner trying to escape.

If I used that wall, I'd be shot.

If I climbed that fence, I'd be electrocuted.

If I trod here, there, anywhere,

I'd be blown up by hidden mines.

I didn't move a f***ing inch.

If they hadn't come and let me out,

I'd still have been in that shed...

waitin' to become an officer.

This is it.

We're going in.

Well, Beddows,

how many V.C.'s in the regiment?

Five V.C.'s.

Name of the commanding officer?

Lieutenant Colonel Hutchinson.

When was the regiment formed?

- 1685.

- Jesus Christ.

Names of all the birds Arthur's had

since he joined the army.

- Belinda.

- Yeah.

- Mabel.

- Yup.

- Alice?

- Ah, she were mine first.

- Janey.

- Who's that?

Shall I show you

how we prepare the dead?

Now bring me back.

Oh, Christ! He's hit! Tommy!

- Get him down!

- Get out of the bloody way!

Hold tight to ram the beachhead!

- Get out of the blasted way!

- Get out of the way, man!

Get down!

Jack, hold him!

Hold him! Hold him! Hold him!

Lay him down.

It's all right. I've got him. Lay him down.

- Easy. You'll be all right.

- Oh, God, he's dead.

Oh, f***.

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