Hail, soldier, huddled in the rain,
Hail, soldier, squelching through the mud,
Hail, soldier, sick of dirt and pain,
The sight of death, the smell of blood.
New men, new weapons, bear the brunt;
New slogans gild the ancient game:
The infantry are still in front,
And mud and dust are much the same.
Hail, humble footman, poised to fly
Across the West, or any, Wall!
Proud, plodding, peerless P.B.I.-
The foulest, finest job of all.
March 26, 1944
'Salute The Soldier' by A P Herbert • 144 poems by A P HerbertEdit
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Alan Patrick Herbert was born in Elstead, Surrey in 1890. After studying law at Oxford University he served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. After the war he published the novel The Secret Battle (1919).
In 1924 Herbert joined Punch Magazine and two years later had his first theatrical success with the production of Riverside Nights. He also wrote the lyrics for Tantivy Towers (1930) and Helen (1932) and published the novels The Water Gipsies (1930), Holy Deadlock and What a Word (1935).
Herbert became the Independent MP for Oxford University in 1935. A campaigner for reform of the marriage and divorce laws, played an important role in the
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By A P Herbert, © 1943, All rights reserved.
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Editor notes
This poem first appeared in the Sunday Graphic, a British newspaper.
This version is taken from Light The Lights by A. P. Herbert, published 1945 by Methuen & Co.
G. I. refers to the General Infantry
P. B. I. refers to the Poor Bloody Infantry!!
Jim Saville