Siegfried Sassoon
The boys came back. Bands played and flags were flying,
And Yellow-Pressmen thronged the sunlit street
To cheer the soldiers who’d refrained from dying,
And hear the music of returning feet.
‘Of all the thrills and ardours War has brought,
This moment is the finest.’ (So they thought.)
Snapping their bayonets on to charge the mob,
Grim Fusiliers broke ranks with glint of steel,
At last the boys had found a cushy job.
I heard the Yellow-Pressmen grunt and squeal;
And with my trusty bombers turned and went
To clear those Junkers out of Parliament.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem offers a biting critique of the glorification of war and the hypocrisy surrounding the “return” of soldiers, especially in the context of post-war celebrations and the media’s portrayal of military service. Through sharp irony and satire, the poem subverts the conventional narrative of war heroes returning home, revealing the absurdity of this idealized image in the face of the brutal realities of war. The speaker, in contrast to the celebratory atmosphere, is disillusioned, seeing through the surface-level patriotism and national pride.
The opening stanza, *”The boys came back. Bands played and flags were flying, / And Yellow-Pressmen thronged the sunlit street / To cheer the soldiers who’d refrained from dying,”* sets the stage with a scene that might be found in many post-war celebrations. The soldiers, hailed as heroes, are greeted with the pomp and circumstance typically reserved for victors. The “Yellow-Pressmen,” a reference to sensationalist journalists, are eager to report on the soldiers’ return, framing the event as a triumph—despite the unspoken irony that many soldiers did not return at all. The phrase “cheer the soldiers who’d refrained from dying” is a pointed jibe at the absurdity of calling those who survived war “heroes,” as if simply managing to stay alive in the face of violence is somehow a noble achievement.
The line *“‘Of all the thrills and ardours War has brought, / This moment is the finest.’ (So they thought.)”* is especially crucial. It highlights the disconnection between the reality of war and the romanticized version of it, espoused by the media and those who never experienced the horrors firsthand. The soldiers who “refrained from dying” are seen as the successful few, but the irony lies in the notion that their survival, not their sacrifices or achievements, is considered the ultimate glory.
Then, the mood shifts abruptly with the lines: *“Snapping their bayonets on to charge the mob, / Grim Fusiliers broke ranks with glint of steel, / At last the boys had found a cushy job.”* The soldiers, once celebrated and treated like heroes, are now cast in a more sinister light. The image of the “Grim Fusiliers”—a reference to a regiment of infantrymen—”snapping their bayonets” to charge the mob suggests that the violence of war is still very much alive within them, even in this supposed moment of celebration. The phrase “a cushy job” introduces another layer of irony. What was once the grim work of fighting on the battlefield is now framed as an easy and perhaps even desirable role in the aftermath, where soldiers have become tools for maintaining order or serving political interests, such as clearing “Junkers out of Parliament.”
The final lines—*“I heard the Yellow-Pressmen grunt and squeal; / And with my trusty bombers turned and went / To clear those Junkers out of Parliament”*—bring the poem to a darkly humorous, yet chilling conclusion. The speaker, in a sense, adopts the role of an insurgent, ready to use violence to clear out the very systems that profited from and glorified war. The “Yellow-Pressmen” grunt and squeal in discomfort, perhaps because they are beginning to realize the consequences of the glorified image they have sold. “Junkers” refers to the German aristocratic class, but in this context, it may be used symbolically to refer to the elite and ruling classes who benefit from the bloodshed of war. By saying the speaker is using “trusty bombers” to clear them out of Parliament, the poem suggests that the conflict, once finished on the battlefield, continues in the political and social spheres, and the soldiers, who once fought for a cause, are now fighting against those who have manipulated the war for their own gain.
Ultimately, this poem is a critique of the way society, particularly the media, romanticizes war while failing to reckon with its devastating costs. The twist of humor—turning the returning soldiers into political insurgents—highlights the absurdity of celebrating “victories” while ignoring the deeper moral and political questions about war and its aftermath. The speaker refuses to participate in the myth-making process, instead choosing to confront the reality of power and violence that persists long after the official battles have ended.