The Wars - Chapter 5

Robert leaves from London to Waterloo where he rides by train and reaches a town called Magdalene Wood. It is here when he realizes that he has been separated with his bag. Robert is now left without rations, clean clothing, and his gun. Magdalene Wood lies about 12 miles from Bailleul. Robert decides he wants to make it before sunrise so he must walk the remainder of the way. Soon Robert joined two horsemen and rode the remainder of the way.

When Robert reaches Bailleul and stays the first night in a hotel, he immediately passes out in his room. He wakes once wondering what time it is the remembers the watch Barbara bought him. Although it is 1:30 Robert falls back asleep. He then wakes up later wondering if he has slept through an entire day; he gets up showers and makes way for Desole, this is a housing facility for the mentally ill as well as soldiers. While taking a shower the nurses and other inmates leave the room and turn off the light. Robert senses he is not alone, and asks “who’s there?” nobody replies, but he hears the sound of someone breathing. He is then approached by what seems like four men and is raped. Before the rapists leave Robert hears them say not to take any money or that will give their identities away, revealing to Robert that it was soldiers who committed the act.

Soon after this incident Poole appears while passing through and much to Roberts surprise gives him his kit bag containing Roberts clothing, gun, and a picture of Rowena which he burns as an act of charity.

Robert returns to the front on an ammunition convoy towards Wytsbrouk. He encounters some shelling but his life is spared. On the seventh day since returning from the front Robert is with Captain Leather and thirty horses and mules. When the German’s begin to bomb their location Robert asks Leather if he can release the animals in order to save them, but Leather was in a panic under a table and refused. However, Robert convinces Devlin to open the gate to release the animals. When Leather witnesses what Devlin is doing he fires and shoots Devlin in the head. Shells begin to land in the barns and as Roberts attempts to kill the wounded animals he thinks that if Leather was an animal he was