1914, ten to one
Those of us who are in it now are n't going to see the best of it by a long way . There 's no doubt the very finest fighting 'll be at the finish ; so that the patriotic beggars who were in such a hurry to join up will be jolly well sold , poor devils . Take me , for instance . If I 'd got what I wanted and been out in Flanders in 1914 , ten to one I should have been in the retreat from Mons , like Frank , and never anywhere else . Then I 'd have given my head to have gone to Gallipoli ; but _ now _ , well , I 'm just as glad I 'm not mixed up in that affair . Still , that 's not the way to look at it , calculating the fun you can get out of it for yourself . And it 's certainly not the way to win the War .