"It

"It wasn't
wasn't hell.
hell. It
It
was
was the
the
courtyard
courtyard of
of
hell.
hell. It
It was
was aa
maelstrom
maelstrom of
of
noise
noise and
and hot,
hot,
splitting
splitting
steel...the
steel...the
rattling
rattling of
of
machine
machine guns
guns
never
never stops
stops ...
...
wounded
wounded men
men
refuse
refuse to
to leave,
leave,
and
and the
the men
men
don't
don't want
want to
to be
be
relieved
relieved after
after
seven
seven days
days and
and
seven
seven nights...
nights...
the
the battlefield
battlefield is
is
still
still an
an
appalling
appalling thing
thing
to
to see,
see, in
in its
its
mud,
mud, ruin,
ruin,

Painting: Canadian Armour Passing Through Ortona by Dr. Charles Fraser Comfo

Veterans walk through the Moro River Canadian War

Cemetery in the present day.