Base Details

The title cleverly plays on the word "base" to mean both a military rear-echelon base camp and a lack of moral decency. It refers to the cowardly, self-serving details of the army staff officers who commanded from safety. This pun immediately sets up the poem's savage, satirical tone.

The satirical poem was published in 1918 during the final year of the First World War. It appeared in his collection "Counter-Attack and Other Poems," which harshly criticized the British military leadership. Sassoon wrote it based on his harrowing experiences serving in the trenches on the Western Front.

The term refers to the high-ranking, overweight staff officers who safely coordinated battles from rear-echelon headquarters miles away from the front lines. "Scarlet" points to their red uniform facings, symbolizing their high rank and the blood they were responsible for shedding. Sassoon mocks their rapid promotion and cushy lifestyles compared to the doomed infantrymen.

The speaker imagines what he would do if he were a cowardly Major, stating he would callously tell young soldiers going over the top that they are going to die. He then says he would safely return to his bed, wishing he could "toddle" off to die of old age. This dark fantasy highlights the stark injustice and class divide inherent in World War I command structures.