DH Lawrence has been driven to Bognor Regis. "It was strange at Bognor – a white, vague, powerful sea, with long waves falling heavily, with a crash of frosty white out of the pearly whiteness of the day, of the wide sea. And the small boats that were out in the distance heaved, and seemed to glisten shadowily. Strange the sea was, so strong. I saw a soldier on the pier, with only one leg. He was young and handsome; and strangely self-conscious and slightly ostentatious: but confused. As yet he does not realise anything, he is still in shock," Lawrence reports in a note dated March 1915, to Lady Ottoline Morrell in D H Lawrence: Selected Letters (Penguin 1950). The murderous war on the Western Front is much on his mind.
"It seemed to me anything might have come out of that white, silent, opalescent sea; and the great icy shocks of foam were strange. I felt as if legions were marching in the mist. I cannot tell you why, but I am afraid. I am afraid of the ghosts of the dead. They seem to come marching home in legions over the white, silent sea, breaking in on us with a roar and a white iciness. Perhaps this is why I feel so afraid. I don't know. But the land beyond looked warm, with a warm blue sky, very homely, and over the sea legions of white ghosts tramping. I was on the pier. So they are making a Coalition government. I cannot tell you how icy cold my heart is with fear. It is as if we are all going to die." Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.
"It seemed to me anything might have come out of that white, silent, opalescent sea; and the great icy shocks of foam were strange. I felt as if legions were marching in the mist. I cannot tell you why, but I am afraid. I am afraid of the ghosts of the dead. They seem to come marching home in legions over the white, silent sea, breaking in on us with a roar and a white iciness. Perhaps this is why I feel so afraid. I don't know. But the land beyond looked warm, with a warm blue sky, very homely, and over the sea legions of white ghosts tramping. I was on the pier. So they are making a Coalition government. I cannot tell you how icy cold my heart is with fear. It is as if we are all going to die." Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.