All Quiet On The Western Front

We are war with a virus. It all seems awfully quiet for a war. I turned up to work for my one and only shift of the week. And afternoon turn. Just one person approached my window in the seven hours I was open. A local day return ticket was purchased. Then I went back to staring at an empty booking hall. Well, I found ways and means of keeping myself entertained. One can only stare at empty space for so long. The morning shift had been twice as busy. He had sold two tickets.

So, this doesn’t all seem very ‘war like’. Except, perhaps it is. It reminded me of a book I’d read many years ago by Ken Tout about his time in a tank in WW2. He described war as 99% boredom, 1% terror. Or something similar – I forget the actual words but I have the sentiment right. Whilst seeking out the book on Amazon, I discovered that the author is still going strong, or at least was as of last year.

I’m technically a key worker. But have little work to actually do. And what I do have to do, is most definitely tucked behind the front line. The Western Front today is located in the hospitals, care homes and GP surgeries around the country. I suspect that their experience will be different to Ken’s. I suspect it’s close to 100% terror, 24/7.