Warriors For the Working Day

Warriors For the Working Day is a novel written by Peter Elstob, published in 1960, with later translations into other languages. The novel is based on events from June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, to the invasion of Germany in the Spring of 1945. The book describes fighting by the men of a small unit of British tanks during this period, with the focus on one tank crew. The novel is highly realistic, as it is based on Elstob's experience. The title is taken from Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3 (Shakespeare) before the Battle of Agincourt. King Henry replies to the French herald, Mountjoy,

Let me speak proudly: tell the constable

We are but warriors for the working-day; Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirch'd With rainy marching in the painful field; There's not a piece of feather in our host-- Good argument, I hope, we will not fly-- And time hath worn us into slovenry: But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim.

The title appears to imply that while the British are not professionals, they are up to the task of defeating the forces of Nazi Germany. It harks back to the age when men fought in armour and when Englishmen were fighting in France.

On the outbreak of World War II, Elstob applied to rejoin the RAF but after a long delay, was turned down. Elstob then volunteered for the Royal Tank Regiment, eventually becoming a tank commander. After serving with the 3rd Battalion in India, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Libya, his battalion went to the UK for re-training and he was assigned as radio operator to Sergeant "Buck" Kite. As part of the 11th Armoured Division he fought in Normandy, Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge and in Germany. These experiences provided him with the material for the novel; at least one incident in the book, from Operation Goodwood during the Battle of Caen, is a word-for-word retelling, according to his obituary.

The novel is divided into two "books", First Light and Last Light, technical terms from RTR training manuals. The author provides the definition of First Light as "When it is possible to distinguish between black and white" and Last Light as "When it is no longer possible to distinguish black from white. The tanks then begin to withdraw". The symbolic meaning is clear.

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