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Milton at War

A story went the rounds during the war regarding an over zealous Sergeant Major who habitually had the squad on parade long before it was really necessary.

On one such occasion he paraded the lads about twenty minutes too early and after the usual admonishment of ‘No talking in the ranks’ they were all resigned to waiting.

Despite the warning and after shuffling for a while from one foot to the other, the lads would make unrepeatable comments quietly to one another, usually about the army in general and one Sgt. Major in particular.

The silence was broken however by a lone voice which quietly proclaimed ‘They also serve who lonely stand and wait’. On hearing this the Sgt. Major turned round to face the squad and bawled out, ‘oo said that?’ He waited for a reply but none came so again he bawled out even louder, ‘I said, oo said that?’ He was by now getting red under the collar. Presently the lone voice spoke again and replied ‘Milton Sir’. The Sgt. Major now thought he was getting somewhere so he bawled out again, ‘Come aht here Milton’.

Again no reply or movement, so in desperation he bawled out once more, ‘I said come aht here Milton’. By now he was beside himself and contemplating the punishment he would dole out to the culprit who dared to talk on parade. A short pause then the lone voice spoke again saying, ‘He can’t sir, he’s been dead for years.’

Ps. The Milton referred to by the squaddy was the well known poet who died, I believe a couple of hundred years ago. The line:- They also serve who only stand and wait, comes from one of his famous poems.

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