As it is for most of us World War I was a slog, described by many as "90% routine and 10% terror." Although soldiers lived with death every day, for the most part, major battles were few and far between, and sometimes it was the dread and anticipation of what was to come that was most psychologically damaging, especially for inexperienced new recruits. When an offensive did come, nobody could predict the ferocity or the outcome. Despite commanders' hopes that attacks might take place in an orderly formation, most were a chaotic scrum of noise, smoke, screams and shell fire, as summed up by Bairnsfather's loose, vigorous penmanship.