Аристарх и Мардарий 4

36 Dad’s war was punctuated by cups of tea between hellfire bombing, shellfire screaming; rifles jamming. Survival of every hour of shrieking warfare was commemorated by yet another cup of tea, shared with friends he might never see again. His account of the war is a catalogue of teabreaks. Within the untethered chaos of the bloodiest battles there was always time for tea. The war could wait, because he allowed nothing to interrupt his NAAFI break, that one reassuring ritual and memory of home where the fires were more friendly and familiar. When I read his account, I lost all count of the number of times he wrote about tea. How much tea do you need for a Normandy landing? Did the tea run out at Dunkirk? Was there more at Cherbourg? How did it taste after expulsion from the Lancastria for being a Jock? Did the tea taste better before or after bombing? How was the tea in Morocco and Spain? Did tea take priority over a visit to the pyramids of Egypt? Did he have tea with the pope at the Vatican? So Much Army Rule: The NAAFI break is to be observed at all times and under all circumstances.