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, based on real events from June, 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, until the invasion of Germany in the spring of 1945, describes fighting by the men of a small unit of British tanks during this period, with the focus on one particular tank crew. The novel is highly realistic, as it is based on Elstob's own experiences during this period. The title is taken from William Shakespeare's Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3, 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 also hearkens back to the age when individual men fought in armour.