What is the rifles of the regiment about by Eric knight about?

Answer 1

"The Rifles of the Regiment", by Eric Knight is about a man by the name of Colonel Heathergall, who is your stereotypical British Officer. He is very strict about rules and regulations and puts the regiment above all. In the beginnig of the story, Colonel Heathergall's men are sying good tings about him. They talk about all the battles he was in and how he had never met "Fear". Eric Kight personifies Fear as an actual person. The regiment has had to walk almost all the way across France, and they wanted to leave theri rifles behind. Colonel Heathergall wouldn't let them. He and his regiment end up getting trapped by the Germans, with nothing behind them but the cliffs and the sea. Colonel Heathergall ends up having a conversation with Fear. This inspires Colonel Heathergall to overcome his fear, and he tells his men to use their rifles and slings to climb down the cliff, where rescue was waiting. In a sense, it was almost as if he knew they were going to need them. This is ironic, because his men think he doesn't know the meaning of fear.