"Base Details"

If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
I’d live with scarlet Majors at the Base,
And speed glum heroes up the line to death.
You’d see me with my puffy petulant face,
Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel,
Reading the Roll of Honour. Poor young chap,
I’d say---I used to know his father well;
Yes, we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap.
And when the war is done and youth stone dead,
I’d toddle safely home and die---in bed.
Who is it that will "toddle" home when the war is done?
A. All the men who made the rank of Major
B. All the young men who fought the battles
C. All the fathers of the young men who fought
D. All the older soldiers who stayed safe and away from the battlefield.

And you think the answer is ... ?

To answer this question, we need to analyze the poem "Base Details" by Siegfried Sassoon. In the poem, the speaker describes a group of "fierce" and "bald" Majors at the Base who are responsible for sending young soldiers to their deaths. The speaker, who appears to be criticizing the behavior of these Majors, contrasts their comfortable and luxurious lifestyle with the harsh realities of war.

In the final lines of the poem, the speaker states, "...when the war is done and youth stone dead, I’d toddle safely home and die---in bed." This suggests that it is the speaker himself who will "toddle" or walk leisurely home when the war is over. The speaker implies that he, unlike the young soldiers who are dying on the battlefield, will not face any risk or danger.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

D. All the older soldiers who stayed safe and away from the battlefield.