“Treves watched a fatigue party of grave-diggers, the symbols of death, march jauntily past the door of his tent. It struck him that this devil-may-care attitude was characteristic of the private soldiers’ attitude to death. They had learnt now to hide their feelings behind the screen of tobacco smoke and the gallows humour.” (Pakenham, 2004, p.224)

Reference

Pakenham. T. (2004) The Boer War. London: Abacus.