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[[Laura Riding]], Graves' lover, is credited with being a "spiritual and intellectual midwife" to the work.<ref>Richard Perceval Graves, ‘Graves, Robert von Ranke (1895–1985)’, [http://www.oxforddnb.com Oxford Dictionary of National Biography], Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006.</ref>
A large part of the book is taken up by his experiences of the First World War, where he gives a detailed description of [[trench warfare]], includingregimental theexperiences tragic incompetences ofwith the [[BattleRoyal ofWelch LoosFusiliers]]., Theand bookthe containsexperiences aof secondhandBritish descriptionsoldiers ofin the killingfirst two yearsof the war on the Western Front, including the [[Germany|GermanBattle of Loos]] and the [[prisonersBattleofwarthe Somme]]. Graves was severely traumatizedbyBritishhis troops;war althoughexperience. Graves hadAfter nothe witnessedwas anywounded, incidentshe himselfendured a five day train journey amid squalor and knewunchanged ofbandages. no large-scaleDuring massacres,the warhehadreceived beenan toldelectric aboutshock usinganumbertrench oftelephone incidentswhich wherescared prisonershim hadsuch beenthat killedhe individuallydid ornot inuse smallone groups;again consequentlyuntil hetwelve wasyears preparedafter tothe believeevent. that aUpon proportionhis ofreturn Germanshome, whohe surrendereddescribes neverbeing madehaunted itby toghosts and nightmares.<ref name=trickster>[[prisoner-of-warhttp://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:yhpAPPEXBNcJ:digitalcommons.trinity.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1017%26context%3Dtrickstersway+ camp]"The Other: For Good and For Ill"]s by Prof. Frank Kersnowski in Trickster's Way, Volume 2, Issue 2, 2003</ref>
"Nearly every instructor in the mess" he wrote, "could quote specific instances of prisoners having been murdered on the way back. The commonest motives were, it seems, revenge for the death of friends or relatives, [and] jealousy of the prisoner's trip to a comfortable prison camp in England".
Graves was severely traumatized by his war experience. After he was wounded, he endured a five day train journey amid squalor and unchanged bandages. During the war he received an electric shock using a trench telephone which scared him such that he did not use one again until twelve years after the event. Upon his return home, he describes being haunted by ghosts and nightmares.<ref name=trickster>[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:yhpAPPEXBNcJ:digitalcommons.trinity.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1017%26context%3Dtrickstersway+ "The Other: For Good and For Ill"] by Prof. Frank Kersnowski in Trickster's Way, Volume 2, Issue 2, 2003</ref>
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