I dedicate this book to HM Forces, who have always given a good account of themselves on the field of battle. All the soldiers were valiant.
We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go
Always a little further; it may be
Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow,
Across that angry or that glimmering sea.
(From The Golden Journey to Samarkand by James Elroy Flecker, inscribed on the SAS memorial clock tower.)