“A genius bit of kit. Invented in the Second World War and still used today. It’s like man-sized Meccano. The girders bolt together and each girder is designed to be carried by six men. No more and certainly no less. Now, the bean counters ran a calculator over the Engineers and forced them to lose men. So, now there’s only five regular soldiers left to carry each girder and five men are not enough. A few girders maybe, but not a bridge’s worth. Worry not, says the chief bean counter to the press and parliament, the sixth will be a reservist and will be there when we need him. But while number six exists on paper, he does not necessarily exist in reality, as he has not been recruited. And even if he has been recruited, he’s not going to be there in time for what’s happening right now, because there’s not been the time to process him and then train him to the level of the rest of the team. Which means that when we need a Bailey Bridge built to get our men across a river and into battle, the engineers cannot physically build it. Five men cannot lift lots and lots of girders designed to be lifted by six.

“So, what does the ever-resourceful Engineer colonel do? Knowing that it could be the genuine difference between life and death that there is a bridge built when and where it is needed, he begs, steals or borrows a number six from another regular unit. But they now have only four men per girder. Multiply that across the Army and you can see why I tell you we’ve been hollowed out. It will take all our resources just to put together one properly constituted, ready-for-war brigade. That will leave us with loads of cannibalized formations that will be good for casualty replacements, but little else.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of this,” snapped an angry Everage.

“Naturally,” Kydd replied. “Do you think that a colonel or general is going to tell you he cannot build a Bailey Bridge? What do you think would happen? End of career for him for whingeing for starters. Keep protesting, and too loudly, and I wonder. Court martial? Complaining is not the military way. We improvise until we can improvise no longer. And that is where we are now.”

“And why are you whingeing now, General?” Everage’s voice dripped sarcasm. “I only mention it as you’ve just had the gall to lecture us on what is the military way.”

“Because someone has to tell you. And, if you hadn’t noticed, I couldn’t care a flying fuck. I’m retired anyway.”

“Enough!” The Prime Minister banged his hand flat on a table. “Is there any good news?”