Facets Of War

THE OLD SOLDIER

I don’t bitch and moan
About growing old
To me it’s a privilege
One which was denied to so many
My fallen pals
And the countless foe
Those who never left
The bloody field
Or succumbed to their wounds
Never to return
To a sweethearts arms
Or to sit beside the home fire
So I bare the pains of age
With stoicism
And thank all that’s holy
For my long life
And the fruits of longevity
And keep the memory
In my heart for all the fallen youth
Until I re-join them

INTO THE LANDING CRAFT

As he climbed
Into the landing craft
He was afraid
But not of death
Or of injury
But of fear itself
A paralysing fear
Rendering him inert
Leaving him unable
To do his duty
But above all else
His greatest fear
Was that he would
Let down his lads

PACIFISM IS A NOBLE IDEAL

Pacifism is a noble ideal
A heartfelt principle
Yet when the foul poison
Of the Nazi doctrines
Leached into the world
An internal struggle began
Was the cause to defeat fascism
Greater than pacifist principles
Many took the position
War was the lesser of two evils
But not a decision taken lightly

War ans Warriors

IT’LL BE OVER BY CHRISTMAS

August 4th 1914
The world goes mad
And the Great War Begins
The war to end all wars
“It’ll be over by Christmas”
So they promised
Instead there followed
Four years of death

AIR COMMODORE FERDINAND MAURICE FELIX WEST VC CBE MC
(19 JANUARY 1896 – 8 JULY 1988)

In an Armstrong Whitworth FK 8
West set off at dawn,
Along with his observer,
To search for the enemy
Through a hole in the mist
They spotted their concentration
Avoiding severe ground fire,
Almost immediately
They came under attack
From seven German fighters
West was hit in the leg,
And his radio was destroyed
Skilfully they fought them off
Unable to make home base
West landed behind Allied lines
But despite his injuries
And being in excruciating agony
He insisted on giving his report
Before receiving treatment
And he lost his leg

DON’T PRAY TO YOUR GOD

Don’t pray to your God
When another war begins
Because he doesn’t like war
And he doesn’t care who wins

ROYAL FLYING CORPS - WINGS OVER FRANCE # 4

With the RFC he flew
Over where the ill wind blew
Defending the skies from the Hun
Flying where battle was done
Hazardous sorties over the front
Avoiding enemies on the hunt

Air Commodore Ferdinand Maurice Felix West VC CBE MC (19 JANUARY 1896 – 8 JULY 1988)

DON’T PRAY TO YOUR GOD

Don’t pray to your God
When another war begins
Because he doesn’t like war
And he doesn’t care who wins

ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE - WINGS OVER THE DARDANELLES

1915 in the RNAS he flew
When Ferrijik Junction came into view
He and Gilbert Smylie were sent
And Into action they both went
Under heavy fire Smylie went down
In marsh land outside of town
He set fire to his stricken machine
And quickly set to flee the Scene
Then davies with skill and Gallantry
Landed in sight of the enemy
Rescued his comrade Smylie
And returned him to safety

Vice Admiral Richard Bell Davies VC CB DSO AFC (19 May 1886 – 26 February 1966)

THE SOLDIER STOOD

The soldier stood
And faced the grave
Before the dawn
To salute the brave

VICE ADMIRAL RICHARD BELL DAVIES VC CB DSO AFC
(19 MAY 1886 – 26 FEBRUARY 1966)

Valiantly he fought
Against Germans
And the Turks alike
A young man,
In the prime of life
Diced with death
Not taken by the bullet
Or by the bomb
He fought with gallantry
And abject bravery

THE WORLD HAS BECOME A BLEAKER PLACE

The world has become a bleaker place
And it will never be a safe world again
Death can be delivered unseen from above
I wish I could uninvent the Aeroplane

ROYAL FLYING CORPS - WINGS OVER FRANCE # 5

Valiantly he fought
Against Balloons
And the patrols alike
A young man,
In the prime of life
Fought against
Superior numbers
Above the Forêt de Mormal
Despite horrific injuries
He won the day
And landed safely

Lt Colonel William George "Billy" Barker VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Two Bars (3 November 1894 – 12 March 1930)
LT COLONEL WILLIAM GEORGE "BILLY" BARKER VC, DSO & BAR, MC & TWO BARS
(3 NOVEMBER 1894 – 12 MARCH 1930)

1918 with the RFC he flew
Leaving behind the land he knew
To fly against the superior Hun
When he was nearly undone
Above the Forêt de Mormal
15 against one mere mortal
Barkers Snipe downed three
But he was wounded severely
He got the Snipe down on the floor
But it was the end of Barkers war

ROYAL FLYING CORPS - WINGS OVER FRANCE # 6

Valiantly he fought
Against kite balloons
And the patrols alike
A young man,
In the prime of life
In two short months
In 1918
He wreaked havoc
On the enemy
He died in 1921
In an ironic death
Not taken by the bullet
Or by the bomb
But in a training accident
Flying a Sopwith Snipe
Preparing for an air show
At RAF Hendon

Captain Andrew (Anthony) Frederick Weatherby Beauchamp-Proctor, VC, DSO, MC and bar, DFC (4 September 1894 – 21 June 1921)

THE WORLD HAS BECOME A BLEAKER PLACE

The world has become a bleaker place
And it will never be a safe world again
Death can be delivered unseen from above
I wish I could uninvent the Aeroplane

CAPTAIN ANDREW (ANTHONY) FREDERICK WEATHERBY BEAUCHAMP-PROCTOR, VC, DSO, MC AND BAR, DFC
(4 SEPTEMBER 1894 – 21 JUNE 1921)

1918 with the RFC he flew
Leaving behind the land he knew
To fly against the superior Hun
When victory after victory he won
Between 8 August 1918,
And 8 October 1918
Twenty-six decisive victories
Against determined enemies
Despite suffering a bad injury
He managed to land safely

THE SOLDIER STOOD

The soldier stood
And faced the grave
Before the dawn
To salute the brave

FLEET AIR ARM - WINGS OVER THE CHANNEL

Valiantly he fought
In an outdated kite
Against Battleships
And modern planes alike
A young man,
In the prime of life
Fighting Superior forces
He led his squadron
From the front
Attacking the Scharnhorst,
The Gneisenau
And Prinz Eugen
But were all shot
From the skies

Lieutenant Commander Eugene Kingsmill Esmonde VC DSO (1 March 1909 – 12 February 1942)

LORD KITCHENER SAID IN HIS FRUSTRATION

Lord Kitchener said in his frustration
Of the indiscreet Politicians and their lives
When you tell one of their number a secret
They went home and told their wives
With the exception of David Lloyd George
Who went home and told everybody’s wives

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER EUGENE KINGSMILL ESMONDE VC DSO
(1 MARCH 1909 – 12 FEBRUARY 1942)

1942 with the Fleet Air Arm he flew
Leaving behind the land he knew
To fly against the superior Hun
When he and his squadron were undone
Against the German Krieg’s Marine
The pride of the German Navy
And against that determined enemy
His squadron fell into the sea

The Winds Of War

BLUE DANUBE

It was called Blue Danube, which
Doesn’t sound menacing at all
So innocuous for the first operational
Weapon in Britain’s nuclear arsenal

HMS IOLAIRE

On New Year’s Eve 1918
The Iolaire carried sailors
Veterans of the Great War
Back home to the island of Lewis
But as they approached Stornoway
As the New Year dawned
She struck "The Beasts of Holm"
And sank in the darkness
205 souls perished in the depths
They survived the horrors of war
Only to drown in the waters of home

RED COATS

The bayonets gleaming
In the sun
The piper’s pipe
The drummers drum
Red Coats forming
Up the square
The sound of battle
Everywhere
Though far outnumbered
In the field
They do not waver
They do not yield
The men
From borough and shire
The thin red line
Of the empire

PAST THE CENOTAPH THEY MARCH

Past the cenotaph they march
After Big Bens doleful chime
The proud veterans on parade
Years beyond their prime
But even with walking sticks
They still keep perfect time

THE FLOWERED FIELDS OF FLANDERS

The flowered fields of Flanders
Where met many a gallant enlistee
War visited its hell upon the earth
Turning them to a muddy bloody sea

SO SILENT WENT THE GUNS OF HELL

So silent went the guns of hell
No longer dispensing shot and shell
So we emerge from where we dwell
In answer to the armistice bell

WHETHER THEY MAY WIN OR LOOSE

Whether they may win or loose
Or whether they think its right
Our soldiers don’t get to choose
Which wars that they fight

THE RED ARMY

The Red Army
Rose from the ashes
Like a phoenix
Rising up from
The brink of defeat
To repel the invader
Pushing the Nazi scourge
Back to Hitler’s backyard
To end one war
And begin another
Colder one

RED BEARD

It was called Red Beard, which
Doesn’t sound menacing at all
So innocuous for the first tactical
Weapon in Britain’s nuclear arsenal

THE RAF SEEK OUT THERE TARGETS

The RAF seek out there targets
On recognisance missions
Brave young men
Flying beyond enemy lines
Armed with nothing more than cameras
They make pass after pass
Taking shot after shot
Before returning home
With their precious load
When the photo interpreters
Of Medmenham
Enhance the images
With their stereoscope’s
To create a 3D picture
For detailed analysis
By the boffins
Who identify a target
For more brave young men
To bomb the sites
Of the vengeance weapons

Classic Aircraft

THE SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE

Brainchild of R. J. Mitchell
The Spitfire was designed
As a short-range,
High-performance
Interceptor aircraft
The Supermarine Spitfire
Was the perfect flying machine
With its elliptical wings
And Rolls-Royce Merlin engine
It was fast and manoeuvrable
Which helped it dominate the skies
During the Battle of Britain

THE HAWKER HURRICANE

The Hawker Hurricane
Always overshadowed by the Spitfire
Whether as an interceptor-fighter
Or a fighter-bomber
Yet during the Battle of Britain
It shouldered a greater proportion
Of the burden against the Luftwaffe.

THE HAWKER SEA HURRICANE

The Sea Hurricanes
Were carrier based
Catapult-launched
Convoy escorts,
Known as "Hurricats"

THE HAWKER TYPHOON

The Hawker Typhoon
Single-seat fighter-bomber
Known affectionately as the Tiffy
Began life a medium
And high altitude interceptor
But with its Typhoon speed
It found its niche as
A low-altitude interceptor
But when ground attack rockets
Were added to its armoury.
The Typhoon earned a reputation
As the RAF’s
Most successful ground-attack aircraft.

THE DE HAVILLAND MOSQUITO

The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito
Was a British multi-role combat aircraft
"The Wooden Wonder"
Known more affectionately
As the "Mossie" to its crews
Was the most versatile
British aircraft
Of the Second World War

THE AVRO LANCASTER

The Avro Lancaster
Was a four-engine British
Second World War heavy bomber
An iconic plane of the RAF
It first saw active service
With Bomber Command in 1942
Where it soon overshadowed
Its close contemporaries
The Handley Page Halifax
And the Short Stirling
It was affectionately known
As The "Lanc"
Perhaps best remembered
For Operation Chastise
Or the dam busters raid
Where it delivered
Barnes Wallis’s "Bouncing bomb"
With devastating effect
It was on to carry
The earthquake boms
Tallboy and Grand Slam
Used on V2 installations

THE AVRO LINCOLN

The Avro Type 694,
Was a four-engine
British heavy bomber
That never saw active service
In the Second World War
It was originally designated
As the Lancaster Mk IV
But were renamed
As the Avro Lincoln,
Though it became operational
Too late for World War Two
It saw plenty of action
In subsequent conflicts
Until the Jet age retired them

THE VICKERS WELLINGTON

The Vickers Wellington
Was a British twin-engine
Long range medium bomber
Known as “the Wimpy”
Designed originally
For daylight operations
It was widely used
As a night bomber
In the early years
Of World War 2.
Before being displaced
As the bomber of choice
By the large four-engined
Heavy bombers like the Lancaster
But the Wellington
Took on a new roll
As an anti-submarine aircraft
It was the only British bomber
To remain in production
For the duration of the war
And was first-line equipment
From beginning to end

THE VICKERS WELLESLEY

The Vickers Wellesley
Was a British light bomber
That was all but obsolete
By the time the war came
It was totally unsuited
To the European air war
Of the Second World War
But the Wellesley found a purpose
In the desert theatres
Of East Africa, Egypt
And the Middle East

THE HANDLEY PAGE HALIFAX

The Handley Page Halifax
Was a British four-engine
Second World War heavy bomber
Where it was soon overshadowed
By the Avro Lancaster,
But the Halifax remained in service
Until the end of the war

THE HANDLEY PAGE HASTINGS

The Handley Page
H.P.67 Hastings
Was a British troop-carrier
And freight transporter
The largest transport plane
In the world in its time

THE WESTLAND LYSANDER

The Westland Lysander
Was a British army
Co-operation and liaison aircraft
Which came into service
Prior to the Second World War
But when it became obsolete
In the army co-operation role,
Its exceptional characteristics
Came into their own
The Lysander’s short-field capability
Made it a natural
For clandestine missions
Being able to land on small
Unprepared airstrips
Deep behind enemy lines
To place or recover agents,
Particularly in occupied France

THE SHORT STIRLING

The Short Stirling
Was the very first British
Four-engine heavy bomber
The RAF had in the World War 2
It first entered service in 1941
And had a very brief career
As an operational bomber
Quickly being surpassed
By the Halifax and the Lancaster
Relegating the Stirling
To second line role
But it still had a significant
Contribution to make
First as a glider tug
And then as a resupply aircraft
During the allied invasion
Of Europe in 1944-1945

THE AVRO ANSON

The Avro Anson
Was a British twin-engine
Multi-role aircraft
Used by the RAF
Before, during, and after
The Second World War
It was originally the Avro 652
And was designed as an airliner
But was quickly redeveloped.
For a marine reconnaissance role
Though was soon rendered obsolete
As an operational entity
It was saved from the scrap heap
And became a multi-engine
Air crew trainer
And remained in production
Until 1952

THE AVRO SHACKLETON

The Avro Shackleton
Was a long-range British
Maritime patrol aircraft
Which came into service
With the RAF in 1951
It was a distant cousin
Of the legendary Lancaster
Which evolved first
Into the Lincoln
And then into the Shackleton
Its speciality was
Anti-submarine warfare
Then airborne early warning
And search and rescue
It was finally retired in 1990

THE AVRO LANCASTRIAN

The Avro 691 Lancastrian
Was a mail transport
And passenger aircraft
Used by Canada and Britain
In the 1940s and 1950s
The Lancastrian was basically
A modified Lancaster bomber
And delivered people and mail
As efficiently as death

THE AVRO MANCHESTER

The Avro 679 Manchester
Was a British heavy bomber
Of the Second World War
But it was an operational failure
Due to its underpowered
And unreliable twin-engines
However it lead directly
To the successful four-engined
Avro Lancaster, which became
The most successful
British bomber of the war

THE BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER

The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter,
Affectionately known as the Beau,
Was a British long-range fighter
A successful reworking
Into a heavy fighter
Of the Beaufort torpedo bomber design
Beaufighter is a portmanteau
Of "Beaufort" and "fighter"
But unlike the Beaufort,
The Beaufighter had a long career
And served in almost all theatres
Of the Second World War,
Firstly as a night fighter,
Then as a fighter bomber,
Eventually even replacing
The Beaufort as a torpedo bomber

THE BRISTOL BEAUFORT

The Bristol Beaufort
Was a British twin-engine
Torpedo bomber
Which saw service
With RAF Coastal Command
And then the Fleet Air Arm
Of Royal Navy
They were versatile and not
Used exclusively as torpedo bombers,
They were also utilized with great effect
As conventional bombers and mine-layers
However despite distinguishing themselves
In the Mediterranean
And in the defence of Malta
Their day in the sun
Was over all too soon
They were relegated to a trainer
Until the war ended

THE AVRO YORK

The Avro York
Was a British transport plane
And was yet another Avro aircraft
Derived from the legendary
Lancaster heavy bomber,
Which was used in military
And civilian roles
Between 1943 and 1964

THE BRISTOL BLENHEIM

The Bristol Blenheim
Was a Second World War
British light bomber
It had an all-metal stressed-skin
Retractable landing gear
Powered gun turret
And variable pitch propellers
State of the art at the time
And cutting edge for the RAF
But in truth it was no match
For the German Messerschmitt Bf 109
So its time as a front line
Combat aircraft were short lived

THE SHORT EMPIRE

The Short Empire
Was a medium range
Four engine monoplane flying boat
Carrying passengers and mail
Between Britain and the British colonies

THE SHORT SUNDERLAND FLYING BOAT

The Short S.25 Sunderland
Was a British flying boat
And Royal Air Force patrol bomber
In the Battle of the Atlantic
Hunting German U-boats
But it was capable of more
Humanitarian missions
And took part in the Berlin airlift

THE SHORT SANDRINGHAM

The Short S.25 Sandringham
Was a medium range
British civilian flying boat
Converted from Shorts Sunderland
And replaced the Short Empire
Carrying passengers and mail
Between Britain and the British colonies

THE LOCKHEED LIGHTNING

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Was a World War II
American fighter aircraft
With distinctive twin booms
And one central nacelle,
Housing the cockpit
The P38 was nicknamed
The "fork-tailed devil"
By Luftwaffe Pilots
It was the very definition
Of versatility in fact it had it all
And was in the thick of it
From Pearl Harbour
To Victory over Japan Day

THE AVRO VULCAN

The Avro Vulcan
Was an RAF
Delta Wing strategic bomber
And was the backbone of the Uks
Airborne nuclear deterrent
During a long period
Of the Cold War
It carried no defensive weaponry
So had to rely on its high-speed
And high-altitude flight
To evade interception
Until the advent
Of Electronic countermeasures
And although it spent
Much of its career
Armed with nuclear weapons
The Vulcan was still capable
Of performing conventional
Bombing missions
A fact underlined
Very effectively in 1982
When it was used in
Operation Black Buck
During the Falklands War

THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC LIGHTNING

The English Electric Lightning
Was a supersonic jet fighter
From the days of the Cold War
Noted for its great speed
The only all-British Mach 2 fighter
And the first in the world
Capable of Supercruise
Renowned for its interceptor capabilities
The Lightning was the best of the best

THE WACO HADRIAN

The Waco CG-4A
Was the most widely used
Troop/cargo military glider
Of World War II
Named the Hadrian

THE LOCKHEED HERCULES

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Is a four-engine turboprop
Military transport aircraft
An uncomplicated work horse
Take-offs and landings
Can be made on any unprepared ground
And its uses are too numerous to mention
In fact it would be easier to list
What the Hercules can’t do

THE GENERAL AIRCRAFT HAMILCAR

The General Aircraft
GAL. 49 Hamilcar
Was a large British military glider
Produced during World War II
Commissioned at the behest
Of the then Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
In order to transport
Airborne assault troops
And heavy cargo into battle,
When completed
The Hamilcar was capable
Of transporting heavy equipment
In support of airborne troops.
The glider could transport
A single light tank
Or two Universal Carriers.
Hamilcars were only used
On three occasions,
But only in support
Of British airborne forces.
They first saw action in June 1944
Transporting anti-tank guns
Assorted armoured Vehicles
And Tetrarch light tanks
Into Normandy during Operation Tonga
They were used in a similar way
During Operation Market-Garden
And finally in March 1945
During Operation Varsity
When they landed in Germany

THE GENERAL AIRCRAFT HOTSPUR

The General Aircraft
GAL.48 Hotspur
Was a military glider
Commissioned at the behest
Of the then Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
In order to transport
Airborne assault troops into battle
The Hotspur was the result
But its tactical limitations
Meant it was only used for training

THE AIRSPEED HORSA

The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa
Was a British World War II
Troop-carrying glider
Used for air assault by British
And allied armed forces
Like other British gliders
Of the Second World War,
Gliders were named
After military figures
Whose name began with H,
So it was named after Horsa,
The legendary 5th century
Jutish Conqueror of southern Britain.
But on D-Day 1944
The Horsa showed
It was not a conqueror
But a liberator of Europe

THE HAWKER SIDDELEY HARRIER

The Hawker Siddeley Harrier
Is more popularly known
As the "Harrier Jump Jet"
And was the first operational
Vertical take-off aircraft
Its unique abilities
Made it easier to disperse
An attack squadron
Away from vulnerable sir fields
The Harrier is quite simply
The most remarkable
Aircraft ever made

THE SLINGSBY HENGIST

The Slingsby Hengist
Was a British military glider
Like other British gliders
Of the Second World War,
Gliders were named
After military figures
Whose name began with H,
So it was named after Hengist,
The legendary 5th century
Jutish Conqueror of southern Britain.
But on D-Day 1944
The Hengist showed
It was not a conqueror
But a liberator of Europe

THE DOUGLAS DAKOTA

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Or as the RAF preferred the Dakota
Was a military transport aircraft
A successful development
From the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner
A valuable asset to the Allies
During World War II
And like the Hercules
The Dakota’s uses
Were too numerous to mention
And it would be easier to list
What the Dakota can’t do

THE BRITISH AEROSPACE SEA HARRIER

The British Aerospace Sea Harrier
Was developed directly
From the Hawker Sidderley Harrier
And was used by the Royal Navy
Operating them from
Invincible-class aircraft carriers
Informally known as the "Shar"
The Sea Harrier
Served in the Falklands War,
Both Gulf Wars and the Balkans

War

SOLDIERS OF ROME

They died beneath the eagle
On the battlefields Rome
And were blessed after death
To walk in the fields of Elysium

KUBLAI KHAN’S MONGOL HORDE

Kublai Khan’s Mongol horde
Set Sail In 1274
To conquer Japan
And add it to his empire
But the great deity Raijin
Conjured up a typhoon
And his Divine wind
Destroyed the Khan’s fleet
And saved the Japanese
But in 1281
They sailed again
The largest fleet every assembled
Four thousand ships
Carrying 140000 men
But when they were off the shore
Once again Raijin
Brought the Kamikaze
And scattered the fleet
To the four winds
And thwarted Kublai Khan
And he never tried again

THE VIKINGS

Killed in battle, bloody axe in hand
The reward of the Nordic warrior
Was for their souls to spend eternity
Residing in the great hall of Valhalla

IN HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA 1917

Two ships collided in Halifax harbour,
The Mont Blanc and the Imo,
It was December 1917
And what the Nova Scotian’s didn’t know
Was the French ship was laden with explosives
And as it sailed the straight from the sea
It struck the Norwegian vessel
Causing it to explode cataclysmically
Many Canadians were killed
In Halifax Nova Scotia 1917
After the largest man made explosion
The world had ever seen

DON’T HATE THE HUN ACROSS THE FIELD

Don’t hate the Hun across the field
He’s not so very different to you
He doesn’t want to fight in foreign wars

He wants to be in the loving embrace
Of the sweet woman he loves
As you want to be in the arms of yours

ARE YOU WEARING A POPPY?

Are you wearing a poppy?
Wear it proudly on your lapel
Wear it with pride and respect
So everyone will be able to tell
That you recognise the sacrifice
Of those who fought and fell

WANDERING WARRIOR

Wandering warrior
Migrating hero of the good
Fights for God and king

THE RED ENSIGN

The unsung heroes sail
Under The Red Ensign
The telltale flag flown
By British merchantmen

THE RED DUSTER

The British merchantmen
Fly the “Red Duster”
And you will always see
The red ensign flutter

HMHS GLENART CASTLE

The Glenart Castle
Was steaming home
On a cold February night
In 1918
The hospital ship
Headed for safe haven
Her lights green
Clearly visible
Against the dark horizon
Red lamps lit her side rail
Her masthead light burned bright
Fishermen could see her
Red Cross light
Then a torpedo struct her
In the number the hold
In eight minutes
She was gone
With a 162 souls

WAR AND REMEMBRANCE

IN THE GATHERING OF HOPEFUL HEARTS

In the gathering of hopeful hearts
The flame of peace does thrive
A flame whose embers glowed
When my granddad was still alive
The lads and pals in distant lands
To a man did purposely strive
They kept that tiny ember tended
To ensure that it would survive
And many a lad remained forever
To keep the flame of peace alive

ON REMEMBRANCE DAY

On Remembrance Day,
We honour the sacrificial dead
Those dedicated souls who.
Offered their lives in war
And were accepted
They were the loved ones,
Of their generation
They are the pride of ours

REMEMBER THEM WITH COMPASSION

Remember them with compassion
And not with jaundiced eye
Remember them with gratitude
For they went to war to die
Remember them with pride
Their honour we must not deny
Remember it’s because of them
We stand beneath a free blue sky

DAWN PATROL

You would find them
Up where the air was thin
And the cold burnt
The wood and canvas kites
Prowled the skies
Searching the clouds below
For the enemy silhouettes
And when sighted below
To attack from the sun
And deliver their chattering death

AUSCHWITZ

Auschwitz in essence
Was a processing plant
Or perhaps more accurately
A recycling plant,
Recycling an abundant commodity,
i.e. lower forms of life,
Into a revenue stream
By stripping the resaleable parts
Clothing, jewelry, hair, teeth
And burning what was left.
A cold and calculated business
Inhumanity on an industrial scale.
So the next time
You cast yesterdays must have device
Into your recyling bin
Just remember the Germans did that with people

MONUMENT

Each faceless name
In neat regimen
Of stone masons text
Is one of the fallen
Long forgotten names
Cut deep into the stone
Marking the sacrifice
Of battles Histories
The cold stone sentinel
A poignant reminder

CENOTAPH

Bow your undressed head
Before the cenotaph
A reverent monument
To warriors past
But not to glorify
There tragic loss
But to mark the moment
And count the cost

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS

I like Germany
I like the Germans
I have friends there
I worked for a time near Frankfurt
And I visit Berlin often
It’s my favourite city
They are nice people
Friendly and welcoming
They share our hopes
And our aspirations
We are so alike
We have always been alike
Well almost always
There were dark days
When they were seduced by evil
And let themselves down
So what happened?
What infected this nation?
This nation so like ourselves
How did the madness take them?
Why did they become inhuman?
Why did they set a new benchmark?
In their inhumanity
Why did the good people not rise up?
And oppose the evil
Why did they fail to stop it
Were the jews so bad
So unworthy of pity
Too worthless to be considered
For whatever reason it happened
They let it happen
The worst of them profited by it
The best of them turned a blind eye to it
But they were all guilty
And after the war
I think they felt the guilt
But they feel no guilt now
Now they try to hide behind a lie
Pretending it wasn’t really that bad
There were just a few bad men
And they are gone now
The Americans exaggerated everything
There were isolated incidents
No more than that
Let’s speak of it no more
Lest we offend Islam
Well Islam should be offended
As it was the Turks of the Ottoman empire
Who taught their German allies
The meaning of Holocaust
When they annihilated the Armenians
I say lets speak of it
Let’s never stop speaking of it
And if offence is caused, then so be it
If it prevents its like
From ever happening again

THE DAY DAD WENT TO BELSEN

The tank stopped abruptly
And we sat open mouthed
At what we beheld
Our brains could not assimilate
What our eyes were seeing
Great mounds of …. What?
It can’t be that.
All the horrors of war
We had witnessed, experienced
Since D-day
Did not prepare us
For what Belsen held in store
A place devoid of God
A place where even birdsong was banished
We dismounted and approached on foot
As each step brought us closer
Our worst fears were realised
We saw that the mounds were indeed bodies
Or something likened to bodies
Then I saw an androgynous figure
Stood at the fence
A dirty little bag of bones
Wrapped in dirty rags
Bony fingers clutching the wire
Like a birds feet gripping a trig
I reasoned it was a girl
As the rags might well have been a dress
“We are English” I said
“Don’t be afraid”
Her fleshless face was beyond gaunt,
Her shaved head little more than a skull
Her huge eyes were so black and deep
I could see into her soul
A weak smile played round her mouth
And tears welled up in her huge eyes
I would not have believed it possible
For her desiccated form
To have held enough moisture for tears
But they were there
And they ran down the grubby cheeks
Of the little bag of bones
And dripped onto her ragged dress
We ran to the gates
And forced them open
Then we stepped into the jaws of hell
More skeletal figure appeared
From amidst the piles of rotting corpses
Bemused and disbelieving
They hugged us, and thanked us
Some cried, some laughed
We gave them water
And fed them our rations
Not realising we were finishing
What the Germans had started
The food was too rich
For their weak emaciated bodies
What we didn’t realise
Was we were killing them with kindness
The girls name was Elise
She was the same age as me
But she died the next day
Her face with the huge tear filled eyes
Haunted my dreams
All of the days of my life
Penetrating my soul
And breaking my heart
My only consolation
Was that she at least knew kindness
Once more before she died

THE DEVIL IN THE SKIES

From the dark cloudless skies
Comes the engines droan
Of that unseen and menacing evil
In grim formation flown
Then comes the sirens song
Telling of impending death
As the city looks skyward
Holding a collective breath
Long beams of light
Searched out the evil flock
Criss-crossing the darkness
In every quarter of the clock
Towards the shelters
The civilian’s ant like scurry
As the guns began desperately
Trying to stop the enemy
Fire and death rains down
Upon the weary populace
In macabre equality
The walks of life feel deaths embrace
As buildings fall to the ground
In rubble and dust
Life and history instantly erased
After the bombs combust
Then come the sirens again
Calling out loud, all clear
And from underground
The jaded survivors reappear
To count the cost
Of the night at the gates of hell
Then thanking God
For keeping them safe and well
Gaps on the ravaged skyline
Missing Churches and hostelries
Fire still burns where once stood
Homes and factories
Hoping against hope
That their home survived the night
But despite all this
They never thought to give up the fight

PEACE IN OUR TIME

When idle thoughts lead me back down Memory lane
I think of Mr Chamberlain stepping from the plane
Desperately clutching that piece of paper he waved
That promise of hope that Europe would be saved

How we all held that precious hope in our hearts
Before the promise of peace finally fell apart
And how that hope evaporated to leave me scared
When Chamberlains voice said war was declared

Hitler’s broken promise broke Neville’s heart
Another world war blew his appeasement apart
Then up steps Winston Churchill into the fray
His boldness and stiff resolve eventually won the day
A broken man, Chamberlains life came to an end
Many years before the war he tried so hard to prevent