Story/poem. I will becoming back to this work.Not as good as I hope. I will do me best to insure it works out.
It were hard to see them as men , just like us , then , that day
The officers and N C O's told us not to fire till they said so
I licked me lips , sweating , not 'cos it was hot , and was it hot
I could of dun with a wet , beer being preference , but cool water would of been
A treat right then
My mind drifted back home to Ramsgate , of me chums , back to that afternoon
In the Red Lion , when I walked in to the pub , told them I was off to war
How they stopde , talking fell silent , then grind at me , Bert , said:
'' Good job we got the Navy then , aint it! ''
Till then , being in the TA , was a bit of a lark , summer fun , camping
An holiday , and GETTING PAID! free grub and not that bad at that ,
And that much better than I half at the Smack Boys Home! when I was a nipper
Now as I lie there , me rifle loaded , pointing at the advancing gray waves
That I was facing right then
Expected to shoot and kill , it was no longer a lark , all the fun had gone out
Of being a soldier
We waited , got set , some of us laid down , others knelt on one knee , other bent
Our Lee Enfeilds , pointing forwards , trigger finger white , with bent pressure
Blood cut off , if we waited any longer , our trigger fingers ,
Officers and our N C O's , said '' hold your postilions ''
Strange what you think when your waiting , for stuff , as I lay there waiting
'' Steady , steady The Buffs '' the offisers and our N C O's , called out
'' Pick out your targets '' , '' take aim! '' , '' make evrey bullet count! ''
'' Rapid fire '' '' FIRE!!! ''
AND WE FIRED , first shots sounded as one shot , then more individual sounded
As each man took a Fritz , out of the game
Then we fired at will , pore Villy , you may say!
Then Fritz , started to fire back , not good shooting , was I relieved
Bullets , hit all around us , and yes around me too!
Dirt and grass , flew up , some times bits of grass and dirt hit me , hit me in the
Face , I felt drops of blood running down my check's , in to my mouth
I spat the grass , dirt and blood out , on to ground it all went
Men began to fall hit by '' lucky '' , shots , two ether side of me fell
One hit in the head , right between his eyes , he was lucky , never know he'd been
Hit , gave a grunt , fell side ways , other bloke , well he got it in his belly
And did he holler , screamed like a pig , mind by now others were being hit all
Around us , arms , legs , heads , no body was safe , all the body , targets now
The gray wave , was thinning out , but on they came on and on , towards us
Their intentions all very clear , and , it was not to ask us the time of day!
It was so very very hot , August , with the heat of battle , not such a good mix
Our rifles , grew hot , the barrels , to hot to fire , I dropde mine , to hot to handle
I pickde a rifle dropped by one of our dead , still loaded , I instantly saw a bullet
Pass where I'd been crouching , second's ago I staid wear I was now , and
I continued firing
I felt tears running down my face , for my dead chums , or for those I'd so far
Shot dead or wounded , probably both , I suppose , thinking about it
We were running out of ammunition , bullets , few left by now
On the gray mass came on , closer and closer they got to us
Fewer officers with us now , Friz , had it seemed to be targeting them
Our N C O's , took charge , sergeant's and corporals , lieutenants , captains and
Majors now
One called out '' FIX BAYONETS!
Now firing at a gray mass , was one thing , to stab an individual , looking him
In the eye , a very different thing all together , I was feeling sick at the thought
Of what I would have to do soon , very soon , if I had any grub to be sick wif
We took out bayonets out of there scabbards , 18 inches of sharpen steel
ON came the gray men , yes we could see they were men just like us!
We fired our remaining .303's bullets at them Friz's , the Hun!
Then the order given CHARGE! we charged , I charged , I hope none could see
I'd , pissed me self!
I found my self face to face with a Hun , he looked like me , his face showing his
Fear , I stabbed at him , I felt my bayonet go in , escaping air , his flesh sucking
At my thrusting bayonet , as I stabbed , I cried for both , it were 'im or me
I was quicker than 'im , he died , I lived!
Some how we beet them back , they ran back the way the way they'd come
All around were dead dying , theirs and ours laying side by side
Some laying upon top of the dead, the dying , the wounded
It were a pitcher of hell , that no politician , had told us war was like
I remember , thinking of Kipling , '' Kipling , you wrote fooking shit! ''
'' Should get through this '' , '' I'm goner use your books to wipe my ace! ''
'' THEN I'm goner track you down and MAKE EAT , VERY WORD ON EVERY PAGE ''
The green grass was now red , with the shed blood of both sides
Scream's filled the air , British and German
The remaining offisers and N C O's , woke us from the nightmare ,
Is there such a thing as a day mare , I wonder? before us we could plainly
See there is such a thing
We waited , expecting , them to come back at us
Just then , to sound of horses hooves , filed the air
Then we saw , horses galloping , with 25 pounders pulling them behind them
An artillery officer , jumped off his horse , asked , who's in command?
One of our remaining officers , stop forward , '' I am captain ''
'' Right , lieutenant '' , '' gather your men '' , '' and retreat , find the rest of the
Army '' , '' leave , we'll take care of the Hun for you '' , They exchange salutes
The riders , Rough Riders as they are called , jumped off , began to unlimber the
Guns
Open sights , began to pummel the Germans , God help them I found my self
Thinking
Were they quick , no sooner arivde , than them have it!
The remaining offisers and N C O's , ordered '' right check out who walking
wounded ''
'' Those who cant walk , we'll have to leave them to Fritz loving care! ''
'' Then we are retreating , a join the rest of the bloody army" ''
I was 19
Ken D Williams
The Dyslexic Wordsmith
Poetry by ken d williams
Read 618 times
Written on 2014-02-02 at 22:36
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THEY CAME AT US IS IN WAVES OF GRAY
We stood our ground , as the gray waves came on towards usIt were hard to see them as men , just like us , then , that day
The officers and N C O's told us not to fire till they said so
I licked me lips , sweating , not 'cos it was hot , and was it hot
I could of dun with a wet , beer being preference , but cool water would of been
A treat right then
My mind drifted back home to Ramsgate , of me chums , back to that afternoon
In the Red Lion , when I walked in to the pub , told them I was off to war
How they stopde , talking fell silent , then grind at me , Bert , said:
'' Good job we got the Navy then , aint it! ''
Till then , being in the TA , was a bit of a lark , summer fun , camping
An holiday , and GETTING PAID! free grub and not that bad at that ,
And that much better than I half at the Smack Boys Home! when I was a nipper
Now as I lie there , me rifle loaded , pointing at the advancing gray waves
That I was facing right then
Expected to shoot and kill , it was no longer a lark , all the fun had gone out
Of being a soldier
We waited , got set , some of us laid down , others knelt on one knee , other bent
Our Lee Enfeilds , pointing forwards , trigger finger white , with bent pressure
Blood cut off , if we waited any longer , our trigger fingers ,
Officers and our N C O's , said '' hold your postilions ''
Strange what you think when your waiting , for stuff , as I lay there waiting
'' Steady , steady The Buffs '' the offisers and our N C O's , called out
'' Pick out your targets '' , '' take aim! '' , '' make evrey bullet count! ''
'' Rapid fire '' '' FIRE!!! ''
AND WE FIRED , first shots sounded as one shot , then more individual sounded
As each man took a Fritz , out of the game
Then we fired at will , pore Villy , you may say!
Then Fritz , started to fire back , not good shooting , was I relieved
Bullets , hit all around us , and yes around me too!
Dirt and grass , flew up , some times bits of grass and dirt hit me , hit me in the
Face , I felt drops of blood running down my check's , in to my mouth
I spat the grass , dirt and blood out , on to ground it all went
Men began to fall hit by '' lucky '' , shots , two ether side of me fell
One hit in the head , right between his eyes , he was lucky , never know he'd been
Hit , gave a grunt , fell side ways , other bloke , well he got it in his belly
And did he holler , screamed like a pig , mind by now others were being hit all
Around us , arms , legs , heads , no body was safe , all the body , targets now
The gray wave , was thinning out , but on they came on and on , towards us
Their intentions all very clear , and , it was not to ask us the time of day!
It was so very very hot , August , with the heat of battle , not such a good mix
Our rifles , grew hot , the barrels , to hot to fire , I dropde mine , to hot to handle
I pickde a rifle dropped by one of our dead , still loaded , I instantly saw a bullet
Pass where I'd been crouching , second's ago I staid wear I was now , and
I continued firing
I felt tears running down my face , for my dead chums , or for those I'd so far
Shot dead or wounded , probably both , I suppose , thinking about it
We were running out of ammunition , bullets , few left by now
On the gray mass came on , closer and closer they got to us
Fewer officers with us now , Friz , had it seemed to be targeting them
Our N C O's , took charge , sergeant's and corporals , lieutenants , captains and
Majors now
One called out '' FIX BAYONETS!
Now firing at a gray mass , was one thing , to stab an individual , looking him
In the eye , a very different thing all together , I was feeling sick at the thought
Of what I would have to do soon , very soon , if I had any grub to be sick wif
We took out bayonets out of there scabbards , 18 inches of sharpen steel
ON came the gray men , yes we could see they were men just like us!
We fired our remaining .303's bullets at them Friz's , the Hun!
Then the order given CHARGE! we charged , I charged , I hope none could see
I'd , pissed me self!
I found my self face to face with a Hun , he looked like me , his face showing his
Fear , I stabbed at him , I felt my bayonet go in , escaping air , his flesh sucking
At my thrusting bayonet , as I stabbed , I cried for both , it were 'im or me
I was quicker than 'im , he died , I lived!
Some how we beet them back , they ran back the way the way they'd come
All around were dead dying , theirs and ours laying side by side
Some laying upon top of the dead, the dying , the wounded
It were a pitcher of hell , that no politician , had told us war was like
I remember , thinking of Kipling , '' Kipling , you wrote fooking shit! ''
'' Should get through this '' , '' I'm goner use your books to wipe my ace! ''
'' THEN I'm goner track you down and MAKE EAT , VERY WORD ON EVERY PAGE ''
The green grass was now red , with the shed blood of both sides
Scream's filled the air , British and German
The remaining offisers and N C O's , woke us from the nightmare ,
Is there such a thing as a day mare , I wonder? before us we could plainly
See there is such a thing
We waited , expecting , them to come back at us
Just then , to sound of horses hooves , filed the air
Then we saw , horses galloping , with 25 pounders pulling them behind them
An artillery officer , jumped off his horse , asked , who's in command?
One of our remaining officers , stop forward , '' I am captain ''
'' Right , lieutenant '' , '' gather your men '' , '' and retreat , find the rest of the
Army '' , '' leave , we'll take care of the Hun for you '' , They exchange salutes
The riders , Rough Riders as they are called , jumped off , began to unlimber the
Guns
Open sights , began to pummel the Germans , God help them I found my self
Thinking
Were they quick , no sooner arivde , than them have it!
The remaining offisers and N C O's , ordered '' right check out who walking
wounded ''
'' Those who cant walk , we'll have to leave them to Fritz loving care! ''
'' Then we are retreating , a join the rest of the bloody army" ''
I was 19
Ken D Williams
The Dyslexic Wordsmith
Poetry by ken d williams
Read 618 times
Written on 2014-02-02 at 22:36
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
