A pen drawing displays,
Two Tommy’s at the front,
Leaning against a wall,
Of a shallow trench.
Behind them a backdrop
Of puffs of exploding smoke.
One Tommy, his cap tilted,
Aims his Lee Enfield,
While the other, a man
With a moustache, turns.
He looks from the drawing,
One hand holding his rifle,
Yet to be in use, the other
Hand down - opened mouthed
He addresses the viewer.
Beneath him are the words
He speaks ‘Give me a cup
Of Ivelcon.’
The uncatchy name ‘Ivelcon’
Given to a beef beverage.
A mix of prime beef,
Blended with vegetables,
Compressed in a cube.
A sustaining drink that
Made in Yeovil by St Ivel Ltd
Can be made in a minute.
With a bit of boiling water.
The headline encourages
‘So send a tin of cubes
To your soldier.’
As this image suggests,
The calm Tommy fights -
Happily to look the other way,
Regardless of snipers.
Atop a trench he is yearning
For a beef tea -
The drawing notes
‘Ivelcon War Series No 3’ –
So there are more
Jolly scenes to come.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1914. Ivelcon
Advert. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 19 Nov. p.7. Col.6-7. Available
at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11232260/Daily-Telegraph-November-19-1914.html
[Accessed: 19th November 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 19 November 2014).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered
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