Just beyond the
walls of Paris,
Situated an
American Hospital.
Among the French
wounded,
An artillery
quartermaster -
Sergeant-Major Louis
Schoeny
Of 5th Regiment
of Field Artillery,
From BelEort was
close
To dying of
wounds it seemed.
At the closing of
October,
At Braisne, Sergeant-Major
Schoeny received
wounds,
Totalling three -
His skull was
fractured -
And his face
badly injured,
Yet he stayed at
his post
Under strength of
will -
Half blinded by
blood.
Then a shell
fragment,
Sliced into his
stomach,
Knocking him
down.
The endurance of
this Artillery
Quartermaster,
had been heard
At higher levels
-
A staff officer
arrived on the 12th
From Ministry of
War,
Bringing to the
injured man,
A military medal –
For the French
army,
Is the highest
award for bravery.
About the
artilleryman’s bed,
At the time of 5
p.m.,
Gathered other
injured men,
To witness an
officer -
A Lieutenant –Colonel,
Of the 53rd
Battery -
Wearing on his
dressing gown,
The Legion of
Honour Cross.
Keeping to the
ceremony
As much as he
could, yet
Without bugles to
sound call,
The wounded
officer
Held out the
medal, to pin to
Breast of Louis
Schoeny.
‘In the name
Of the President
Of the Republic,
And in virtue of
the power
Conferred upon
us,
We award you
The military
medal.’
Unable to lift
himself,
Louis Schoeny
requested
To kiss the medal
first.
As he did so the
officer,
Tried to sound
cheerful.
‘Here is
something my boy,
Which will make
you well.’
Beneath his
bandage,
Louis Schoeny
faintly smiled.
He whispered some
words
‘My wife will be
happy.’
The gathering
strained
To keep their
eyes dry.’
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1914.
Honouring The Wounded - Touching Hospital Scene. The Daily Telegraph, [online]
13 Nov. p.10. Col.3.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11223163/Daily-Telegraph-November-13-1914.html
[Accessed: 13 November 2014].
Anon.,1914.
Internet Archive, [online]
https://archive.org/stream/diaryoffrencharm00klei/diaryoffrencharm00klei_djvu.txt
[Accessed: 13 November 2014]. DIARY OF A FRENCH ARMY CHAPLAIN ABBE FELIX KLEIN
Mann, J., 2014. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 13 November
2014).
#WW1
#WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered #WW1Paris
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