Poem ~ Bomb Threat Averted - Tuesday, 23 February 1915

Just prior to the Colchester event -

Of baby Mary sleeping through

A back garden explosion - the craft

Of a alien bomber moved towards

Sleepy Coggeshell village, Essex.

The company of two men

From the 5th Royal Warwicks

With a witness James Millard, who

Had held a service within the

Mission Hall of Bradwell village,

Emerged to make his way home

To Coggeshell - sighting a craft.

The time was after 8 p.m.

When they observed the plane

Maneuvering about, first west

For ten minutes then to fly

North, then over Coggeshell

And on towards Colchester.

A suspicion of Mr Millard's

Was that a car had been

In league with the plane pilot

Which was driving south

To east, with bright headlights

Taking in a curving route

Under Kelvod bridge,

Through Coggeshell, at speed.

At various times the pilot had

Dropped bombs the intention

To blow up village houses.

Forty yards from one house

A bomb fell into a field without

Any immediate explosion.

Two soldiers, Private Goodall

And Corporal Large, acted

Quickly to avert a likely outcome

They ran and tracked down

The missile, lying unexploded,

But quite unstable - they then

Lifted bomb with a sturdy stick.

Carrying this between them,

They moved it to a distance

From the houses, towards

The river - increasing a pace

As the bomb started to flame.

Reaching the bank they

Threw it in the river to halt

The possible explosion.

In gratitude for this these

Soldiers having bravely met

The danger of this one act

Were rewarded - a silver watch

Presented to Private Goodall

And silver cigarette case

Given to Corporal Large.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Air Raider's Lighted Bomb - Gallant Act by Soldiers. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 23 Feb. P.9. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11421049/Daily-Telegraph-February-23-1915.html [Accessed: 23 February 2015].

Anon.,1915. Bomb at Coggeshall - Motor Car's Journey. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 23 Feb. P.10. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11421049/Daily-Telegraph-February-23-1915.html [Accessed: 23 February 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 23 February 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11421049/Daily-Telegraph-February-23-1915.html

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