Impression
sketch of The Italian King Vittorio Emanuele - by
Jamie. see an original at: http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/isonzo1.htm
i
The daily Giornale d'Italia told of habit
Of Italian royalty,
Vittorio Emanuele,
Their king who worked on the frontline.
Rising
at 4 a.m. the king would
Leave his
camp by 5 p.m.
The
king, his provisions taken by car,
Ensured he ate all his meals close
To
his troops - along with his soldiers
Under
the sound of firing guns -
He
remained quite calm.
One
particular day on having breakfast,
The
king observed a battery in action.
After admiring
firing of an accurate round,
The king gained a
bottle of wine -
To give to the
gunner.
One soldier’s
observation told of their
King's coolness - when spies had
Informed Austrian guns
of the king's
Presence, at a
certain point,
Sixteen rounds were
fired.
The shells
exploded a hundred yards
Near the king, sent by 12 inch guns.
Calmly counting all the
rounds, the king
Sat with pencil, to
work out cost
Of trying to kill
one man.
With their king
close to action, the troops
Were enthused - in
making a climb
To be meet Alpine
Battalion - this king
Met a Sergeant
Bissolati - a man
Of politics whom he greeted.
Leonida Bissolati
had joined the Alpine
Regiment at 58 - being an exponent
Of war against
Austria-Hungary actions,
The deputy of
Socialism gave
Honour to the king.
Vittorio
Emanuele stated honest pride,
To
have Bissolati in his
forces
Of Alpini - a party
of who had bravely
Made capture of
Zellenkofel
In a daring raid.
ii
An Austrian
observation post,
Formed on crest of
the Zellenkofel,
Was guarded by 40
men, with hidden
Battery hundred
feet below -
On the Austrian
side.
The sheer rocky side faced
Italy, that could
only be climbed
By most skilled
mountaineers - and
With two
lieutenants, volunteers
Commenced to climb.
Starting in the
late afternoon,
To reach summit at
rise of moon -
Roped together, with
a machine gun
Section coming last; all Austrian
Confidence was
blind.
In moonlight, the
force crawled
About the post, firing with surprise
Upon the Austrians; to
make final gain
In darkness - to take the battery
At bayonet point.
by Jamie Mann.
Massey, W.T.,
1915. King at the Front - Talk to Socialist Sergeant. The Daily Telegraph,
[online] 8 July. P.8.
Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11721622/Daily-Telegraph-July-8-1915.html
[Accessed: 8 July 2015].
Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication,
8 July 2015).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11721622/Daily-Telegraph-July-8-1915.html
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Italy
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