Poem ~ French Army Chaplain - Friday, 10 September 1915

Impression sketch of Abbé Félix Klein - by Jamie. See original at: http://www.ourstory.info/library/2-ww1/Klein/images/Klein.jpg

Note : a downloadable version of the book can be found at: https://archive.org/details/diaryoffrencharm00kleirich

Amid the first published 

Experiential accounts,

Was possibly 'The Diary

Of a French Army Chaplain.'

For cost of 3s and 6d,

The daily journal

Covered accounts,

For first five war months.

Abbé Félix Klein spoke

Of Parisian impressions -

And his experiences

At the Nueilly Hopsital.

Acting as Chaplain,

Among the American

Medical Services,

Abbé Félix Klein told

How humanity survived.

Early days, had seen
This Abbé address army

Of France, in act of mass -

As they were to embark

On an unknown journey.

Then in a commune
West of Paris, brought

Him into daily contact with

Wounded - to see various

Allies and enemy soldiers.

As peace was forgotten,

Abbé Félix Klein saw

Equality of humanity,

Struggle to survive

Between all enemies.

He learned of a German

Medical Officer, after

A battle, discovered

In a ditch one French

Man - unable to move.

The surgeon provided

Him with coffee, along

With bread, to promise

Return that evening.

The man lay for another

Night and a day - then

The doctor reappeared.

Despite many demands
He had not forgotten.

Lifting him up from out

Of the hole, the German

Took the French soldier

To safety and shelter.

Admiration by the Abbé,
was given to all British
Troops - Who had no
hesitation to help France.

Any fear a British soldier

might feel, on receiving

That order to go - seemed

Instantly to fall away.

Praise then was given,

Of Neutral American

Help - for their medical

Support provided,

In the European war.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Diary of a French Army Chaplain. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 September. P.4. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11821344/Daily-Telegraph-September-10-1915.html [Accessed: 10 September 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 10 September 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11821344/Daily-Telegraph-September-10-1915.html

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