Impression
sketch of Naval Reserve ship's inaction - by Jamie.
Stalked the waters,
Of British coastline,
Came an incident to blame
A naval officer's indecision.
A shroud of dense fog
Covered the sea,
As sounds of a fight
Were heard by the crew
Of a Royal Naval Reserve ship.
Close to gunnery noise
The British vessel -
Under Ernest Alfred
Sheldon - steered to emerge
Through fog towards attack.
The Naval Reserve ship
Found a steamer
Was under fire,
From a German submarine -
Skipper Sheldon went to assist.
Pulling to the small boats,
Whose crew shouted
Back, to let them get
Clear, so as not to be open
To their boat's fire on enemy.
Skipper Sheldon withdrew
Away from survivors,
To turn about in order
To engage the submarine -
Which by then, was hidden.
The dense fog disallowed
For any engagement -
The skipper’s reason
Were not accepted as true -
To hold him in court marshal.
The charge was in the failure
To engage his ship,
In action on the enemy
Submarine - which was given
Time to make an easy escape.
The Skipper's reasoning,
Being that boats,
Full with survivors,
Drifted in waters between
them and enemy submarine.
them and enemy submarine.
Regardless of any reasons
Sheldon provided,
The given decision
Was guilty - The naval officer
Being dismissed from service.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1915.
Submarine's Escape - Skipper Court-Martialled. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 8 September. P.7.
Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11821305/Daily-Telegraph-September-8-1915.html
[Accessed: 8 September 2015].
Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 8 September 2015).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1RoyalNavy
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