Monday, 7 March 2016

Poem ~ Tommy Ingenuity - Tuesday, 7 March 1916

Impression sketch of Tommy knocking out sentry with grenade - by Jamie.


Somewhere on the western front,
France, two British Tommy's
Went out on patrol to encounter
By surprise, a number of Germans.

The enemy called out to them,
'Surrender!' - 'Not on your nelly!'
So the two Tommy’s quickly
Gave rifle fire to cut down a Hun.

With this, one Tommy shot away
And ran for all he was worth -
Leaving the other to fend alone.
Outnumbered, he lifted his hands.

The Tommy dropped his gun -
Deciding a live man was better
Off than a dead man - disarmed
The caught Tommy was searched.

Yet his captors had not detected
Tommy's talent for large hands,
By which he held a grenade - after
The search he put it in his pocket.

Taking on the manner of weak
Defeat, he was escorted back
To enemy lines - with the others
Gone, he was left with one guard.

Tommy, a hand in pocket, made
Grasp of grenade, to suddenly act
From subdued stance and banged
The pinned grenade to his head.

The German slumped to lose
Consciousness as Tommy took
The chance to leg it towards his
Lines, as another patrol appeared.

These Germans in their order
For his surrender came closer,
As Tommy held out his arms -
Suddenly he flicked the pin.

He threw the grenade into their
Midst with burst of explosion
The Germans cried out - Tommy
Took to his heels sprinting home.

Among his comrades Tommy
Told the story, to become pride
Of the regiment - as to how he
Used his skill in tight corner.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Resourceful Tommy - A Sprint To Safety. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 7 March 1916. P.7. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12183671/Daily-Telegraph-March-7-1916.html [Accessed: 7 March 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 7 March 2016). 



#WW1 #WW1centenary #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1WesternFront

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