Liege - a Belgium city lying
on river Meuse,
Where M'siuer Groneret a merchant
shop
Keeper lived with wife and
two daughters -
A well known family of Liege,
whose head
Of house had influential
status, was arrested.
Charges laid on Groneret were on grounds
Of spying - over 3
days the family underwent
A trial - while there had been
no proof of given
Acts of espionage, this Belgium
Groneret
Family under German held Liege, saw fate set.
The two young Groneret
daughters, aged 14
And 20, after three days were
transported,
Forced to stand beside a
firing squad - the
Officer in charge ordered
the soldiers to aim
And fire, executing the girl’s
parents outright.
The officer approached the two
stunned
Girls and forced them to
stand where their
Father and mother lay dead - by their pools
Of blood, the German officer calmly looked
Both girls in the eye and questioned them.
Of blood, the German officer calmly looked
Both girls in the eye and questioned them.
He said, 'tell me the names
of your parents
Spying accomplices. If you tell
me your
Lives will be spared, this I
promise you.'
The youngest girl a moment
later shook
Her head - her older sister gave her reply.
The young woman glared at
the officer,
Her voice firm; 'If we speak
we could
Cause fifty more people to
be killed.
We would rather die alone.'
The officer
Grabbed the young girl,
pulling her aside.
With an indifferent voice the
officer gave
The order to shoot the older
girl - they
Aimed and fired and she fell
dead over
Her mother and father - the distraught
14 year old was forced to look on them.
All her family lay dead as
the German
Officer promised her a
pardon, but only
She gave the names of all her
families
Accomplices - but the girl would
not
Speak, believing she was to
be shot.
Yet her fate was worsened as
they
Began to torture her in
unsaid ways,
Then given to the squad who
were
Ordered to use her - finally
broken
The Groneret girl found
relief in death.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1917.
Quadruple Murder - Fresh German Atrocity. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 01 August 1917. P.5. Col.4. Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214747/Daily-Telegraph-August-1-1917.html
[Accessed: 02 August 2017].
Mann, J., 2016. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 02 August
2017).
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