Poem ~ Julian Grenfell: The Fighting Man - Wednesday, 26 May 1915

 Impression sketch of young Julian Grenfell, his mother Ettie Desborough and Billy, his younger brother- by Jamie. Within a few weeks Billy Grenfell would be killed in action within a mile where Julian had received his fatal wound.

The original can be seen at: http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/julian-grenfell.html

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The first boy born London 30 March 1888

To William and Ettie Grenfell  - Julian

To be joined by his younger brother Billy;

Their parents an athlete and a socialite.

An image posed them with their mother;

On either shoulder, leans her languid boys

As cherub ideals with hair of golden locks;

The close three look to different directions.

The Buckinghamshire boys found their home

At Taplow Court  - their parents a sportsman

And society hostess, moved with the circles

Of souls, of artistic and intellectual groups.

As a boy Julian Grenfell loved his outdoor

Existence - by response to nature he drew

And wrote poetry - doting on his horses

And dogs, to rebel against mother’s wishes.

An angelic rebel fought against a ‘social pet’

Status - at Summerfields and Eton, Julian

Reached golden boy heights and became

Able at rowing, reading - to hunt, and laugh.

He boxed and gained greyhounds - to write

With contributions to publications, hinting

At his ability for writing – a popular student

Julian was aggressive and charming bully.

In contradictions of his character he wrote

Verse: as an ode to greyhound - to hate

Of aesthetes – who he attacked at night

Out in the quad, by use of his horsewhip.

While his education suffered from illness

And overworked affairs and rejected ideas,

Only gave a pass degree - after his father,

His sports built into him a fine physique.

Possibly as a shadow of a Byronic figure,

The hunt bred a desire for him to take part

In hunting humans and to a military career -

As he kept critical of his mothers circles.

With instability of relationships, the rebel

Frustrated by all, in 1910 joined Royal

Dragoons and became posted to India;

The rebel finally found his cause in 1914.

From Indian to Africa Julian wrote and drew

When he thought perhaps to leave army -

Yet his family did not encourage their boy

To lead any ambitions for an artist's life.

Then when war broke and opened his spirit

Again renewing the outdoor life, held him

Firm and fond for men dogs and horses  -all

Seemed fine to stand for the cause of war.

With lightness of courage for rising Captain

Julian Grenfell took out actions of individual

Reconnaissance, leading to gain a DSO -

And into 1915 came mention in despatches.

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Captain Grenfell kept his refusal for

For an ADC post - to be reasoned

By shortages of officers - this soldier

Poet equally gave his light to both.

He stood out with 'gung ho' approach

He lived up to the short expectancy

Of an officer's survival at the front -

Duty came 13 May for eager Captain.

Julian out monitor enemy movements

Of troops - within a moment a splinter

Strayed from a shell - metal struck him

In the head From 13 may for 13 days

  

This poet soldier having lived wild by

Pen and sword then died of wounds -

Sat at his side with his sister, a Red

Cross Nurse and parents as he died.

A little time before Julian Grenfell

Had written his own epitaph - in time

Of confusion, waiting to move up

To the front at Ypres he spoke easy -

Equally of his devotion for the natural

World of warm earth and glorying sun,

A desire to fight for these elements by

Kestrel, blackbird and woodland’s call

In his apprehension of waiting to go

All such joy charged him well for joy

Of going into battle, unknowingly met

The embrace of night’s soft wings.

To lay in the hills above Boulogne

While Into Battle published for the

First time, that announced his death.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Julian Grenfell. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Grenfell> [Accessed: 26 May 2015].

Source: File: War Poets Association Julian Grenfell. [online] Available at: <http://www.warpoets.org/poets/julian-grenfell-1888-1915/> [Accessed: 26 May 2015].

Source: File: Poetry Foundation. Julian Grenfell1888-1915. [online] Available at: < http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/julian-grenfell> [Accessed: 26 May 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 26 May 2015). 

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