Impression sketch
of Private Thomas Kenny. [online] see an original image at: <http://www.newmp.org.uk/article.php?categoryid=99&articleid=1376&displayorder=4>
Accessed: 8 December 2015].
In the fighting
wedge of Oise department,
November broke
with wet weather - about
La Houssoie by
commune of Erquinghem -
The ground now
carved out by systems
Of trenches as troops
replaced civilians.
By system of
relief the 12 Durham Light
Infantry, gave
the sodden ground over
To the 13th Light
Infantry, 2 November -
Among the 13th
was No 17424 Private
Thomas Kenny,
aged 33, a Durham man.
Kenny was a man
used to physical work
And hardships,
having worked in a quarry
And as a colliery
miner - already used
To cold and wet,
from training in Surrey;
Which seemed apt
for winter in France.
At home his
family of seven children
Was under care of
his wife - on that first
Night of the
battalion’s first tour of duty,
4 November came a
wet environment -
With trenches
flooded beneath dank fog.
Private 17424 Kenny found
himself part
Of a working party,
under Lieutenant
Brown, as they
set out from defences,
Crumbling in rain - in order to maintain
Wire defences he
crawled out into fog.
While the
grounded cloud proved good
Cover and dulled
all sounds, it also
Hindered sense of
directions - Brown
With Kenny edged
towards German
Parapets, quickly becoming lost in fog.
Some movement or
sound, gave away
Their presence to close Germans lying
In a ditch - who opened fire on shapes.
Lieutenant Brown
fell, shot in thighs -
The shots carried
on at Private Kenny.
With quickness,
Kenny pulled Brown
On his back and
crawled them away
Out of immediate
danger - but Kenny
Struggled in the
fog, to know of which
Direction to take
to their own lines.
Holding back pain,
Lieutenant Brown
Told him to stop
to let him down and
Leave him - 'no
sir, no sir. I wont sir, not
Going on alone
sir.' while Brown told
Him to do so -
each repeated the words.
Equally stubborn,
Kenny held onto
Him, to tell
himself the weight was no
Greater than what
he carried before -
But with time and
threat of exhaustion,
Kenny thought
they might not make it.
Then by some
familiar mark of a ditch
He recognised,
Kenny placed Brown
There and set on
to get help - to reach
A listening
post of the 13th - here Kenny
Came on a party
of men and an officer.
Guiding them back
in the dark where
Brown lay, the
rescuers came under
Fire from bombs
and machine guns -
The party ordered
to take Brown, as
Captain White
held the fire with a rifle.
In a selfless act,
Kenny had carried
His officer back
to the British Lines -
Sadly Brown died
before reaching
The dressing
station - but for this act
The Durham
soldier was recognised.
A gazette of 7
November, notified
That Private
Thomas Kenny held
The highest award
given for Valour -
And became the 23rd
Division's first
Victoria Cross,
trying to save a life.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1915. Two Victoria Crosses - Saving An Officer. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 8 December. P.9. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12031719/Daily-Telegraph-December-8-1915.html
[Accessed: 8 December 2015].
Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 8 December 2015).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered #WW1France
No comments:
Post a Comment