Poem ~ Despatch Rider Speeds - Saturday, 21 November 1914

In Eastbourse, 12 November,

A Lance Coroporal Homersham,

In the role of military cyclist -

Was travelling through the town,

On a Motor cycle.

A number of Police officers,

Having attended a colleague’s

Funeral, saw the Lance Corporal.

They stated he was traveling

At forty of fifty miles an hour -

As opposed to Homersham,

Who said he moving going

Between twenty to twenty five

Miles an hour.

Attending, on behalf of

Colonel Gilbertson Smith,

Was Lieutenant Churchill -

A member of the Bar -

Who said the defendant

Was going from Lewes

To Bexhill, conveying

Important despatches.

The coast was under

Defence of a battalion,

Between Bexhill

To east of Brighton -

Ready and on standby

For any enemy invasion.

On a recent night,

At a raised Alarm –

Messages had to be sent,

By Despatch riders -

Which made it a necessity,

That they go at some speed.

While the Bench stated,

The police had been correct,

In bringing forward the case -

No conviction would be made.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Army Despatch Riders  - Summons for Excessive Speed. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 21 Nov. p.14. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11241587/Daily-Telegraph-November-21-1914.html [Accessed: 21 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 21 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11241587/Daily-Telegraph-November-21-1914.html

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Poem ~ Siege of Ypres - Friday, 13 November 1914

12 November, 11.15pm;

Press Bureau states that

Previous few days fighting,

Has been heavy

North of the river Lys.

The names of Hollebekke-

Wytschaete - Messines,

Now makes an entry

Into English army vocabulary.

In a new style of fighting,

Fierce German infantry

Attack – to be counter-attacked.

Allied lines are maintained,

But at a considerable loss.

Zanvoorde to Frelinghien

Line sees severe encounters.

Allied strength is backed

By reinforcements,

And more reinforcements.

The belief being

That the other side,

Has far heavier losses;

In successive waves,

German infantry rises,

Only to heavily fall.

On the 8^th 100 prisoners

And 6 machine guns are taken.

Pressured fighting centres

North of Ypres at Cheluveldt

And Dixmude - in the midst

Stands Belgium town of Ypres.

In a prophetic statement,

Defence of Ypres will be

‘Reckoned  in history as one

Of he most striking episodes,

In the annals of the British Army.’

For 3 long weeks,

Ypres then had seen

Continual fall of shells,

Over both night and day.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. British Army in Flanders - Defence of Ypres – Striking Episode in Military Annals – Desperate Fighting. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 13 Nov. p.9. Col.2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11223163/Daily-Telegraph-November-13-1914.html [Accessed: 13 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 13 November 2014). 

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11223163/Daily-Telegraph-November-13-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Sgt-Major Receives Military Medal - Friday, 13 November 1914

Just beyond the walls of Paris,

Situated an American Hospital.

Among the French wounded,

An artillery quartermaster -

Sergeant-Major Louis Schoeny

Of 5th Regiment of Field Artillery,

From BelEort was close

To dying of wounds it seemed.

At the closing of October,

At Braisne, Sergeant-Major

Schoeny received wounds,

Totalling three -

His skull was fractured -

And his face badly injured,

Yet he stayed at his post

Under strength of will -

Half blinded by blood.

Then a shell fragment,

Sliced into his stomach,

Knocking him down.

The endurance of this Artillery

Quartermaster, had been heard

At higher levels -

A staff officer arrived on the 12th

From Ministry of War,

Bringing to the injured man,

A military medal –

For the French army,

Is the highest award for bravery.

About the artilleryman’s bed,

At the time of 5 p.m.,

Gathered other injured men,

To witness an officer -

A Lieutenant –Colonel,

Of the 53rd Battery -

Wearing on his dressing gown,

The Legion of Honour Cross.

Keeping to the ceremony

As much as he could, yet

Without bugles to sound call,

The wounded officer

Held out the medal, to pin to

Breast of Louis Schoeny.

‘In the name

Of the President

Of the Republic,

And in virtue of the power

Conferred upon us,

We award you

The military medal.’

Unable to lift himself,

Louis Schoeny requested

To kiss the medal first.

As he did so the officer,

Tried to sound cheerful.

‘Here is something my boy,

Which will make you well.’

Beneath his bandage,

Louis Schoeny faintly smiled.

He whispered some words

‘My wife will be happy.’

The gathering strained

To keep their eyes dry.’

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Honouring The Wounded - Touching Hospital Scene. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 13 Nov. p.10. Col.3.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11223163/Daily-Telegraph-November-13-1914.html [Accessed: 13 November 2014].

Anon.,1914. Internet Archive, [online] https://archive.org/stream/diaryoffrencharm00klei/diaryoffrencharm00klei_djvu.txt [Accessed: 13 November 2014]. DIARY OF A FRENCH ARMY CHAPLAIN ABBE FELIX KLEIN

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 13 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11223163/Daily-Telegraph-November-13-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Paris