Poem ~ Little Tragedy - Wednesday, 27 December 1916

Source: File: Men from 6th (City of London) Bn, The London Regiment (City of London Rifles) 1915. See an original image at: <http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/6th-city-of-london-bn-london-regiment.html> [Accessed 27 December 2016]

To illustrate tragedies of war on families,

Came the story of a family of the Littles'

From Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire -

Before 1914 Jim Little and his wife had 

Emigrated to begin a new life in America.

The young couple had a daughter, Alice.

While the husband and father remained

In New York, Mrs. Enid Margaret Little aged

24 and daughter Alice Laura of 14 months,

Set out to sail to England onboard the ship

Lusitania - on 1 May 1915 they travelled

Second class when the ship was struck.

Sunk by a German submarine both were

Drowned - after the tragedy greatly plagued 

With grief, husband and father Jim Little had

Decided to fight for his homeland. He came

Back to England joining 1st/6th Battalion

London Regiment (City of London Rifles).

A rifleman, Private Little 6460 by autumn

1916, was fighting on the western front.

Further sadness befell the Little family,

When Arthur and Laura Little of Aylesbury

Received the telegram that told how their

Son had been killed on the Belgium front.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Toll Of The War. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 2 December 1916. P.11. Col.6. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213909/Daily-Telegraph-December-2-1916.html> [Accessed: 27 December 2016].

Source: File: entry by Liverpool Anne 02 December 2009. Available at: <http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=302984.72> [Accessed 27 December 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 December 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213909/Daily-Telegraph-December-2-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ Saved...in a Pram - Sunday, 2 May 1915

Impression sketch of injured soldier in a pram  - by Jamie 

A tale told of one Canadian Private

From Montreal, fighting in battle

About Ypres, who gained a wound

To the leg  - he fell among others,

As they lay beneath a wind of fire.

Shrapnel bursts, bullets cursed -

The private looked at the wound

Through his puttees - not so bad.

Defending St. Julien his company

Was in retreat, when a British

Bugler without any word pulled

Him up - he helped the Canadian

To run, as a shell burst overhead.

They both fell flat as shrapnel hit

The bugler in the chest - he looked

On the bravery of his British friend.

But the bugler's wound was fatal.

Caught under ceiling of shrapnel

And lead, the Canadian crawled

On to a space near where turnips

Grew, to finally find his rescuers.

A stretcher-bearer saw the struggle

Of a Canadian and lifted him onto

His back-within a yard to take a hit.

Both fell awkwardly to the ground -

The bearer having gained a wound.

Close by other bearers came over

To their rescue - conveying both

Of them to nearby dressing station.

To carry Canadian out of danger,

He was placed in baby carriage -

To be ludicrously wheeled away.

Another odd sight he had seen,

Was a ploy of Germans to wear

Kilts - such tactics temporarily

Succeeded - causing retreat with

Heavy losses, until tables turned.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Defence of St Julien - Bugler Hero - Germans in Khaki Kilts. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 2 May. P.10. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11574498/Daily-Telegraph-May-1-1915.html [Accessed: 1 May 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 2 May 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11574498/Daily-Telegraph-May-1-1915.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1StJulien