Poem ~ Fateful Route March - Saturday, 24 July 1915

Impression sketch of the Fateful Route March - by Jamie. 

Dense and dark grey clouds,

Edged their way over a Suffolk

Countryside, a British weather

Pattern for a British summer.

The deluge and the thunder

Rolled across a distance,

As a troop of soldiers below,

Continued their route march.

An army had to prepare for

Fights in all kinds of weather -

Thus the route march carried

On as storm clouds grumbled.

An unplanned storm along with

The planned out route march,

Combined to create conditions

Being more like a frontline winter.

From his high mount one officer

Looked down over the men

Marching - the sounds of their

Boots muffled by the rainwater. 

Pouring rain had quickly made

The road into a deluged state -

Rapid formed puddles covered

The Woodborough Road ahead.

Over the sound of downpour,

This officer heard dominant

Splash, splash of rainwater

Rather than the thump of boots.

With water dripping off his cap

The officer looked down across

On the marching men, whose

Waterproofs glistened with rain.

With slight hunched movement

They moved, head down into

Driving rain, the groundsheet

Rain capes evoked ancient army.

The shifting storm had caught

Them - the grumbling and flecks

Of once distant lighting suddenly

Overhead - the officer looked.

A flash caught his eye as two

Clouds discharged - without

Knowing the foot soldiers

Below the sudden electricity

Amid them Private Woodliffey

Marching before the mounted

Officer was singled out as bolt

Struck, throwing the men about.

The mounted officer felt his

Horse shudder and saw the

Strike directly before him as

His horse tumbled down

The lightning had hit part

Of the marching column lying

Dead Private Woodliffey along

With the horse and injured men.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Soldier Killed by Lightning. The Daily Telegraph, [online]  24 July. P.10. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11742048/Daily-Telegraph-July-24-1915.html [Accessed: 24 July 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 24 July 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11742048/Daily-Telegraph-July-24-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Karim: Turkish Hero - Friday, 23 July 1915

Turkish prisoners captured at Ramadi being marched to a concentration camp, escorted by men of the 1st and 5th Royal West Kent regiment.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turkish_prisoners_Ramadi_World_War_1.jpg

From the fierce fighting of the Dardanelles,

The capture of prisoners were commonplace.

From out of such an event was an uncommon

Action to be noted in official communications.

The word, regarding one particular prisoner,

Arrived Cairo on 12 July - a day before their

Arrival of the Turkish soldiers taken in action -

Among them a young man of Caucasus origin.

Conveyed out of the fighting zone of Dardanelles

180 prisoners came to Cairo by train's arrival.

Assembled on the platform, in the heat of Egypt

A British Officer to address them stepped out

Amid the Turkish men the name of a Circassian

Karim was called out.  From amid the Turkish

Ranks one nervous anxious figure stepped

Towards the Officer in charge came forward.

He addressed the young captured Circassian,

By name of Karim - though an interpreter

To be thanked for his actions – in growing ease

Karim was reminded of his selfless actions.

     

He had carried a wounded British private from

The Royal Scots into the safety of his enemy

Lines – Perhaps the Officer then shook young

Karim’s hand, to thank him in his Language.

With the other prisoners aside, in orders to begin

Their march to camp at Tura this young Karim

In act of small gratitude was taken by motorcar

Across Egypt’s sands to the prison camp at Tura.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Brave Turkish Prisoner  - British Recognition. The Daily Telegraph, [online]  23 July. P.10. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11739275/Daily-Telegraph-July-23-1915.html [Accessed: 23 July 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 23 July 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11739275/Daily-Telegraph-July-23-1915.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Dardanelles

1915_0712

Poem ~ Lance-Corporal Keyworth V.C. - Monday , 12 July 1915

Impression sketch of Lance Corporal Leonard James Keyworth VC 1/24th County of London Bn (The Queen's)

 - by Jamie. See the original at: http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/vc/vc06.html

Amid crowds of fellow Khaki,

Coming through Victoria Station -

5 pm on 11 July - was Lance-

Corporal Leonard James

Keyworth, on 7 days home leave.

In only a few hours journey

From the front - his uniform bore

Stains of frontline mud.

Torn in parts - but was pinned

With a piece of scarlet ribbon.

On route home, Lance Corporal

Keyworth paused in London,

For a special event on 12 July -

To be invested at Buckingham

Palace by the King for the VC.

The man of 22, with the 24th

County of London Battalion,

Was to be awarded for bravery

From the night of 25-26 May,

At Givenchy, during an assault.

With success of 24th Londoners,

The plan was to follow up with

A bomb attack - the unit total

Of 75 men - James Keyworth

VC, told modestly of his story.

Prior to Givenchy the Lance-

Corporal and his mates had

Already been 'bloodied' - from

Festubert - in a tight situation

They had experience of fire.

Date; 25 May found them in

Billets behind lines when given

Orders - they were to move -

Likelihood to be in a charge,

But where, was then unknown.

By 6 p.m. they arrived, ready

In communication trenches.

By 6.30 p.m. they were to go

Over the top - with Keyworth

A bomber in the 9th Platoon.

Up, then out over the parapet,

To face German machine guns.

Five from ten men fell, to leave

Half a dozen men - the fact did

Not deter their fighting spirit.

One of the first shot was their

Officer Lieutenant Mobberly -

Refusing to go back he charged

With them, to the right of the hill

As another bullet hit his leg.

Using his rifle as a crutch,

The Lieutenant kept on move,

Urging the men on, to hold

The hill until C Company came;

They headed to the Germans.

Keyworth found himself left

As the only bomber - he told

How everything became a hot

Blur - he did not think, he did

Not care, other than his duty.

He bombed and made damage,

As the Germans bombed back.

Other acts he saw was Captain

Figg, who threw back a German

Bomb - all fought in distinction.

'Neck or nothing' - no thoughts.

'Neck or nothing' - all about him

Filled with pluck to stir them all

As Lieutenant Chance lost

His name - 'Neck or nothing.'

Keyworth climbed up the hill -

Stood alone others though fed

Him bombs - as he threw

Each one, about him slaughter

Built, as he added to the mass.

In facing the German parapet

Young Keyworth threw bomb

After bomb - without shelter,

Exposed, aware of sniper's

Bullets missing, to hit others.

Earth flew about, blinding

Him - as a fragment flying

Past his ear - a shot stopped

By his pocket mirror case -

Vaguely aware of shouts.

'Get down!' As they tried

To build protection of sand

Bags - but they were killed

Or wounded, as he stood

Seemingly immune to all.

Across a passage of strange

Time,flashing by - amounting

Over two hours, as Keyworth

Threw endlessly - counting

A hundred and fifty bombs.

With pride to be in Queens,

Keyworth's reply to get his

VC is fine how all were brave.

At a recruiting concert this

Man met a rousing reception.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Territorial V.C. - London Hero's Story of a Fight on a Parapet. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 12 July. P.10. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11731998/Daily-Telegraph-July-12-1915.html [Accessed: 12 July 2015].

Source: File: Leonard James Keyworth. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_James_Keyworth> [Accessed: 13 July 2015].

Source: File: Lance Corporal Leonard James Keyworth VC

1/24th County of London Bn (The Queen's). The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. [online] Available at: <http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/vc/vc06.html> [Accessed: 13 July 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 12 July 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11731998/Daily-Telegraph-July-12-1915.html

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

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