Poem ~ Recruitment Argument - Friday, 15 October 1915

Impression sketch of Recruitment Argument  - by Jamie

Private Arthur Bishop from a London

County Regiment, having been wounded

At the front, was employed to recruit men.

Following his given orders Private Bishop

Was in High Holborn Street - he saw a man

Aged 27, then a solicitor's Managing Clerk.

Arthur Russell Jones was approached

By Arthur Bishop, to promptly say, 'Excuse

Me sir. Would you like to do your bit?'

The other Arthur stared, dropped his bag

And took a fighting stance, answering

'You insult me!...I'm sick of you fellows.'

Standing in a fighting stance, fists raised

Private Bishop studied him; 'you seem

Physically fit, but your heart wont let you.'

'You say I'm a coward?' - 'If you like to take

It that way' - Bishop received a swinging

Blow and then promptly gave one back.

A constable appeared, arrested the civilian,

To convey the situation to Bow Street

Court, before magistrate Graham Campbell.

Private Bishop told howhis duty was to stop

Anyone he felt was fit for the army.

He denied a tactic of following the man -

Or that he said, 'your feet are sound

But it is your heart that is wanting.'

The soldier did not know the expression.

Private Bishop said that he had heard

Of Charlie Chaplain and seen bills to say

'My heart's good, but my feet wont let me.'

The recruiter said the civilian asked

Him to accept an apology, but instructions

Were to challenge him equally as others.

A question was raised, did the man say

To him that he had his reasons, why

He would not be joining? - Yes he did.

In the witness box Mr Jones kept stating

He had good reasons - but the soldier

Kept by him, repeating that saying.

In a hurry and losing his temper,

He struck out with an open hand -

Realising his actions, he apologised -

Having no idea that he was wounded.

Every day he was stopped and asked

Why he did not enlist - he was no slacker.

Mr Jones had already served five years

In Royal Welch Fusiliers - his local

Recruitment sergeant knew his reasons.

A character witness stood - his employer

Informed them the father an invalid minister

Also in poor health, were his two sisters.

Therefore Mr Jones decided with his

Two brothers - both in the army - to stay

As the main supporter of the family.

Further, the employer assumed this case

Was experimental - as other officers

In recruitment had also suffered abuses.

Yet Mr Jones was a victim - if volunteer

System was to conscript men by such

Methods, why not just have conscription?

His employee had acted under gross

Provocation - Mr Campbell's summary

Recognised reasons may be adequate -

But a uniformed soldier, going about

His duty, be openly attacked by a civilian?

There was still to be a penalty to pay.

The fact that that he gave an apology,

And recognising he had done a wrong,

Mr Jones would only need to pay a £3 fine.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Recruiting in the Street - Wounded Soldier Assaulted. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 13 October. P.14. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11922658/Daily-Telegraph-October-15-1915.html [Accessed: 15 October 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 15 October 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11922658/Daily-Telegraph-October-15-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Sorley: Secret Poet - Wednesday, 13 October 1915

Source: File: Captain Charles Sorley.jpeg [online] see an original image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sorley> [13 October 2015].

Among the many talented who chose

To go to war, was the son of a University

Professor, William Ritchie Sorley -

His son Charles Hamilton Sorley, born

Aberdeen, educated at Marlborough. 

Already proving his talent for debate,

Charles Sorley gained a scholarship

To University College Oxford - aged 18

The young scholar decided to take his

Study in 1913 to Germany for a year.

August 1914 in Germany at University

Of Jena, Sorley found that in the war’s

Opening, he was held in Trier for a day -

Released, he was told by authorities

To promptly leave their country. 

Putting aside university Charles Sorley

Sought a commission - this he did

Joining the Suffolk’s, as an officer -

2nd Lieutenant - to arrive on the line

Of France and Belgium, by May 1915.

Sorley was to fight at Ploegstreet

In Flanders - which led to promotion -

Now a Captain, the young officer

Was to find himself in the biggest

Battle of the year, so far, at Loos.

After only a month as Captain Sorely,

The allied attack began September  -

The BEF and French army role would

Be to divert German numbers from

Russian Front, to relieve their pressure.

While allies had superior numbers,

The Germans fought back the French 

Attacks at Champagne and Vimy Ridge -

An overview of unfolding events were

Made in the 7^th Suffolk’s war diaries.

13 October saw the morning create

Heavy bombardment onto the German

Lines - into a haze of smoke, British

Commenced the attack, when German

Machine guns opened up on them.

British loses began to rise, to number

70 of ranks to include; a major, a Captain

And lieutenants - Suffolk’s found selves

In situation with all grenade supplies

Used - then to assist Norfolk Regiment.

In loss of trained bombers and leaders

Captain Sorley was suddenly in charge

Of D Company – A Captain who had

quietly recorded such experiences

into collection of some collated poems.

That morning, perhaps adding some

Line to a composition, he secured

The 37 he had so far written, into his

Kit, before leaving his dugout; maybe

A new idea played in back of his mind.

Alongside the Norfolk bombing crew

The 20 year old Captain Sorley, found

Himself leading support to catch a sap -

This was his job; like many others any

University career had been put on hold.

In thickest battle he did all he could -

With those men about him pulled

Out from normal lives, to eagerly threw

Bombs at other men - they scrambled

Against an equally keen bomb crew.

An officers average life of was six weeks - 
Charles Sorely had reached four of them -
The Captain shuffled with his men into haze

Of chaos - his presence caught by sniper’s

Opportunity, who fired into a poet’s head.

Placed under the earth close to where

He had been killed, his resting place

Would never be found again - only when

His kit was opened were seen 37 poems;

One amid millions now devoid of a voice.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Poet Charles Sorley killed at Loos [online] Available at: <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/poet-charles-sorley-killed-at-loos> [Accessed: 13 October 2015]

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 13 October 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11914698/Daily-Telegraph-October-11-1915.html

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

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