Poem ~ French Army Chaplain - Friday, 10 September 1915

Impression sketch of Abbé Félix Klein - by Jamie. See original at: http://www.ourstory.info/library/2-ww1/Klein/images/Klein.jpg

Note : a downloadable version of the book can be found at: https://archive.org/details/diaryoffrencharm00kleirich

Amid the first published 

Experiential accounts,

Was possibly 'The Diary

Of a French Army Chaplain.'

For cost of 3s and 6d,

The daily journal

Covered accounts,

For first five war months.

Abbé Félix Klein spoke

Of Parisian impressions -

And his experiences

At the Nueilly Hopsital.

Acting as Chaplain,

Among the American

Medical Services,

Abbé Félix Klein told

How humanity survived.

Early days, had seen
This Abbé address army

Of France, in act of mass -

As they were to embark

On an unknown journey.

Then in a commune
West of Paris, brought

Him into daily contact with

Wounded - to see various

Allies and enemy soldiers.

As peace was forgotten,

Abbé Félix Klein saw

Equality of humanity,

Struggle to survive

Between all enemies.

He learned of a German

Medical Officer, after

A battle, discovered

In a ditch one French

Man - unable to move.

The surgeon provided

Him with coffee, along

With bread, to promise

Return that evening.

The man lay for another

Night and a day - then

The doctor reappeared.

Despite many demands
He had not forgotten.

Lifting him up from out

Of the hole, the German

Took the French soldier

To safety and shelter.

Admiration by the Abbé,
was given to all British
Troops - Who had no
hesitation to help France.

Any fear a British soldier

might feel, on receiving

That order to go - seemed

Instantly to fall away.

Praise then was given,

Of Neutral American

Help - for their medical

Support provided,

In the European war.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Diary of a French Army Chaplain. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 September. P.4. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11821344/Daily-Telegraph-September-10-1915.html [Accessed: 10 September 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 10 September 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11821344/Daily-Telegraph-September-10-1915.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1France

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