Poem ~ Paris Attacks - Tuesday, 31 July 1917

Source: File: From Geographical Imaginations: Is Paris Burning? A look-out man operates a portable siren above the city. See an original image at: <https://geographicalimaginations.com/2012/10/20/is-paris-burning/> 
[Accessed 31 July 2017]

Within war comes propaganda;

Opposing sides give denial

Of what the other side says.

Arial activity over the capital

Of France, found multiple
German bombing air raids.

As a precaution army of Paris
Firemen warned the people
Of enemy crafts approaching.

Weird, unusual sounds stirred

Paris, as firemen on roofs blew

On bugles or sounded sirens.

Above air raid alarms French

Air craft took flight over city,

In a darkening, melting sky.

Ground and sky became

As one - deep darkness cut

By beams of searchlights.

German official reports told
Of railways targeted in Paris,
To hit their mark with damage.

By Saturday, French replies

Made denial - that enemy

Planes had left no destruction.

Neither material loss nor loss

Of life - wireless messages

Were received by Admiralty.

Yet Parisian military bases

And railways were hit, with
German pilots safely returned.

Sunday July 29th, a Journal

Told of a suburban air raid

To describe damages done.

One store of combustibles

had been hit - also a factory

Yard, to leave small effects.

Two more fell appropriately

Into gutters, while shell havoc

Hit beds of innocent cauliflowers.

Any resulting explosions

Lacked involved descriptions,

As another bomb hit a centre.

Noted as important, maybe

Military, one turret exploded;

Being close to civilian houses.

The blast blew out material

To injure a single sleeping lady -

More bombs harmlessly fell.

Some hit one large enclosure,

With three in a boulevard -

Another damaged flowerbeds.

Sunday 29 July saw repeat.

30 minutes after midnight

Came the sounds of bugles.

Firemen called reveille and

Again set sirens loud across

Sleepy Paris, all as a caution.

Readied French squadrons

Took action to flight; reportedly

Sending enemy backwards.

News via Petit Journal, from
Versailles said bombs exploded,

All lost in the open countryside.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Bombs On Paris - No Victims Or Damage. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 30 July 1917. P.4. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214740/Daily-Telegraph-July-30-1917.html [Accessed: 31 July 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 31 July 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214740/Daily-Telegraph-July-30-1917.html

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

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

Poem ~ Aviator Adventurer - Saturday, 24 June - Sunday 25 June 1916

Source: File: Sub-Lieutenant Charles Nungesser alongside his morbid insignia. [online] See an  original image at: <http://www.opex360.com/2015/07/27/hussard-de-la-grande-guerre-charles-nungesser-le-parrain-de-la-54e-promotion-de-lecole-militaire-interarmes/> [Accessed: 24 June 2016]

A Parisian Charles Nungesser,

An experienced born adventurer

And sportsman, went as a teenager

In search of his missing uncle.

On a mission of discovery Charles

Travelled to South America, here

He worked in Buenos Aires - first

As an auto mechanic then a racer.

From professional racer Charles

Then learned to fly - on finding

His uncle, the young Nungesser

Worked on his sugar plantation.

When war broke out at home

22 year old Charles Nungesser,

Returned to join 2nd Regiment

Hussars, in first months of war.

September 3rd 1914, this soldier

As part of a patrol, was mentioned
In despatches - with their officer

Wounded the men took shelter.

With his fellow soldiers Nungesser

Halted a car, occupied by German

Staff, who they rapidly despatched,

To discover valuable enemy papers.

Nungesser took charge of driving,

At speed returning them to safety -

Stolen by Germans the French car 

Was a Mors; to give him a nickname.

The 'Mors Hussar' had impressed

His superiors, to be given Medaille

Militaire along with the car - some

Days later he passed a few poilu's.

They questioned his role - a youth

Driving around in a car while they

Fought in the trenches - to prompt

Nungesser requesting a transfer.

With his skill at flying, the soldier

Joined Service Aeronautique -

Yet adventurer Charles Nungesser

Was not a man for disciplined rules.

He liked everything fast, not just

Engines but women too - home

In Paris led to his reputed meeting

With an exotic dancer, Mata Hari.

As Aviator the French pilot was

Mentioned 3 times in despatches;

Taking part in 53 bombardments,

To gain Croix de Guerre by 1915.

31 July 1915 Nungesser with his

Mechanic Pochon, on standby, took

Up a Voisin 3 - to fight five Albatros'

Shooting one down near Nancy.

On return Nungesser went under

House arrest, having gone against

Orders - then received a decoration

Before being sent away to Nieuport.

The Nungesser legend had begun -

The pilot’s grim insignia; freebooters

Skull and crossbones below a coffin,

Either side a candle, in a black heart.

The image of Nungesser's morbid

Humour appeared on all his crafts -

A display of his aerobatics above

Nancy, resulted in suspended arrest.

By start of 1916 Nungesser's daring

Resulted in a terrible accident - when

Testing a craft, a control stick broke

His mouth's roof to dislocate his jaw.

Along with two broken legs and

Ribs, found him unconscious for

Five days - invalided from hospital,

A frustrated Nungesser flew again.

In two months he was back in cockpit -

He shot down an enemy balloon

And two crafts  - Nungesser found

Himself promoted to Sub-Lieutenant.

With a report of his 'charmed life,'

Nungesser, during June 1916,

Encountered 6 enemy; 3 Fokkers

And 3 Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft.

In a situation, he employed a trick

To fly between L.V.G. and Fokkers -

Amid six enemies’ they did not fire,

To avoid shooting each other down.

Sub-Lieutenant Nungesser made

His return in safety - he had taken

28 shots in the plane's body, seven

In the engine, one hitting his shoe.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Aviator's Charmed Life. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 24 June 1916. P.10. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211360/Daily-Telegraph-June-24-1916.html [Accessed: 24 June 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 24 June 2016). 

Source: File: Charles Nungesser Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Nungesser> [Accessed 24 June 2016]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211360/Daily-Telegraph-June-24-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ Sky Pursuit - Thursday, 14 October 1915

Impression sketch of Sky Pursuit  - by Jamie
With the Champagne campaign close

To reaching its height, a two man

French crew took flight; their mission

To destroy an enemy railway station.

Within a cloudy sky, the French craft

Was to come face to face with a German

Aircraft, formed of a substantial size.

This a double engine air Cruiser in fast

Flight undaunted them who set to engage -

French bullets rattled across the space

Between them - when the gun jammed.

The observer shouted to the pilot

To dive - equally adept and instantly

The German also spiralled after them.

The French observer was hindered

By 90mm bombs – knowing that

If need to crash land they would blow -

He hurriedly removed the fuses.

On taking out the last one, a bullet

Hit him in the back - then another

Cut his wrist, as part of a propeller

Hit his eye - the observer held on.

Then the craft under assault, jerked

As the pilot shouted he had been

Hit in the stomach - he collapsed.

The observer took to the controls -

Managing to level off he saw

Sunlight shine on helmets below -

Were they falling to enemy lines?

The pilot called out, beneath them

Were French lines - in safety they

Hit ground - badly hurt both men

Were advised for Legion of honour.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. French Airman's Pluck - Fight With Big Aeroplane. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 13 October. P.7. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11922630/Daily-Telegraph-October-13-1915.html [Accessed: 14 October 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 14 October 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11922630/Daily-Telegraph-October-13-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ French Bomb Railway - Wednesday, 18 November 1914

News arrived from Arras,
Relayed by correspondent.
Of a French airship raid,
Over into occupied land.

The mission:
Destruction of an enemy
Railway junction, in vicinity
Of a village – the position,
Being well guarded, is known
To be a centre for German
Troop movements -
The flight would involve moving,
Over a distance of enemy ground.

Starting at dusk, the airship lifted,

To 6000 feet - lights extinguished.

Despite a play of searchlights,

Cutting up the sky, the airship

Crossed enemy lines, undetected.

Reaching the designated village,
The French maneuvered their craft,
Descending to a striking height -
At the chosen moment, they dropped,

Three detonated charges of dynamite.
 

The junction was successfully hit,

Causing desired effect of damage.

At that point the Airship’s presence

Was detected, its shape picked

Out by searchlights – this awoke

All mortars and nearby field guns,

Attracting their field sights.
 

The night sky started to light up,

Glowing wildly, with bursting shells -

Coming closer as the gunners,

Worked out the range.
 

Obeying the urgent order,

To lose all available Ballast,

The air ship rapidly made height -

As a token of farewell,
They decided to drop,
A fourth dynamite charge.
 

Yet the dynamite stuck,

In the dropping tube,

With the detonator
Ticking in motion -
Seconds to detonation –
The Captain took action.

He seized a hatchet,

And scrambled onto rigging

To strike the tube -

The charge was released,

To explode in a ball of flame,

At just a hundred feet.
 

The fact of bad fortune,

At the closeness of disaster,

Turned to become fortunate -

The enemy believed the craft

Had been destroyed –

So their firing stopped.

The airship lifted to safety.

Once back at base, they told
Of this close escapade.

by Jamie Mann.

Hare, J., 1914. Airship Raid on a railway Junction – A Narrow Escape. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 18 Nov. p.7. Col.5. Available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11232251/Daily-Telegraph-November-18-1914.html [Accessed: 18 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 18 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11232251/Daily-Telegraph-November-18-1914.html 

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

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Poem ~ Arrest of an Aviator - Sunday, 23 August 1914

An aeroplane squadron took off, heading for the front,

Making formation as normal but with one additional craft.

This unauthorized part of the flotilla was rapidly reported.

So on their approach to Dijon collective authorities waited.

As reported by the ‘Petite Parisien,’ comes the account,

Of this mystery plane travelling north from a Southern field.

Where upon their landing in Dijon an officer made the arrest.

Despite a group of aviators the offender was soon detected.

Dressed correctly in an aviators uniform this ‘Englishman,’

Being described as a foreigner but lacking the title of spy,

Was then protectively defended by fellow aviators.

This fresh faced young fellow was described as ‘pretty.’

The cropped suspect was in fact a keen young woman,

Having sacrificed their hair into the style of a man.

It transpired these other aviators knew of their addition,

And had been greatly implored for the uniform she wore.

Her ambition being to become a would be scout, in order

So she might serve in France, alongside her compatriots.

The gaining of the plane somewhat remained a mystery -

But in conjecture was probably stolen from the same base.

While her courage was respected and greatly appreciated,

The arresting officer said her services could not be accepted.

Her family being informed no doubt left her quite demoralized.

So soon had this eager young lady’s adventure ended,

Being closely detained until her astonished relatives arrived.

by Jamie Mann

Anon., 1914. Aeroplane Mystery - Young Lady's Escapade. The Daily Telegraph - Special Sunday Edition, [online] 23 Aug. p.2. Col.5. Available at: Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11034683/Daily-Telegraph-August-23-1914.html [Accessed: 23rd August 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 23 August 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11034683/Daily-Telegraph-August-23-1914.html

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

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