Poem ~ Peace In A Note - Thursday, 28 December 1916 - Friday, 29 December 1916

Source: File: Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg. See an original image at: <https://macedonia1912-1918.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/ww1-leaders-german-statesmen-and-army.html> [Accessed 28 December 2016]

Possibly prompted and basking in glow

Of success over Roumanian defeat,

Germany purveyed idea of negotiated

Peace - perhaps to believe that with

Advent of Christmas and goodwill to all

Men that this might be taken seriously.

Came an echo of previous attestations,

Where war's conclusion might become

Reality - another chapter for peace

Emerged from words by the German

Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg

12 December 1916, given in a speech.

The act of Roumania's entry to conflict

Began the body of the speech before

The Reichstag podium - in seriousness

Of the situation was noted Field Marshall

Von Hindenburg's strength - who had

Captured Bucharest and Wallachia.

This had been achieved alongside other

Fronts; the Somme, Italy and Russian -

Without any let up Hiddenburg pushed

All operations onwards. A twist existed

In Roumanian foodstuffs stocks,

While German enemies felt a famine.

The speech entwined praise and awe

On emperor's heart, by 1st anniversary

August 1915 - words told how Germany's

Empire was not a besieged fortress, but

An organised nation - having limitless

Resources, alongside a force of allies. 

Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg

Laid out claims to a nation of defence

And freedom - having quite forgotten

Their initial invading aggression -

Ever ready to hold out the German

Hand made claim of a peaceful country.

'God, humanity and nation' - three

Elements evoked the story, how all

Attempts for German declarations

Of peace were always avoided -

A reluctant Kaiser had mobilised,

Prompted by Russian mobilisation.

To claim throughout months of war,

The emperor wanted only peace -

His morals and religion nature finally

Prompted him to make official

Request for war's end, for harmony

With hostile countries in mutual peace.

Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg

Advised he had sent a transmission

Of a note for peace to major neutral

States; Switzerland, America and

Spain - ensuring all hostile powers

Received this, as well as neutrals.

To include the Pope who had always

Been an agent for a peaceful end

To conflict - the peace note circulated

To Constantinople, Vienna and Sofia.

The Chancellor edged towards reading

Circulated note in challenging enemy.

Greatest of all claims was the real

Existence of German world power,

And their clear conscience to act

In choosing peace over slaughter -

If declined than those that fought

Against them are wars perpetuators.

By suggestion that their enemies

Seek only to conquer how they,

With such words, spin doctor this

Situation - 'God will be the judge'

As Germany carrys on their way;

A burden of horror will be enemies.

To state the obvious catastrophe

Of conflict over much of the world,

Germany was not out to annihilate

Their adversaries, in a war forced

On them - yet a strong economy

Would enable them to continue.

A bitter end would be no problem,

Though civilization might dissolve

Into ruin - victories in Balkan arena

Only showed German power - how

That situation justifies their nations

Claim to unrelenting successes.

'Germany then carries on a war

Of defence' - she fights to assure

Integrity of frontiers and liberty

Of her nation' - for free intellect

And to develop peaceful energy

Alongside neighboring nations.

A pontification address to pope's

Intentions was to set out Germany

As subject of victimisation - only

Germany was ready for peace -

Setting forth an understanding for

The Holy See to channel outcome.

Making out his congratulations for

Imperial chancellors speech came

Reports via neutrals, quoting words

Of Marshal von Hindenburg - whose

Emotion was a soldier’s response;

'To live and die for the fatherland.'

Words from a Berlin telegram added

More prophetic rhetoric; Hiddenburg

Declared the highest holy duty by

Prosecuting victory another, Dr von

Bethmann-Hollweg, stated the words

As being both the army and peoples.

To reinforce that if German enemies

Did not terminate the war, guarantee

Of Germany is to fight and secure

Fatherland a strong, lasting peace -

Meanwhile neutral reactions came

In with importance of United States.

Missouri politician and chairman

Of Senate Committee for Foreign

Relations, William Stone, addressed

The 'League to Enforce Peace' - as

An advocate of American neutrality,

With right to open up negotiations.

William Stone refused all warnings

From any foreign statesmen opinions,

That United states peace movements

Would be seen as futile and offensive.

He pointed out that USA had lost lives

And property due to European events.

Despite this that the USA movements

Should not be considered as meddlers,

But as a friend who had been affected

By wars ruthless acts - what might then

Happen from the latest initiatives from
Germany; might peace come in 1917?

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Hindenburg And Peace - Significant Telegrams. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 15 December 1916. P.10. Col.3. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213996/Daily-Telegraph-December-15-1916.htmll> [Accessed: 28 December 2016].

Anon.,1916. The Peace Proposal - An American View. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 15 December 1916. P.10. Col.6. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213996/Daily-Telegraph-December-15-1916.htmll> [Accessed: 28 December 2016].

Source: File: Extract from the Speech of Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg in the German Reichstag, December 12, 1916. Available at: <https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Extract_from_the_Speech_of_Chancellor_von_Bethmann-Hollweg_in_the_German_Reichstag,_December_12,_1916> [Accessed 25 December 2016]

Source: File: Official Communications and Speeches Relating to Peace Proposals 1916-1917. Available at: <https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Official_Communications_and_Speeches_Relating_to_Peace_Proposals_1916-1917> [Accessed 25 December 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 28 December 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213996/Daily-Telegraph-December-15-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ Songs Of War - Saturday, 13 May - Monday, 15 May 1916

Source: File: I'll make a man of you! (Tune: I Don't Want to be a Soldier) OhWhataLovelyWar [online] : <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x308MIPPUyA> [Accessed: 13 May 2016]

Source: File: Vesta Tilley. [online] See an original image at: <https://heroinesofthestage.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/miss-towards-heroines-of-the-stage/> [Accessed: 13 May 2016]

i

Kitchener replied with pointed finger,
When the Kaiser had started to huff -

While a country went willingly to war,

What better way for all the soldiers

To go, than to sing new catchy songs.

Already well known from before, the
Lyrics of 'Its a long way to Tipperary'

Were well suited to a marching song -
Without any suggested deeds of war,

Words evoked a longing for home.

Music and war had always travelled

Together, as already well established

By the Music Hall well before 1880s -

Popular Lilly Langtry and Marie Lloyd 

Were soon joined by new performers.

Vesta Tilley, readily known for her
Impersonations of men, with risqué 
Behaviour - to raise wary eyebrows
Playing her character 'Burlington

Bertie,' made her name before war.

ii

Vesta Tilley conceived characters

'Jack Tar Home from Sea' - another

Was 'Tommy In the Trench' - with

Husband Walter to commence a drive

For recruitment, gaining a new name.

Now Britain’s greatest recruitment

Sergeant, Great littlie Tilley sang

'Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who

Loves a Soldier,' to bring men onto

Stage - persuading them how Army 

Was alright, but open to controversy.

'I’ve got a it of a Blighty one,' Tilley

Sang as a soldier glad to wounded

Home - not exactly what the war

Office wanted to hear – many songs

Had the power to inspire peoples

Patriotism and to gain manpower.

Song sources knew no borders -

With American tunes popularity 

Flows of songs emerged from pen

Of Wenrich, as in 'When You Wore

A Tulip - I Wore a Big Red Rose.'

iii

Back home pianos had centre

Place in many families’ parlors -

With boys away at war, families

Sang same songs as brothers,

Sons or fathers - old or new tunes
Marched them on the road to war.

In eager backing of government,

Propaganda and music became

Well matched - the medium stirred

Public to join British army - 'Keep 
The home Fires burning’ by Ford 
And Novella; a sweethearts ideal.

Brothers Felix and George Powell

Played the London Hippodrome. In

A break George wrote some lines

Of a song, that Felix had idly fitted 

Music too - only to see it as 'Piffle'
George stored it under song 'duds.'

iV

While across the water in New York,

Music publishers Day and Hunter

Decided to offer 100 guineas, to find

A marching song for fighting troops -

The Powell brothers looked at their

Rejected song to revise and enter.

Talents had by end of 1914, seen

Release by Mark Sheridan a singer

Of seaside songs, with 'Belgium Put

The Kibosh on the Kaiser' - inspired

By BEF's halt of the Schlieffen Plan.

A few moths passed - a telegram

To Powell brothers told them they

Had won first prize with composition,

'Pack Up your Troubles In Your Old

Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile’ -

Its popularity was in it's simplicity.

This song praised the Tommy who

Could remain cheery, in the worst

Conditions - with the simple luxury

Of a Lucifer match to light his fag,

All to return the Tommy's smile -

Powell brothers were onto a winner.

V

With the 'kitbag song' quick to prove

A hit, other older compositions were

Revived - the popular 'Mademoiselle

From Armentieres' made resurgence -

New, adaptable, French risqué words

Leading to claims by several writers.

Alternatively 'three German Officers

Crossed the Rhine' - depicted enemy

Having a jolly good time - to result

In illegitimacy, leading to birth of a fat

Prussian, to grow up without morals.

Other words told how Mademoiselle

Had not been kissed for some forty

Years - while a more demure Colette,

With sea-blue eyes, was seen by

Lawyer Frederic Weatherly - a lady

Who evoked the Roses of Picardy.

One night Frederic Weatherly travelled

Home by London bus when suddenly

The refrain hit the lawyer - he jumped

To the street to stand beneath a lamp,

Putting down the idea on an envelope.

With subject of a love affair, music sheet
Sales quickly hit record 50,000 monthly -

Sentimental Images of Colette in Picardy

Prompted eager young men to sing while
Waiting to enlist for France and Flanders.

Vi

As a weapon of war, songs

Played their part, popularised

By the singers of the day - those

Early volunteers in rallying, sang
Of kitbags and roses - out to hit

The Kaiser only to yearn for home.

Both comedians and singers

Were playing their parts - along

With government policies, to be

The official and unofficial drivers

To recruitment, as civil heroes.

In new stars of stage and song

These included Harry Champion,

Harry Lauder, George Formby,

Gertie Gitana, Marie Lloyd

And Vesta Tilley, among many

Others, to set the pace of time.

Vii

Many artists and composers

Took inspirations, whose lyrics

Cleverly caught a keen public -

Writers Wimperis and Finck

Worked out the ultimate song

For voluntary recruitment rallys.

Calling out to youngest men by

A flirty lady, who dated military

Men - the purpose of her task,

As sung by Minnie Love, would

Make them all better soldiers.

In a call to other girls to walk out

With an army and the navy, her 
Dates included; a Hussar, a baby
Boy scout, a Scottie, a rifleman in
Green and a captain of the crew. 

Not to forget time with a bosun

A day later a Sub and Marine -

Finally with a midshipman or two.

She'd offer her services if a man

In front would take king's shilling;

A long war promised many songs.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: The 10 best: first world war music. Online. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/nov/07/the-10-best-first-world-war-music> Accessed 13 May 2016

Source: File: Music Hall. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_hall> Accessed 13 May 2016

Source: File: Mademoiselle from Armentières. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mademoiselle_from_Armenti%C3%A8res> Accessed 13 May 2016

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 13 May 2016). 

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1songs

Poem ~ Pretence Of Peace - Wednesday, 10 May - Thursday, 11 May 1916

Impression sketch of President Thomas Woodrow Wilson - by Jamie. [online] See original image at: <https://kentuckypress.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/remembering-the-rms-lusitania-and-its-impact-on-america-during-world-war-i/> [Accessed: 10 May 2016]

The detailed telegraph broadsheet,

Provided 6th day of 39th

Week, in the second year of war.

Battles of Verdun, alongside Italian

Front, together with arrest

Of Russian General Sukhomlinoff.

Beside Court Martial on Irish Rebels

While 'Power to Win,'

Is discussed by Mr Lloyd George.

In the column squeezed between

These story headings of war,

Was the faint suggestion of peace.

Under an American report from

Washington USA, were

15 lines in talk of German peace.

6 May, a Saturday, told of lengthy

Report of Berlin situation

To Mr James Gerard, US diplomat.

Acting as Ambassador to Berlin,

Gerard informed state

Department of German peace note.

The talk in Germany was a move

Towards idea of peace;

As Kaiser looked to US as mediator.

Seeking negotiations with the allies,

The notion of peace

In their note was not without purpose.

President Woodrow Wilson wanted

To see himself as mediator,

In a treaty of status quo ante vellum.

For a state existing before the war,

Wilson sent Colonel House

To Europe to find a peace avenue.

May 1916, Wilson set to gain states

To accept US mediation,

For a post war security organisation.

Too many factors stood against

The concepts - each side

Stuck in long standing system.

Both sides believed their greater

Force to win - both sides

Had insecurities and uncertainties.

Germany intended to split allies,

By offering peace, while

British considered a great July plan.

A massive offence about Somme

Against Germany, would

Surely smash their enemy down.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Talk Of Peace From Germany - An American Report. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 8 May 1916. P.9. Col.5. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12209758/Daily-Telegraph-May-8-1916.html>  [Accessed: 11 May 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 11 May 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12209758/Daily-Telegraph-May-8-1916.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1America

Poem ~ Neutral Mexico: German Ally? - Wednesday, 15 March 1916

Impression sketch of Uncle Sam leaping across the border fence with Mexico to chase (Pancho) Villa - by Jamie. From an original image that can be seen at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VillaUncleSamBerrymanCartoon.png> [Accessed: 15 March 2016]

Included in the league of neutral countries,

Mexico paused in the possibility of a war

Across her borders, with the United States

Of America - inverted by a localised crisis

With political revolt from the Porfirian era.

An 1876 coup by Porfirio Díaz, both villain

And hero, failed any stability of succession -

Yet Francisco Madero democracy sparked

Revolution - whose liberal election success

Led to controversy and 1913 assassination.

Mexican failures continued with revolt

Against a return to Porfirian order - others

emerged; Emiliano Zapata, a peasant leader

And rebel fighter - as Venustiano Carranza,

Supporter of Madero made political complexity.

Non-military Carranza became Mexico’s

Head of state from May 1915 - amid reform

Carranza maintained Mexican neutrality.

Yet with such unrest at the foot of America,

Relations had been strained by intervention.

April 1914, prior to any European war, events

Of la decena trágica led President Woodrow

Wilson to authorise a seven-month occupation

Of Veracruz - that further reinforced Mexico

Not to take any side with the United States.

Within their Spanish culture Mexicans held

Dislike of gringoes - Tuesday 14 March 1916

Poised potential United States Mexico war -

In granting President Carranza's government

To cross borders pursing their raiding bandits.

President Wilson’s memo would avert a clash

Of politics, unlikely to halt a slow of followers

To the rebel bandit, Pancho Villa - who had set

To raid border town Columbos - a fear to be

Mexican troops deserting over to Villa's banner.

The belief grew that the gringoes would

Invade their country - this had materialsed

By fact of 12,000 US troops on the border -

Poised to carry out the war secretary's plan,

In a possible three-year Mexican campaign.

Divided opinions held by American people

With opposition to any such war, due

To their army being held in the task - likely

Acting as a message to prompt Germany’s

Kaiser, who might gain a Mexican ally.

President Wilson's intent had been to focus

On capture of Pancho Villa, whose ability

Might rouse North Mexico in his resources

Of fighting talent - The rebels having taken

To the mountains, in use of sniping tactics.

All hung in balance between Villa's charisma

And Carranza's ability to convince the people,

That once Villa was captured, the US would

Leave their territory - with more to go 23 March 
was set for 4000 US troops to enter Mexico.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. United States And Mexico - Big Campaign Expected - Troops Ready To Start. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 15 March 1916. P.9. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12193873/Daily-Telegraph-March-15-1916.html [Accessed: 15 March 2016].

Source: File: Mexico in World War I. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_in_World_War_I> Accessed 15 March 2016

Source: File: History of Mexico. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mexico#Porfiriato_.281876.E2.80.931910.29> Accessed 15 March 2016

Source: File: Francisco I. Madero. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_I._Madero> Accessed 15 March 2016

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 15 March 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12193873/Daily-Telegraph-March-15-1916.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Mexico