Poem ~ Friendly Propaganda - Tuesday , 4 July 1916

Source: File: Telegraph map of the Somme battlefield, showing line before advance. See an original image at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211684/Daily-Telegraph-July-3-1916.html> [Accessed 04 July 2016]

By the 3rd day on 3 July,

News was strangely wary -

Though truth was hinted

By page 2 of the Daily

Telegraph, with 'Roll

Of Honour.'

Starting with 2 columns,

Continued on page 3, were

Lists of 'killed', 'missing,'

'Died of wounds,'

'Accidentally killed'

Or 'drowned.'

With an initial total of 7

Columns, 2 more appeared

Amid sales of dresses and

Lingerie - in neat totals

Of 1490 Men NCOs,

And 136 Officers.

By page 9, above

A map, came admittance

Of a big fight to state;

'Great Anglo-French

Offensive - advance

Of 20 miles.'

Amid the overall view,

News spread like 'wildfire,'

Across the London capital

On Saturday morning,
And throughout

The day. 

Gatherings on London

Street corners made excited

Discussions, as people

Devoured papers; the

Vendors running

Out of stock.

Amid thrilled civilians

Stood out keener soldiers,

Along with wounded

Khaki figures, calling

'Breakthrough!' from

Tops of buses.

Officially, every aspect

Of events about the Somme

Were good - despatches

Told of combined attacks,

Launched at 7.30 a.m.

Saturday 1 July.

Giving equality between

The two countries offensive,

Across a 25 mile north

Front - French moved

On Hardecourt and

Curlu villages.

While in the south Fay,

Becquincourt, Dompierre

And Bussu were taken -

As 3500 Germans over

The day were caught

By French.

This number of prisoners

Were to exceed 5000 - during

Night of day 1 into day 2,

Avocourt and Assewillers

In south area were

A success.

During that time in North,

Fights had intensified about

Hardecourt as Germans

Counter attacked - but

Returned fire forced

Retreats.

The overview of the

First phase was reported rosy -

Pictures of allied troops

Sweeping over Enemy -

Avoiding all deadly

Reality.

This was the fourth army -

Not individual soldiers, scythed
Like a summers cornfield;

Kitchener’s battalions 

Of pals lost, in a large

Scaled acts of murder.

The truth lay behind an

Army of reporters - whose

Controlled words skirted

Reality - censorship

Gave overall image

Of successes.

Friendly propaganda,

Only ever alluded to truth -

With lines of black

Ink headings, as in

'Our Wonderful

Wounded.'

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Daily Telegraph 1 July 1916. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 3 July. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211684/Daily-Telegraph-July-3-1916.html> [Accessed: 4 July 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 4 July 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211684/Daily-Telegraph-July-3-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ News And War - Wednesday 10 November 1915

Source: File: Portrait of Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe.jpeg, [online] Available at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Alfred_Harmsworth,_1st_Viscount_Northcliffe.jpg> Accessed: 10 November 2015].

With the 95 club members gathered,

In the Venue of Manchester's reform

Club, they heard censorship opinions

Regarding the Press in wartime.

The President of the National union

Of Journalists, Mr F. Hamer read out

Opinions gathered from various British

Journalist’s - one being Lord Northcliffe.

With the title of 1st Viscount Northcliffe,

Alfred Charles William Harmsworth

Was a newspaper-publishing magnate -

A forerunner of tabloid journalism.

A man who excised public and own

Opinion, Lord Northcliffe's tract told that

He knew no journalist, who did not

See union of wartime politics and press.

That Government and newspapers

Cooperation was vital to operations -

Years before he had urged regulations

Be prepared for wartime situations.

The belief was that in sudden war,

Amateurish muddling occurrences,

Made damages abroad and home -

To consider press as being a monster.

A press to be controlled by lawyers -

They ignored alliances of Irish, Scottish

Provincial and metropolitan papers -

In confusion, bureau passed all stories.

Stories that would be of use to enemy,

Were stopped by the papers themselves -

Northcliffe stated how the Government

Of Britain, had no concept of publicity.

Whereas the American political system,

Had appearance of interviews wisdom

To carry weekly talks with President and

Congress representatives in Washington.

Alluding to a prosecution over one

Item, that already appeared in Europe,

Northcliffe held sympathies to reporters,

Subjected to Defence of Realm Act.

Editor of the Westminster Gazette,

Mr Spender, was quoted on opinions

That they should directly address

Those regulators of Censor depts.

Further to add that the lack of front

Correspondents should be addressed

While govt. criticism should not be

Suppressed, harm comes of false facts.

In misrepresentations of the British

Sent to allied and neutral countries -

Need of a system to halt libel exports -

Another thought came from Mr Phillips;

Chairman of Newspaper society

And editor of the Yorkshire Post had

No grounds for criticising censors -

In war authority made all decisions

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Press In War-Time. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 November. P.3. Col.2. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11975589/Daily-Telegraph-November-10-1915.html [Accessed: 10 November 2015].

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

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11975589/Daily-Telegraph-November-10-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Anti-Protestor Lady - Friday, 22 October 1915

Impression sketch of Anti-Protestor Lady  - by Jamie

Wife of a major, Mrs Templar,

Strolled in the company of a friend -

The widow of a Colonel Finch -

The two women were out walking

On Tuesday 19 October.

In Farnborough on Alexandra road,

They encountered the presence

Of a William Hogg who, aged 47, was

Voicing his opinion, by process

Of a speech out in the open.

A few people were already

Gathered, when they both stopped

To watch - Hogg's statement

Was they were, 'sending them out

To murder them!'

In the obvious nature of referring

To troops, Mrs Templar gave

Her reaction, to call Mr Hogg a traitor.

The speaker stopped to ask

Her to come closer and say that.

In doing so Mrs Templar

Said how he was not only a traitor,

But a damned one at that -

The scene led to Mr Hogg's to appear

At Aldershot Police Court.

Mrs Templar said in evidence,

That her language could

Not have any excuse - as that came

To mind in condemnation,

In witness to that terrible thing.

After Mrs Finch confirmed

Events, Mr Hogg's plea was not guilty -

The son of a dean of church

Of Ireland - who had served through

The South African war.

This though seemed to make

No difference to court,

As Mr Hogg was found guilty; given

A choice of either a month

In prison or payment of £5 fine.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Patriotic Lady's Protest. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 22 October. P.12. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11936818/Daily-Telegraph-October-22-1915.html [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 22 October 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11936818/Daily-Telegraph-October-22-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ 'Patriotism is not Enough' - Tuesday, 12 October 1915

Impression sketch of Edith Cavell - by Jamie. Taken from original image at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/bbc/11861398/Revealed-New-evidence-that-executed-wartime-nurse-Edith-Cavells-network-was-spying.html

 

A daughter of a Swardeston vicar,

Frederick Cavell and her mother

Louise  - Edith was born December

1864, followed by three younger

Siblings; family status being poor.

As the Eldest, Edith gave sacrifices;

In being shown to give to those

Less fortunate than herself - to play

An influence in her future career

Beginning in Brussels as governess.

From 1890 Edith, in her twenties,

Decided to train in nursing - to learn

In London Hospital under rigourous

Selection processes of Eva Luckes -

Then to work in variety of hospitals.

After three years as Assistant Matron

At Shoreditch infirmary, Edith Cavell

Moved this time to Belgium - recruited

By Dr Antoine Depage nursing school

L'École Belge d’Infirmières Diplômées.

With nurse training established by 1910

In Brussels Cavell started to assistant

The launch L'infirmière - a professional

Nursing journal - within the year 1911

She helped many schools and hospitals.

This was to include 13 kindergartens -

All seemed well for career of Edith

Cavell but this was to change in 1914 -

Visiting her mother in August came

Declaration of conflict with Germany.

The fact did not prevent Edith Cavell's

Return to Brussels - only to find a very

Different situation, with the school

Taken over by the Red Cross, as the city

Then came under German occupation.

Remaining true to her decided vocation

Cavell involved herself in the situation -

Without prejudice the nurse matron

Assisted wounded allied and Germans;

Deciding to take one step beyond safety.

Within 3 months of war Cavell began

To assist French and British wounded

Escape into the neutral Netherlands -

Along with military aged Belgium’s

And French civilians - a risky game.

Close to Mons at Chateau Bellignies,

Prince Reginald de Croy's assistance

Was to source false papers - shelters

Were provided in Brussels with money

And guides, given by Philippe Baucq.

Following such actions put Miss Cavell

In jeopardy, against German Military

Law - her outspokenness had already

Put her in eyes of suspicious authority,

When Gaston Quien hit the final nail.

A Collaborator, Quien gave the nurse

Away, in helping enemy leave country.

3 August 1915 saw Cavell arrested,

Held for next 10 weeks in the prison

Of St-Gilles, with 2 weeks confinement.

During that time Edith Cavell made

Three sworn testimonies in admittance

Of harbouring peoples in her home -

100 Belgian and French of military age;

15 French along with 60 British soldiers.

The day prior to her trial, Cavell signed

A statement of admission, how she helped

Men to cross borders, to make their way

To Britain - who wrote to thank her, when

Safely arriving at their final destination.

Edith Cavell made no attempt to hide

Facts of helping them escape, to a country

Germany was at war with - the penalty,

Within paragraph 58 of their military law,

Was sentence to death by the Penal code.

Her arrest and sentence was 'treason' -

Questioned in French, Cavell’s words

Recorded in German, so misinterpretation

By interrogator would have been allowed.

Additionally the nurse sought no defence.

While the British government admitted

To being powerless to help Edith Cavell,

The USA, in neutrality, tried diplomatic

Pressure - a warning that any reputation

Of Germany would only be lowered.

Any execution would rank as murder -

On a level with Lusitania and Louvain.

A reply was made, of their regret not

Having four English women to shoot;

Although one opinion asked a pardon.

Baron von der Lancken, gave reasons

Being for her honesty and that Cavell

Had helped save many lives - General

Von Sauberzweig, military governor

Called for an immediate death penalty.

This would stop any other authority

Giving leniency - in the trial of twenty

Seven; Countess Jeanne de Belleville,

Louise Thuliez, Séverin, Baucq, Cavell

Were those sentenced to be executed.

In reality only two were finally murdered;

Cavell on the night of 11 October received

Communion, to state,  'Patriotism is not

Enough' - to add that she intended to hold

No bitterness or hatred towards anyone.

A Midnight deputation attempted a Spanish

And American appeal of mercy, or to halt

The execution - the hours ticked to 7 a.m.

Without any effect - dawn began to rise over

Schaerbeek Range; a line of 16 men waited.

The chosen hour of dawn when the mind

Wakes from rest, perhaps then the time

Chosen when the body is most calm -

Edith Cavell was led to the place; perhaps

To learn how twenty-five had a reprieve.

Cavell spoke finally to Paul Le Seur,

The prison Chaplain, to tell to those

She loved her soul was safe - to be glad

To die for her country - alongside stood

Baucq, the architect who had helped her.

Within seconds, the figure of a woman

Became not just a story of propaganda,

But a woman of substance - whose name

Would go on beyond into the history

Of her chosen profession, as a heroine.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Edith Cavell From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell> [Accessed: 2 October 2015]

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