Poem ~ Two Sons, Two Mothers - Saturday , 6 March 1915

Impression of Lieutenant Harold Boyd by Jamie

see original image at http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/memorials/113-boyd-cousins.html

Sketch of marble grave at La Haute-Maison 

see original image at http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/memorials/113-boyd-cousins.html

An English woman and Irish woman,

That had no prior connection -

Were to become united in their loss,

And grief for loss of their sons.

Lieutenant Boyd and Private Cousins

Of the Inniskillings Fusiliers -

An Irish Infantry Regiment in France,

Called up at fighting’s start.

The two were part of the Inniskillings

Team to form an outpost line,

About the Ferme de la Grande Lodge -

That evening of 7 September,

In an encounter of a sudden Uhlan force,

Bravely they fought away.

Regrouped, they believed no more enemy

Were close by, when -

About 1,200 yards distant two batteries

Opened up fire, so that

The Innikillings  undertook into the attack -

A fierce fight ensued.

Lieutenant Harold Boyd, hit by shrapnel,

Fell unconscious -

Along with him Private 8490 Cousins fell.

Both were carried away,

To a farmhouse, Le Ferme Des Arceries

Lieutenant Boyd and

Private Cousins died with 25 wounded men,

After the attack.

Mrs Constance Boyd of Hertfordshire,

Wrote to Mrs Mary Cousins

Of Lurgan, Ireland, at their shared loss -

To say how she heard

From officers who knew them - being

Sergeant Poots,

Colonel Wilding, Colonel Wilcox,

Captain Yardley,

And Corporal Williams - who all told

How their sons

Were both buried, that same night,

By a farmhouse -

In corner of a field - a colonel, a captain,

Adjudant and a doctor,

Were in attendance. Mrs Boyd went on

To tell Mrs Cousins of visit,

By a family friend, a clergyman, to see

The place was a good

Plot - her husband being quite unable

To make any visit.

Knowing how Mrs Cousins, shared

A desire to know

About her son, that letter had told

Her of that place.

In meeting the commune’s Mayor,

The Clergyman

Visited the home of the farmer

And his wife.

The grave was seen well preserved,

In a dry space, with

Planted evergreens at each corner,

And fresh flowers -

A Laurel wreath lay on the mound.

Penciled on a rough cross,

Put there by the regiment, words stated

'Sacred to memory

To both Lieutenant Boyd and Private

Cousins, A company,

2nd Inniskillings, both killed in action

September 7 1914.'

A French plaque also rested there, to read

'A nox Courageaux

Freres d'armes Anglaise des habitants

De la Haute Maison.'

Mrs Boyd explained of her intentions

To visit the shared grave.

How that, until they did so, wire netting

Covered the ground.

A written guarantee from the local Mayor

Promised the grave

Was theirs - to be in care of the commune

For all of time.

A oak cross had been commissioned with

Both their son’s names -

This had been placed on the grave - then

The clergyman spoke,

Gathering a collection of people about,

Reading quiet prayers

And dedicating the ground - now that

The place was protected,

Mrs Boyd said they should give gratitude -

Compared to how

Other fallen, often had little cover or that

Families had no idea,

Of where loved ones finally lay - their plan

Being to go in spring,

To place a marble memorial to both her son

And Private James Cousins.

Epilogue – Battalion Diary

It is in that small place 30 km from Paris

At Ferme des Arceries,

La Haute-Maison where a private memorial

In marble, still stands.

For men on a September day of 1914

A clearer account

Told how on 7 September 89 ranks along

With a 2^nd Lieutenant

Harold Alexander Boyd - in reinforcements

Of Inniskilling Battalion -

By evening's task to find enemy outposts -

Moved into a position.

About Le Grand Loge farm, when enemy fire

Came from a wood -

Close by – a twenty minute skirmish

Then ensued.

During this the two casualties occurred,

Which Corporal Foots

Noted in the task, to find village outpost.

On the right of a road

Stood a row of apple trees - to the left

Was open plain.

At 1200 yards were woods and shrubs

From which came

Sudden gun and rifle fire – in surprise

They returned

Shots, but had no shelter from shells,

Or own artillery.

The officers were trying to work out

Range to enemy -

By doing so, exposing their selves.

One such officer

Lieutenant Boyd, stood beside one

Ripe apple tree,

When a nearby shell struck him

With shrapnel,

To be killed instantly - and nearby

Private cousins

Was also hit  –  all night the unit stayed

Until morning,

Then the enemy retired – today those

Two men lay,

Not so far away at one field's edge,

Below white marble.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. The Lonely Grave - Mother's Pathetic Letter. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 6 Mar. p.7. Col.3. Available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11447717/Daily-Telegraph-March-6-1915.html [Accessed: 6 March 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 6 March 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11447717/Daily-Telegraph-March-6-1915.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered

Poem ~ Dying Man's Words - Monday, 21 December 1914

In Paris a letter arrives,

Addressed to a young Lady -

An American whose fiancé

Is a French Cavalry Officer -

Suffering from severe wounds,

He writes slowly - telling her

Of his last moments of life.

The American lady sits down

Heavily, perhaps the paper

Is stained with mud -

Having lain in a field of dead.

Can a piece of paper store

The battle sounds of guns?

How her lover held this too -

His writing difficult, but clear.

During a cavalry charge,

Perhaps one of the last to be,

The French Officer was hit,

Slumping, he slid from his horse.

Losing consciousness, he felt

Himself spinning heavily -

Thumping onto the ground.

A short time later he began

To write a letter, hoping

It might reach his home -

Otherwise just to melt

In the rain – mud – snow.

Eventually cracking in frost,

Crumbling away to dust.

With honesty, he states how

His chances, are quite gone

For him and two other men,

Who then lay close by him -

So what to write? Knowing

As a man, that you might die.

So he drew a conclusion

Of how he came to be in

That situation – and how

He shared those moments -

He looks sideways and sees

The first man close by

He was British - in uniform

Of a Scottish regiment -

The second man, an Uhlan.

The French Cavalryman

Recounted how, upon waking

He found these two men

Over him, giving first aid

Both soldiers, both strangers.

The German knelt over him,

Trying to stem the wound -

As the Scottish Officer placed

Water to his lips – they were

Themselves wounded.

The Uhlan had shrapnel

To his side - the Scotsman

Weighted by a shattered leg. 

The German having supplies

Gave the Frenchman a morphia

Injection, as well as himself -

With pain abated they talked

In ease - now they exchanged

Thoughts and how before war,

Their lives had been lived -

And their women back home.

Hardly a year gone since both

The German and Scotsman

Married – the Highlander,

Mud stained, his face drawn

Was starting to fall asleep -

The Frenchman wondered,

Why then, were they fighting?

The Cavalry man looked upon

That Scotsman, who he saw

Beyond the dirt, as a free man -

Came the thought of his own

Country’s flag, whose tricolour

Symbolised French Liberty.

The Uhlan had ceased to talk,

And taking from his knapsack

A prayer book – he turned pages,

Shakily attempting to read aloud

A script, for the wounded

Soldier, fallen down in battle.

He watched the German speak,

And realized what their fight

Was for  - as allies the French

And British man’s purposeful

Legacy, would add to civilised

Peace for this world - while

The Uhlan would die in vain. 

As he wrote more, the words

Talked of the coming of falling

Light – still the roar of guns

Went on all about them –

Then this letter, by his fingers

Were found by the Red Cross.

Two days passed – the letter,

Arrived that was to be finally

Touched by the young fingers

Of his fiancée - then she

Learned of his slow death,

By his last written words.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Battlefield Incidents  - Dying Officer’s Letter. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 21 Dec. p.15. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11299391/Daily-Telegraph-December-21-1914.html [Accessed: 9th August 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 21 December 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11299391/Daily-Telegraph-December-21-1914.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered

Poem ~ A Lighter Side of War? - Saturday, 24 October 1914

Amid the distresses of war, humour is present.

Barrack room ‘persiflage,’ is a spirit of a soldier’s

Way – now taken into the situations of trenches.

The Tommy Atkins' demeanour of cheerfulness,

Perhaps having influenced other allied armies.

One such account could be a Belgian Sergeant.

During duty in a battlefield trench, a stray bullet

Hit him in the left eye – tragic enough, he then

Stood to address his officer, to say, ’Commandant,

I’m off. I’ve had enough of this game. The Germans

Evidently don’t care where they are firing!’

Another man from the army of King Albert,

In observing a German train, filled with enemy

Soldiers, saw that the stoker and driver step from

The engine - this sergeant no doubt, perceiving

The humour of the idea, utilised his skill stepped

To the engine's footplate. Under the release

Of steam the Belgian Sergeant directed an

Unsuspecting train full of ammunition, with 320

German soldiers, over into the Belgian lines.

One can only imagine the enemy’s faces, as they

Stepped down as prisoners, without even having

The chance to raise a rifle, to make a protest shot.

An odd incident was made by a Belgian cyclist

Carabinier – one day acting as escort to a genera,

Found himself at the edge of the firing line.

Dismounting his cycle and lifting up his carbine,

Without orders, he made the aim to take five

Shots bringing down five attacking Uhlans.

Calmly addressing the General, the man gave his

Reason, ‘Excuse me sire, but the temptation

Was really too strong for me.’

In reply to an interpreter a German prisoner,

Of rank of Sergeant, explained how he and

His men came to becoming prisoners of war.

It was some hours into an attack, when two

Frenchmen were observed heading towards

A house - With three soldiers, the German

Sergeant stalked them to find them hiding.

They kept the French prisoners in the cellar.

Instead of taking them back to their lines,

The German Sergeant said, that as shells

Falling fast and densely, they waited until

The attack ended – then, when it was dark

They took them to a farm. Sharing their food,

They remained there – to be joined by another

Non-commissioned Officer for the night.

On the next day the battle began again

With renewed intensity – the presence

Of the prisoners started to be a concern

To the Germans, not knowing what to do

With them - to take them to the Captain

Meant crossing the deadly line of fire -

Into a foolish situation of certain death.

So as one, the Germans turned to their

Prisoners and held up their hands

In surrender to be their French prisoners.

Once the battle died and ended, the now

Re-armed Frenchmen took their return,

Triumphant with five enemy prisoners.

A footnote makes the suggestion,

That such raw material as this, might

Make much good use, to those

Composers of comic opera shows.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. War’s Humours – Some Amusing Episodes. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 24 Oct. p.13. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11183483/Daily-Telegraph-October-24-1914.html [Accessed: 24 October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 24 October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11183483/Daily-Telegraph-October-24-1914.html

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

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Poem ~ French Soldier, Aged 15 - Saturday, 3 October 1914

Wounded during the Battle of the Aisne, 

Comes the story reported in the Liberté, 

Of a very young soldier, resting in a Paris

Nursing home - The age of him being fifteen.

A French farm lad had shared in fighting,

In the bombardment of Senlis, days before. 

A farm, North East France close to the river Oise,

Not too far from the town of Senlis, had lost most 

Of its workers to become soldiers. Among them,

One too young to be in the army, was employed 

As a herd-boy - but another story says he is son

Of a market gardener, working fields for his father.

Some say he was 14 and 7 months, some fifteen...

Gustave Chatain is the name of this lad, who

By his hospital bed, has a pair of red, military, 

Made to measure trousers, waiting for him

To wear. He talks of his story in an ingenuous

Way - thinking nothing out of the ordinary,

Of his experiences - He describes himself,

As being strong and big for his young age.

People about Senlis spoke of the nearby Boche, 

That, although the British had come to their side,

There were still too few men trained to fight.

Gustave heard daily stories of Belgium battles, 

Thrilled but anxious as he hears the women fret.

He saw Belgium and French refugees passing

The farm - walking miles, lugging few belongings.

The stories of these people told of Germans

Advancing across their lands, driving them

From homes, which were frequently burned 

Down - people they know have been killed,

Or died, too weak to travel. The enemy 

Is trying to reach Paris - Gustave heard this,

Feeling a growing need to fight the invaders.

The sounds of battle came from beyond Senlis,

As thunderstorms drifting upon the autumn air,

Punctuated by bursting puffs of shell smoke.

The women watched the distance, considering,

If they too would have to leave their homes.

So Gustave trudged the fields, as if looking

To the herds of cows - until he was out of sight.

The boy had decided to fight the Boche.

Walking fast as he could towards the fight,

Gustave, on route, met Chasseurs Alpins, 

And offered help to undertake any errands.

Seeing guns carried in their cart, he asked

For a rifle, the mountain infantry laughed.

'Can a boy like you shoot?' They asked

The lad answered how he shot many crows.

That the Boche would be a just as easy target.

He fell in, warned not to boast too early.

He marched along proudly, until the Captain 

Saw him and as he was a child, sent him away.

He watched, saddened as they marched on.

He did not turn back, but soon saw another

Regiment approach and he joined their march.

He answered that his mother would be proud,

Knowing her four sons would be at the front.

He promised to be good and keep out of sight,

To take shelter in a trench until being needed.

In deciding to look after him till darkness,

The soldiers moved on a short distance until,

Suddenly they saw Uhlans approaching.

Under sharp command they took cover.

Gustave jumped to an embankment, 

To see German cavalry. The French fired,

And the enemy fled, leaving the wounded

And dead - but then a German car appeared.

Rattling a machine gun at the French,

It sped off, killing some of the regiment.

Gustave picked up a rifle and ammunition.

As the company took up new positions,

He followed, unnoticed. Then he took part,

Firing and advancing till the enemy

Was gone - but so too was his company.

Disappointed, he turned and saw a dead

Soldier, as big as him. So he took his cap

And uniform, swearing vengeance for him.

Coming across a newly arrived regiment,

His large uniform was a limited disguise,

So they put him with others of short stature,

Who said he would not now be noticed.

At this stage they came to the Battle 

Of the Marne. Gustave said how he enjoyed

Being able to advance with the regiment.

For days he helped with pride, to dig trenches. 

Gustave described he had been in a charge,

Using a bayonet - getting near the Boche,

By holding up a bundle of hay as a shield.

The din of battle filled with gun sounds,

Of all sizes - shrapnel rips like tearing

Metal sheets, bullets whizzed like bees,

And zipping into the heaped up earth.

Gustave reached as far as their trenches,

Knowing a German's trick to 'sham dead.'

He kicked them to see if this was the case.

Seen as one of pluckiest soldiers, among

The regiment, he was given a fitted uniform, 

With leggings and boots, haversack 

And overcoat. He notes that when his face,

Is spattered with mud, from exploding

Shells, no one can tell his young age.

Gustave showed the reporter his diary,

From the Aisne battle, kept in schoolboy's

Exercise-book - hoping that his spelling

Might be excused. For two days he had

Been in advance, when he thought to go

Into a loft in looking out for the Boche.

The house door was locked and he looked

Through a crack, to see German haversacks

And cartridges on the floor - with loaded

Rifle and bayonet fixed, he broke the door.

Going to the loft he found seven Boche,

Sleeping - he hit the floor and they awoke.

At the sight of the bayonet they raised their hands.

Gustave ordered them out - they were pleased

To surrender, as he handed them to the regiment.

In a scouting party with twelve men, a sergeant,

And corporal, Gustave went to see if the enemy

Occupied two farms and cut any telephone wires.

As they neared the farms the enemy started

Firing - the corporal and five men fell - in yards

Seven more were shot, leaving him and a sergeant.

A bullet hit Gustave's cap. Dropping behind a heap

Of rocks, he fired at the left farm, until he had

No ammunition - after which he ran and gained

A bullet in the right shoulder - to make him hurry.

The Sergeant being struck in the foot, fell down.

Gustave taking him on his back, to carry the man

Back to their lines - the reporter was a little skeptic.

Then a wounded soldier nearby spoke up.

He said how he had been there and the boy, 

Was telling the truth - adding the fact, that wha

He did not, is how officers congratulated him.

How proud they were, as he dined at the table

Of their General. The Military Government of Paris,

On hearing of the lad, stated that once cured,

He will be allowed to return to his adopted regiment.

Gustave returned home for a deserved rest,

Before returning to his chosen regiment, 

On 8 October 1914.  In further fighting, the lad

Was again wounded and then promoted,

To the rank of corporal - the youngest officer 

Of the French army. A faded photograph tells

The story of Gustave Chatain's deserved pride. 

Standing, arms crossed - slightest of smiles 

He regards us, the viewer, with strong eyes.

by Jamie Mann.

Beaumont, A., 1914. Daring Exploits of a French farm Lad - Fighting at Fifteen. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 3 Oct. p.5. Col.1. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11137066/Daily-Telegraph-October-3-1914.html> [Accessed: 3rd October 2014].

Mackenzie, D. A., 2012. The Baldwin Project, Bringing Yesterday's Classics to Today's Children - Heroes and Heroic Deeds of the Great War - Brave French Boys. [online] Available at: <http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=mackenzie&book=heroes&story=brave> Accessed 4th October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 4th October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11137066/Daily-Telegraph-October-3-1914.html

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

#WW1 #WW1Paris #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered 

Militarian - Military History Forum, 2009. Boy Soldiers - Discussion in World War 1. [online] (updated 2 January 2009) Available at: <http://www.militarian.com/threads/boy-soldiers.6453/> [Accessed 4 October 2014]