Hardly any of the "light verse" that was written during the First World War is reprinted or remembered, but reams of it was written. The following short poem was found in Captain Hugh Stewart Smith's journal after he was killed in an attack on the German trenches at High Wood on August 18, 1916, part of the offensive of the Battle of the Somme that began ninety-nine years ago on July 1, 1916. You can listen to
On
the Plains of Picardy
Lay
a soldier, dying
Gallantly,
with soul still free
Spite
the rough worlds' trying.
Came
the Angel who keeps guard
When
the fight has drifted,
"What
would you for your reward
When
the clouds have lifted?"
Then
the soldier through the mist
Heard
the voice and rested
As a
man who sees his home
When
the hill is breasted –
This
his answer and I vow
Nothing
could be fitter –
Give
me peace, a dog, a friend
And
a glass of bitter!
Hugh Smith is buried at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, France. He was an only son. It seems fitting to raise a glass to a man
who didn't make it home to see the peace or have his pint.
Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, the Somme |
Many a soldier must have thought the same when dreaming of home.
ReplyDeleteAnd so many who thought the same lie near Hugh Stewart Smith in Caterpillar Valley.... A very sobering place to visit.
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