This poem is about the trench warfare that followed the First battle of The Marne In September 1914


Good Morrow Mr Rat by M.A.Meddings

When The German Army invaded Belgium on 3rd Of August 1914 there main aim was a speedy advance to Paris and employed tactics that were to later become famous during the Summer of 1940.

Those Tactics were ‘Blitzkrieg'  fast advance mobile warfare, known as the ‘Schlieffen plan.

The plan broadly centred on reaching Paris in quick fire time and obtaining a surrender of French Forces thereby all but ending the war before Christmas.

A British Expeditionary force ‘that contemptible little army' as Kaiser Willhelm dubbed them had other Ideas.

At the Battle of Mons in on 23rd of August 1914 the British force made up mainly of rifle marksmen fought one of the greatest tactical retreats in the history of warfare. It alone held up the advance of the German army long enough for General Joffre the French commander in chief to muster his forces .

The French and the retreating British army settled along the Southern bank  of the River Marn, Dug in and waited for the Advancing Germans.

On the 6th of September believing the best form of defence to be attack, Joffre attacked the Germans and managed to split their main army intent on besieging Paris. At the time the Germans were only 30 miles from the centre of the City.

They were forced to divert troops form the siege and the French managed to open a gap in the German line of some 45 kilometres into which the British expeditionary force and French reservists poured.

The gap in German lines was gradually widened and the advance was all but halted .

The battle lasted until 12th September 1914 after which both forces dug in and trench warfare became a factor of the war.

For that fact the  first Battle of the Marne was arguably the most decisive battle of the war. After neither army made significant advances of their lines for the rest of the war.

History has judged  that after the Marne neither army had a chance of defeating the other totally and in fact neither the German army nor its British counterpart was totally defeated in  the field.

It is a salutary factor that on 2nd of August 1914 Corporal Thomas of the Irish dragoons fired the first shot on advancing German forces by any British service man during the war. Four years later a British service man fired the last shot to be fired, only yards from where Corporal Thomas fired his shot.

The war had come full circle  in the second Battle of The Marne.

Four years of slaughter for not a yard gained effectively along the whole western  front  

 

Good morrow dear  Rat
You are getting rather fat
On your diet of my dead mate and Tac
Hard tac bisquits sent up the line
For the soldiers to eat without any wine
Cos thats for the Generals who are all just fine
Sat in the billets way behind the line

Your whiskers are twitiching
And that nose must be itching
With all them fleas you are host to
You can cut the stench of life in this trench
But the residents here have a mind to
Watch you grow fat oh dear Mr Rat
Cos come yuletide festive well get you

I bet you'll taste nice done in a trice
On the end of my dead mates bayonet
In my belly in time to stop the decline 
In my health and general demeanour
What do i mean sir i mean ta 
Plug you with my dead mates  rifle
So do not trifle just nibble my toes once more
And i'll eat you with your fleas and all

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Poetry by lastromantichero The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 679 times
Written on 2007-03-22 at 14:18

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text


stevelee
Nice work Mike. Real food for thought ! Yuk nibbling someones toes.
2007-03-23


Lavender
Ah, a war poem... andhistory is filled with drama that fiction can not surpass. My favorite poems were written by soldiers from World War I.... The Great War. I have a book of them and they are my favorites, by far. Your poem is astonishing and so fine! I admire it tremendously!
2007-03-22


Rik The PoetBay support member heart!
This lessons in history are really enlightening and a pleasure to read likewise for the poetry. Great work and an applaud from me.
2007-03-22


Rob Graber
Nibble my toes once more, you dirty rat....make my day (and my menu)... ylva, where are you?
2007-03-22


Phyllis J. Rhodes
Michael I hated history during my school years because it was nothing but facts and dates. It had no human interests to hold the reader. BUT, I have found all your history lessons wonderful. They have grabbed me and held me and I look forward to each one you post. I loved this lesson and the poem is the icing on the cake. History is a story and should be told as such with people and their exploits and experiences and yes, the whens are important, but only because people are involved. My husband loves history and I have learned to love it too. You have helped.
2007-03-22


Kathy Lockhart
wow! first the lesson and the the treat! What a story writer you are. My goodness, you sure can bring history to life and then you give us poetry. Now I don't like rats and I can't bear the thought of ever eating one with fleas or without but who am I to judge a poor starving solider in the trenches.
Both texts are filled with vivid images and as i said, Bring history alive. Well Done Michael. xxxxyb
2007-03-22