From a conversation I had with my father. We had a '' mate'' relationship. Which as you will read in this telling . I share with you. War is not just about battles , it is far greater than that. Men like my father who volentede as lad 18
Easy to do where he lived in the hart of industrial Lancashire
Reserved occupation's such jobs were called
He volented for the Royal Navy so he did
At the same time he volenteard for the R A F as a rear gunner
As soon as the job he had would have prevented him joining up
He smartly left, takeing a job that would not prevent him joineing the fight
Against Hitler Mosaleney ,Tojo and all they stood fore
The all this before he'd tuerde 18
The day arrived , a letter dropped thro the letterbox it were from the admiralty
Inviteing him to a medercal and an educastion test he passed both with flying
coulers
With in days he resevde a second letter report to H M S Ganges , the training
depot, down Suffolk way
With the railway pass off he set , off to war he set out
He passde out, sent on draft to H M S Anson , a battleship
Well the war in the Atlantike avided dad and his ship ,when the war in Erupe
Came to it's bloody end , dad was sent to Australia , the war still raged
Thousands still dieing , dad still full of willing '' to do and die'' should thear be
The need
The Gods of war smiled desideing thear were no need , his dad had did all
That were need in the last war to end all wars , had lived , had suffered so
He had advechers fore sure he had , worthy of the telling
Years later , I came upon dad sat on a chair deep in thort as his cup of tea
Were turning look worm
''Hi dad '' says I'' , he did not at first respond , then out of his silence he spoke
I wonted to fight , Ken'' , he said. '' sorry dad?'' I replied. I was totally
Confounded
''The war'' , '' I did not wont others to fight'' . It dawned upon me , dad was
feeling guilty
I could not would not did not duck out of such a situation
Now dad had shared just about all his life with me , so I know him pritty well
I replyde , '' now look hear dad'' , '' You volanterd for the R A F as a rear
gunner ''Sertan dearth'' '' you'd not have lived what three maybe four raids''
At the same time you volanteard for the R N , who chose you , and off you went
How many times , mate , (dad liked me to call him ''mate''). ''When you were
on watch'' , '' did you look in to the clear blue sky '' '' to see a scodran of
stuckers heading striate for the ship?'' ,'' You held your nerve , till it were a
flock of seagulls you could see
''How many times did you spot a U Boat?'' , ''again mate , you held your nerve''
''What you had spotted were a wale'' ,
''Just how many perescops did you see'' , only fore them to be logs drifting''
''Don't you recall those torpedo's '' , ''tuernde out to be porperses or dolfins''
''look mate'' '' you kowe all about fear , never give your self a bad time now''
'' You were a trande pom pom gunner'' , '' if stukers as tryde to dive bombe
the Anson'' , ''I know , and you know , you'd have kept your nerve''
''stood up and fired while under fire'' '' so mate you did your duty''
''After the war in Eurpe was over , you were sent on draft to Chalinger''
''Some where off the Australian coast '', ''so out off one frying pan and to the
pot you sailed , mate''
''I rember you telling me , mate , of you rowing P O W's freed from years of
hunger and torcher'' ,''rowing them to hosptall ships''
'' under orders not to give them pore sods any food''
'' As you'd kill more than you'd saved'' , '' remember the tears you held back''
I remember , you teling me you were on H M S Chalinger syvaying it''
''Thick of all those you sved from being on a wreck , a live , blisferly unaware
They owed their life's to you and your ship mates''
The look on my dads face was a pitcher of releve as all those years of guilt left
him
Many men have a sence of gulit ,
When looking back at any war with no reason to feel guilty at all.
''Those who wait also serve''
Ken D Williams ( THE DYSLEXIC POET )
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Poetry by ken d williams
Read 870 times
Written on 2007-11-08 at 22:05
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11 / 11 REMEMBERANCE DAY
Now my father did all he could to avide avideing world war twoEasy to do where he lived in the hart of industrial Lancashire
Reserved occupation's such jobs were called
He volented for the Royal Navy so he did
At the same time he volenteard for the R A F as a rear gunner
As soon as the job he had would have prevented him joining up
He smartly left, takeing a job that would not prevent him joineing the fight
Against Hitler Mosaleney ,Tojo and all they stood fore
The all this before he'd tuerde 18
The day arrived , a letter dropped thro the letterbox it were from the admiralty
Inviteing him to a medercal and an educastion test he passed both with flying
coulers
With in days he resevde a second letter report to H M S Ganges , the training
depot, down Suffolk way
With the railway pass off he set , off to war he set out
He passde out, sent on draft to H M S Anson , a battleship
Well the war in the Atlantike avided dad and his ship ,when the war in Erupe
Came to it's bloody end , dad was sent to Australia , the war still raged
Thousands still dieing , dad still full of willing '' to do and die'' should thear be
The need
The Gods of war smiled desideing thear were no need , his dad had did all
That were need in the last war to end all wars , had lived , had suffered so
He had advechers fore sure he had , worthy of the telling
Years later , I came upon dad sat on a chair deep in thort as his cup of tea
Were turning look worm
''Hi dad '' says I'' , he did not at first respond , then out of his silence he spoke
I wonted to fight , Ken'' , he said. '' sorry dad?'' I replied. I was totally
Confounded
''The war'' , '' I did not wont others to fight'' . It dawned upon me , dad was
feeling guilty
I could not would not did not duck out of such a situation
Now dad had shared just about all his life with me , so I know him pritty well
I replyde , '' now look hear dad'' , '' You volanterd for the R A F as a rear
gunner ''Sertan dearth'' '' you'd not have lived what three maybe four raids''
At the same time you volanteard for the R N , who chose you , and off you went
How many times , mate , (dad liked me to call him ''mate''). ''When you were
on watch'' , '' did you look in to the clear blue sky '' '' to see a scodran of
stuckers heading striate for the ship?'' ,'' You held your nerve , till it were a
flock of seagulls you could see
''How many times did you spot a U Boat?'' , ''again mate , you held your nerve''
''What you had spotted were a wale'' ,
''Just how many perescops did you see'' , only fore them to be logs drifting''
''Don't you recall those torpedo's '' , ''tuernde out to be porperses or dolfins''
''look mate'' '' you kowe all about fear , never give your self a bad time now''
'' You were a trande pom pom gunner'' , '' if stukers as tryde to dive bombe
the Anson'' , ''I know , and you know , you'd have kept your nerve''
''stood up and fired while under fire'' '' so mate you did your duty''
''After the war in Eurpe was over , you were sent on draft to Chalinger''
''Some where off the Australian coast '', ''so out off one frying pan and to the
pot you sailed , mate''
''I rember you telling me , mate , of you rowing P O W's freed from years of
hunger and torcher'' ,''rowing them to hosptall ships''
'' under orders not to give them pore sods any food''
'' As you'd kill more than you'd saved'' , '' remember the tears you held back''
I remember , you teling me you were on H M S Chalinger syvaying it''
''Thick of all those you sved from being on a wreck , a live , blisferly unaware
They owed their life's to you and your ship mates''
The look on my dads face was a pitcher of releve as all those years of guilt left
him
Many men have a sence of gulit ,
When looking back at any war with no reason to feel guilty at all.
''Those who wait also serve''
Ken D Williams ( THE DYSLEXIC POET )
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Poetry by ken d williams
Read 870 times
Written on 2007-11-08 at 22:05
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
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