Pause to Remember
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Arriving at the village church And thinking I was late I realised I had 2 hours So I sat down to wait. A hot and sunny afternoon I simmered in the heat Then a young lad appeared And sat down on the seat. I saw a tear come to his eye and asked who was it for He said it's for my comrades Who died while making war. He said he'd brought himself back home The coffin he had borne And asked me if I'd join him When he went inside to morn Of course I would be glad to was my instant reply And when the hearse at last arrived We took ourselves inside. Quietly the vicar stood His head bowed down in prayer And it was then I realised That there was just me there. The vicar then began to tell me Billy's story It seemed he joined the Navy young In search of fame and glory But very soon he found himself Away across the sea As a gunner with the Merchant fleet And none as fine as he Because he served on many ships In different zones of war He soon got many medals And all with pride he wore Dunquirke saw his finest hour He gave it all he'd got You couldn't touch his gun all day The barrels were so hot. Then in the North Atlantic One dark and stormy night His ship took two torpedoes from a Uboat out of sight Adrift in the ships lifeboat The RN came to save our Billy and his shipmates From a watery grave Safe aboard the frigate And suffering from shock He slipped in and out of consciousness. they thought he'd had his lot And then when he did come round And sat up in the bed The doc he had to tell him That he'd lost both his legs Billy wasn't bitter And never lost his nerve Soon he learnt to walk again And then returned to serve Off he went to sea again And joining in the fight Was wounded off the Normandy coast. But this time lost his sight. So now as Billy's laid to rest his coffin is adorned with one red poppy laid on top a hero sadly mourned And though a tear came to my eyes I could still plainly see, what Billy did for his country and what Billy did for me. |
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Author: UncleAlbert
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