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DUNKIRK DISASTER.
Beat the drums louder,pipe the pipes faster,
That is the way to drown out disaster.
The soldiers all huddles on sand dunes.
They had been fighting for days,without sleep.
They marched and they fought,in retreat and advance,
To end up on a beach and wait for a boat,
Shot up,bombed,and worse,with nothing to eat.
Long lines of soldiers leading into the sea,
Others lay face down in the incoming surf,
They had paid the price of a soldier in war.
Some lay on stretchers,their minds past caring,
Orderlies and Doctors had done their best.
The backdrop of smoke from the township burning,
The dark silhouettes of the smashed up jettty,
Boats on their sides with their sterns in the air
Exploding and smoking,their crews swimming free,
Struggling and screaming from their burns and wounds.
The diving planes screamed in,each in its turn,
Adding still more to the death and distruction.
Then in the night,the sound of men singing,
A group of Welsh Guardsmen in dry throated harmony,
Soon to be joined by others,to voice their defiance.
And down on the shore,flashing and sparkling,
The fluorescent sand shone in all its brilliance.
Then the boats came in and took off some more.
The kind hearted people met those who returned
With tea and cakes and cigarette rations;
They welcomed us with smiling kindness,
No-one would have guessed at their soldiers!plight
For this was the Army!s greatest retreat.
The masters in Whitehall, masters still,
Their mistakes and blunders merely bad luck?
So Generals get Knighthoods,Politicians get votes,
A medal for the soldiers for the hell of Dunkirk.
Beat the drum louder,pipe the pipes faster,
That is the way they covered up disaster.
Hello sir im not sure it was all a disaster as the fall of nazi germany.I wonder where all mankind would be today thats samething i dont want to think about.But now we have other war for right or wrong.And ? is this how do we win this one ?
i have no clue ...
LT.David Martin
United States Marines Special Warfare and counter-terrorism
US Special Operations Command MCSOCOM
Mr Lewis,
You don't want to hear what i feel about politicians. it might piss some people off in here. but you are welcome to read my work called:(No More Killing Our Young). They are always behind the wars (Politicians) and some even cause them trying to make a name for themself.
Glad to know someone else thinks very little of them
Judy
It that usually where battles and wars go wrong... Politicians
Hello Mr Lewis. I work with a Mr Lewis also.( He was a Fuslier though). You've seen and done more than your fair share. I watched while they bombed the Sir Galahad at Bluff Cove in 1982. Just chapters in an never ending book,with no real story line and a very weak plot. I hope someone out there takes heed of your words. Before they share the experience of the page. Take care young man. All the best, Jock Love (I,ve had a few tasty pints in Sarah Siddons.)
Paratrooper's don't die........ they go to Hell and regroup!!!
After reading this powerful piece - which is a memory, not just a work of fiction - I paused for a moment and reflected upon the sacrifices made by such men and how each and every one of them made an impact on each of our lives today, so long ago. Lest we forget. Thank you.
I must say that this is a powerful piece...and that a good healthy sense of disrespect for politicians never hurt anyone!... Peace would be something quite imaginable if it were not for politicians. Thanks for sharing your poetry.