Poems of the Era
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A Poem for Remembrance Day
"The inquisitive mind of a child" Why are they selling poppies, Mummy? Selling poppies in town today. The poppies, child, are flowers of love. For the men who marched away. But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy? Why not a beautiful rose? Because my child, men fought and died In the fields where the poppies grow. But why are the poppies so red, Mummy? Why are the poppies so red? Red is the colour of blood, my child. The blood that our soldiers shed. The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy. Why does it have to be black? Black, my child, is the symbol of grief. For the men who never came back. But why, Mummy are you crying so? Your tears are giving you pain. My tears are my fears for you my child. For the world is forgetting again. Author unknown A Brown Slouch Hat
There is a symbol, we love and adore it, You see it daily wherever you go. Long years have passed since our fathers once wore it, What is the symbol that we should all know? It's a brown slouch hat with the side turned up, and it means the world to me. It’s the symbol of our Nation—the land of liberty. And as soldiers they wear it, how proudly they bear it, for all the world to see. Just a brown slouch hat with the side turned up, heading straight for victory. Don't you thrill as young Bill passes by? Don't you beam at the gleam in his eye? Head erect, shoulders square, tunic spic and span, Ev'ry inch a soldier and ev'ry inch a man. As they swing down the street, aren't they grand? Three abreast to the beat of the band, But what do we remember when the boys have passed along? Marching by so brave and strong. Just a brown .... J Albert & Son, Sydney, 1942 Heroes of Long Tan
Lightning struck the shattered trees; it up the roughened scrub Monsoonal rain in all its frenzy; churned the red and slimy mud And the angels wept a sea of tears; and history turned its page As diggers; and their allies; fought on a battlefield of rage. Amidst the terror and the horror; mortar shell and metal hum Outnumbered by an enemy twenty to their one Where D company 6 RAR stood watchful in their tread With steadfast breath and courage to face the task ahead And the angels wept a million tears; heads bent low in sorrow For those who fought in conflict and wouldn’t see tomorrow As casualties they mounted; and their situation dire Hampered by the rising mud; explosive sounds of fire With ammunition low; and blood of youthful diggers shed Mowed down by bullet hail that turned the earth to red And mothers wrung their hands, nd wept for sons so loved and lost Their names written up in honour, on a lone white wooden cross The battle scarred, the traumatised, the wounded and the lame Returned back home unrecognised or their suffering and pain We commemorate these heroes hat did not hesitate To fight hard for their country and die beside a mate That sacrificed their lives in a war torn living hell Undermanned and isolated killed by rifle hail and shell And like the misty dawn, the sunsets; thunder and the rain We shall remember them; so that they did not die in vain By Pam Bevan Binningup 2017© Lest We Forget Published with Permission |
NOT IN VAIN
Let us gather to remember as a pledge of our respect, At the 11th hour of the 11th month A time also to reflect. To honour those who went to war for peace for all of us. So many courageous lives have been lost Remembering is a must. To preserve their fight for freedom A memorial to those who died. On Remembrance Day we all unite Patriotically with pride. Rain or shine we’ll stand together As so many have had to do, To rid the world of turmoil To bring peace for me and you. Because we’re proud of our great country And peace must be maintained In memory of those fallen So their fight was not in vain. Barbara McCabe 11.11.2004 Tribute to ANZAC Day
With their hair a little whiter, their step not quite so sure Still they march on proudly as they did the year before. Theirs were the hands that saved us, their courage showed the way Their lives they laid down for us, that we may live today. From Gallipoli's rugged hillsides, to the sands of Alamein On rolling seas and in the skies, those memories will remain. Of airmen and the sailors, of Lone Pine and Suvla Bay The boys of the Dardenelles are remembered on this day. They fought their way through jungles, their blood soaked desert sands They still remember comrades who rest in foreign lands. They remember the siege of old Tobruk, the mud of the Kokoda Trail Some paying the supreme sacrifice with courage that did not fail. To the icy land of Korea, the steamy jungles of Vietnam And the heroic battle of Kapyong and that epic victory at Long Tan. Fathers, sons and brothers, together they fought and died That we may live in peace together, while at home their mothers cried. When that final bugle calls them to cross that great divide Those comrades will be waiting when they reach the other side. Ken Bunker What ANZAC Day means to me.
My grandad went to Vietnam war He was young and he didn't know hat he was fighting for He could of had a better life Instead he wanted to sacrifice I miss him still lots today It was a great adventure he would say ANZAC day is a day we remember those who risked their life to die We know they're still here with us because in heaven they lie We remember them when the sun goes down but at least some come back to their town Every night someone says a prayer Some people say that it isn't fair Some people say I wish they come back Why did they have t go. Why did they have to attack They fought for our country some people said They all must of got sore and most of them bled On Remembrance DAy they lay at the poppies And we remember them in the family trees ANZAC DAy is very import you see and that's what ANZAC Day means to me. Mia Wallis, Grade 5, St. Augustine's Primary School, Creswick 24 April 2017 Published with Permission |