The Somme

He was thirty years and seven

When he left the line that day

In a soldiers’ life he’s an old man

Too old to be toted off that way

The Huns had the Maxim

That the Brits misunderstood

They thought they could empty

The machine guns in the woods

The Expeditionary Force commander

Marched waves into German guns

They should have attacked at Flanders

At the Somme his force was done

A third of the Tommies died; fodder for the Hun

Haig thought his bombardment worked

The Germans would be on the run

So on the second day he faced again the Maxim gun

He was one of half a million that fell

They won’t be going home

The Somme will have death's vile smell

In the bloodiest battle known.

©4/12/07 Terry Sutherland

Sans Peur

Terry