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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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A Messenger Boy

by mugsie

Contributed by听
mugsie
People in story:听
Edward Halls
Location of story:听
In London
Article ID:听
A2421226
Contributed on:听
13 March 2004

This is a poem about my time as a messenger boy during the second world war:
Just a lonely scruffy little ten year old Cockney kid
Walking aimlessly down a silent traffic free cobbled street
Tired eyes set deep in his pale face, lips pursed in silent whistle
Hands set deep in baggy trousers, eyes constantly searching the sky
Watching the vapour trails of a lonely spitfire flying above so high
Idly kicking a piece of burnt wood from a charred skeleton of a house
Destroyed the previous night by an incendiary bomb in an air raid.
High pitched screams and curses of tragic people etched deep in his mind
Vividly remembering the frantic scrambling and searching of rescue teams
Looking for the dying, injured people who would stay forever in his dreams
For this was England at war, nineteen forty, the Battle of Britain
When wave after wave of droning German bombers filled the sky
Dropping their deadly load of bombs, destroying half of England's cities
Harried and chased through flame lit skies by a
few heroic airmen
Battle scarred young veterans proudly wearing their uniforms of blue
Whilst down below cheerful Londoners went about the daily business
Picking their way through streets that were filled with debris
Constant reminder of happenings of the air raids the night before.
For those were the days of food, clothes, and petrol ration books
Six penn'orth of meat, packets of dried egg, lard with which to cook.
Tins of Spam, whale meat steaks, whilst kids could have no sweets
Black out curtains for every house, eating carrots to see in the dark!
Air raid wardens patrolling streets looking for careless lights.
People huddled around a wireless listening to Churchill's speech.
Some chicken, some egg, valiant words the heart did reach.
Yes, those were the days of war, a holocaust we had never seen before.
People of a tiny island fighting for the freedom of their land,
Towns, villages, hamlets all over England joined together as one
Hoping, praying that this would indeed be the war to end all war
Sadly, all over our world strife is rampant, we've seen it all before!!

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This story has been placed in the following categories.

Childhood and Evacuation Category
Poetry Category
London Category
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