大象传媒

DREAMING OF YOU

As I wonder through the night
With nothing else to do
I always want to hold you tight
And kiss you 'till your blue.

I am always thinking
Of what you do to me
I've almost stopped my drinking
Come sit upon my knee.

LONELY AND BLUE

Darling I an so lonely
Because I miss you true
I will love you only
Until I'm ninety two.

As your name is Sadie
And I'm feeling blue
Will you love me baby
Oh! what am I to do?

The moon is shining bright
And I am all alone
Wish to hold you tight
When we are on our own.

Now the night is cold
No one else to see
I will have to be bold
And ask you round to tea.

Will you still love me tomorrow
When I am old and blue
As I am full of sorrow
Cause I can't see you.

This is the end for tonight
So don't forget to dream
Of all the things in sight lovely
Including what you've seen.

Father to son

Come my son put away that toy,
Hear this story that is true,
'Tis of valour, not of joy,
And the finest men I knew.

Once upon a time my son,
But not so long ago,
A famous victory was won,
But the price you'll never know

The dawn was red and bitter cold,
On one November's day,
700 soldiers brave and bold,
In no-man's land did lay.

And as they waited zero-hour,
Their thoughts were far away,
But not one heart did flinch or lower,
As dawn passed into day.

Their faces lifted to the sky,
All thoughts of fear had gone,
A murmured prayer's gentle sigh,
Then they rose up as one.

The enemy lines lay far away,
Three miles of no-man's land,
700 men marched that way,
My son, the sight was grand.

They marched beside the tanks my lad,
The shells rained from the sky,
They cared not, but swore they had
To do, or but to die.

Machine guns sent their trail of death,
Upon these gallant men,
They stopped not even for a breath,
But on and on they went.

The noise of guns was loud and long,
The battle was quite ripe,
Above that noise was heard a tune,
The blare of the Scottish Pipe.

The Germans could not make it out,
Such bravery was unknown,
Who are these men who sing and shout?
When they heard the wailing tone.

The miles grew less and less my lad,
Post after post was taken,
They would not stop, they had gone mad,
They had the Germans shaken.

The day grew slowly to an end,
A few tired men were left,
The battlefield was strewn with men,
Both the dying and the dead.

Some wounded lay there all the night,
Oh! the anguish of their cry,
They'd show the world how to fight,
And how a man could die.

Seven hundred went into fight,
So once before I told you,
But when the roll was called that night,
Just under half got though.

Those men of vigour and of strength,
Are known the whole world through,
The famous BLACK WATCH REGIMENT,
'Tis known to me and you.

The price my boy, There was a price,
So bitterly paid in full,
Paid once, nay twice, nay even thrice,
Before they reached their goal.

My son remember if you can,
This story which is true,
Of the valour of those fighting men,
And of the deeds they do.

But Father, tell me where's this place,
The Germans thought they'd took,
Who later ran when we did chase,
TOBRUK my son, TOBRUK.

Charles Marshall. 1941

THANKS YOU FOR THE MEMORY

Thanks for the memory,
Of Kilo 41,
The Dead Sea's burning sun,
The time we've spent with our heads bent, behind the Lewis gun.

Thanks for the memory.
Of road patrols and dark, and shooting for the lark,
Of being 'BURST' and arms reversed, and eerie watch dog's Bark,
Oh Thank you so much.

Many's the time we've 'trucked ' it,
And many's the time we've hiked it,
And yet, on the whole we've liked it,
We did have fun and no harm done.

Thanks for the memory,
Of sniping in the dark, of Oozebarts in flight,
The choking off we got that day, (and we were in the right),
How lovely it was.

Thanks for the memory of captured bandit's arms,
And tidy Jewish farms,
The night we had at Hebran, the excursions and alarms,
Oh 'Thank You' so much.

DEAR BARBARA

Dear Barbara with your eyes so blue
Your hair all shiny and dark
I would like to sit and talk to you
On a seat under a tree in the park.

You may think this rather silly
Me writing this to you
But then you send me dizzy
Just thinking how I miss you.

Dear Barbara have I told you
How much I miss your smile
I would not know what to do If you went away for a while.

I just can't help myself, when you talk
And I say these things to you
I love the way you walk
And all the things you do.

I'd like to see you every day
And think of things to do
As I can't think of what to say
Would love to hear you coo.

Dear Barbara can't wait to see you
To tell you what I think
When you arrive I'm in a stew
Would like to see you dressed in mink.

Of all the people I like best
You are the one I do adore
We must drink a toast
To our friendship at you door.

Dear Barbara I love you so
You put me in a frenzy
I'd love to come and kiss your toes
I am so full of felic
Baby please believe me
Cause you know it's true
That I'll always love thee
No matter what you do.

You are the most exciting girl
I ever met in this whole world
You always put me in a whirl
The way you walk and sway.

The time has come to say 'Good-bye'
Until we meet another time
So please my darling do not cry
Because you always will be mine.

Postscript:

The poems above were written by my father Charles Marshall, born 21 November 1920 - died 28 June 1983.

I found these poems amongst the things he had kept from his time during the war.

Patricia Marshall June 2004

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