The primary source of names included in this project is derived from the Sarnia cenotaph. Actually two War Memorial Monuments exist in Sarnia, both located in Veterans Park on Wellington Street: The Boer War Memorial which lists sixteen names; and the larger, more familiar Sarnia Cenotaph War Memorial which contains 264 names of fallen soldiers of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Other Theatres of Conflict (Afghanistan Peacekeeping). The omissions and spelling errors on the cenotaph were not an unusual occurrence based on when and how these lists were derived. No official government body or agency was in charge of recording the names of the fallen or in matching them to specific home centers.

 

The names on the Sarnia cenotaphs, as they are inscribed, are listed on page 339. Following is some information on the history behind Sarnia’s two war memorial monuments.

 

  • Veterans Park was originally known as Wellington Square. It was the only park in existence in Sarnia in 1888, when the Board of Park Management was organized. First Nations people coming to Sarnia to purchase stores would rest there after their journey until they set off home. In 1891, the park was renamed Victoria Park. It was considered a site of beauty and a location for items of historical interest. An old cannon that had its origins linked to the Crimean War (1853-1856), which had been purchased from the Military Reserve at Point Edward in 1879, was located in the west end of the park.14 The first public library in Sarnia was built in Victoria Park in 1903, thanks to a generous donation of $15,000 from American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The Sarnia “Carnegie” Library was designed to hold 4000 books for a population of 8000 people.

 

  • In 1902, a contingent of veterans of the Boer War came to Sarnia, from Windsor, Ontario, with the express purpose of creating a monument to commemorate those men from Lambton County who had served in the Boer War (1899-1902). In January of 1902, at a meeting held in Sarnia, the South African Club, comprising Windsor men who saw service in the Boer War, opened subscription lists for funds for a memorial for their fallen comrades. Public collections would be supplemented by the proceeds from a number of concerts to be given, with the goal to raise $1500 for the purpose. It was suggested that the memorial would probably take the form of a public drinking fountain to be located near the post office.

 

  • The Boer War Memorial Fountain was erected in Victoria Park in 1908, having been made possible through donations by school children and citizens of Lambton County over a six-year period. The name of each man who served in the Boer War from Lambton County is engraved on the cap of the monument, along with the South African locations where they served. The Memorial lists sixteen men from Lambton County who participated in the South Africa War of 1899-1901. Of the sixteen names on the Boer War memorial, only one man, Daniel Crone, died while serving.

 

  • Plans to create some sort of memorial to Sarnia’s fallen of the Great War had begun in November of 1918. Alderman Sanders and “The Great War Veteran’s Association of Sarnia” were leaders in this campaign. From the Sarnia Observer, November 21, 1918:

The Imperial City Will Erect a Memorial to Its Sons Who Rest Yonder

Sarnia will in the near future open a subscription list to the general public for the purpose of securing adequate funds for the erection of a suitable memorial to the Imperial City’s fallen heroes, who sleep where the poppies grow in Flanders. Whether this memorial will be in the form of a monument or in the form of a building is not yet known, but it would seem that the people as a whole will be consulted in the matter.

 

  • Much debate ensued as to what form the Sarnia memorial should take. There were public meetings at City Hall, discussions and proposals on the issue. The planned memorial was to be paid for by ratepayer donations, and it was vital that it be a fitting tribute and a lasting credit to the city. Many suggestions were made for “a suitable monument for the brave boys of the city, who paid the supreme sacrifice and lie under French soil.”N One proposal was to purchase a new park site and plant oak trees, with a metal plate with the name engraved for every fallen soldier from the city. Many desired some type of community building, with a suitable monument or statue erected in front of the building. Some argued that a “Veteran’s home” would not only commemorate the city’s fallen heroes, but also benefit the entire community, including returned soldiers, and the wives, mothers, dependents and sweethearts of the soldiers. This community soldiers’ home would include, possibly, a swimming pool, along with billard tables, meeting rooms, a library, all of which would be useful for future generations of the community. Others in the community felt that erecting a more traditional monument would be a better way to honour the fallen heroes. Mrs. Irene McMullin, who had lost her only son in the Great War, wrote in late November of 1918 why she felt it should be a monument. Her son’s information, nineteen-year old Leonard Calvin McMullin, is included in this project. Following is Mrs. McMullin’s heartfelt letter;

Editor Canadian Observer

Dear Sir,

May I speak for my boy? He is sleeping somewhere in France. I do want to tell you what I believe would please him, could he but speak. For some years prior to enlisting in Lambton’s 149th O.S. Bn., he had taken great pleasure in the public library and the park surrounding it (Victoria Park) and since a memorial to the boys who will never return has been under discussion, my greatest comfort has seemed to centre there, and always I can picture to myself a monument of suitable design, bearing the names of all our city’s fallen heroes, their graves beyond the reach of loving hands to tend and care for, with no mark save a temporary wooden cross.

 

Reader, have you a boy sleeping over there? If so, does not the little white wooden cross seem a frail thing? And many of our precious boys have not even that much. A granite monument would be a memorial which would withstand the elements for many generations to come and in that way would perpetuate their names as nothing else could. Also it would be something which the residents of our city and visitors as well, would have cause to admire and revere. Furthermore, if this proposed memorial to the boys who have lost their lives should take the form of a home, or a Y.M.C.A. or Y.W.C.A., it would be natural for the original motive to be lost sight of, within a few years.

 

There are already associations formed for the purpose of bringing comfort and pleasure to the returned heroes. We feel that they can never be fully repaid for their sacrifices and services for humanity. They are deserving of as good as can be produced, but our city and country are prosperous and wealthy, and can well afford to give our beloved dead a separate memorial.

 

In the years of the future, when one by one our returned heroes have gone to their reward in the Great Beyond, their earthly remains laid to rest beside their father and mother, perhaps, their names and record engraved upon the family monument, or possibly a gravestone of their very own (not only they but you and I together with all others who have known and loved and been loyal to our faithful armies) this proposed granite monument would still stand firm ever beaming the message of peace on earth.

 

The little white wooden crosses over there seem to send us the message “Do not forget us,” though only wrapped in a blanket, perhaps and buried khaki clad, in a soldier’s grave.

 

Thanking you, Mr. Edtior for space and patience, I am

                                                            Yours truly,

                                                            The Mother of One, Mrs. Irene McMullin, 466 Davis Street.

  • In April of 1921, the site for the memorial monument had been chosen, on the west end of Victoria Park, adjoining Christina Street. Actual work on the construction of its foundation began that same month. The monument had a granite base, with a huge rectangular granite block weighing several tons placed on top, with several bronze tablets bolted on its sides. On each tablet would be enscrolled the names of Sarnia soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice, as well as the names of all Sarnians who served with the Allied Forces during the Great War.

 

  • The planned unveiling was originally to be on Dominion Day, July 1st, 1921; however, the unveiling was delayed when Mayor George Crawford visited the Toronto plant of Wm. A. Rogers Company in June of that year and learned that the bronze tablets being prepared there would not be ready in time. Though the stone monument had been in postion in the park for some months, the unveiling was postponed until Labor Day, September of 1921, but again, the tablets were not yet completed on that date. In late September of 1921, Mayor George Crawford proposed that the planned unveiling would take place on November 11th, 1921, the third anniversary of Armistice Day of the Great War. At some point after that proposal was made, the unveiling date was changed again, this time to Monday, November 7th, Thanksgiving Day, 1921.

 

  • The Sarnia Cenotaph Memorial, which was erected by the citizens of the City of Sarnia, was officially unveiled in Victoria Park by Mayor George Crawford on Thanksgiving Day, November 7th, 1921. On the actual cenotaph, the date of unveiling was inscribed as November 11th, 1921. At that time of its unveiling, the rectangular stone monument had three bronze tablets fastened to the stone. On one tablet were inscribed the names of sixty Sarnia men who paid the supreme sacrifice. On two larger bronze tablets were the names of over 1000 Sarnians who served with the Allied forces during the war. The statue of the soldier that sits atop the current cenotaph was not part of the original cenotaph. The three original bronze tablets are now located on the outside west wall of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 62 on Front Street.

 

  • Committees from veterans’ organizations and the city council had planned the details of the November 7th unveiling ceremony. The ceremony was preceded by a parade from city hall to Victoria Park. The parade included city officials, relatives of the fallen, members of the Chamber of Commerce, various military units, a firing party, the citizens band, wreath bearers, ex-service men (uniformed and ununiformed), a machine gun company, collegiate cadets, and troops of boy scouts. Over three thousand citizens witnessed the dedication and unveiling.N

 

  • The November 7th, 1921 unveiling ceremony began with the parade participants leaving city hall at 10:30 a.m. en route to Victoria Park. At the park, the units took up their positions around the monument and the relatives of the deceased and civic officials took their seats reserved for them. A huge crowd of spectators encircled the group. Alderman J.C. Barr, chairman of the memorial committee, open the ceremony. Rev. Monsignor J.T. Aylward of Our Lady of Mercy Church and Rev. R.H. Barnby of Parker St. Methodist Church followed with hymns and prayers and Ven. Archdeacon Carlisle of All Saints Church in Windsor gave a dedication. Monsignor Aylward stated that on such an occasion one is filled with sentiments of various kinds, but the first thought must go to the wives and mothers of the noble heroes whose bodies lay far away. Canada was made a nation, he declared, by the valor of her boys, and to them is owed a debt of gratitude that can never be sufficiently paid. He also referred to the work carried out by the women of Canada during the war and praised the spirit of self-sacrifice that they displayed. Rev. Barnby stated that the monument stands as a tribute to unselfishness and expressed the hope that it would recall to those who pass it from day to day the unselfishness of heroic deeds of men who lived and died for the Empire. After referring to the fine response of all Canada’s sons in his dedication, Ven. Archdeacon Carlisle touched particularly on the magnificent war record of Sarnia, an accomplishment of which Sarnia’s citizens should be proud. He declared that memorials stand for two things: inspiration in a glorious and noble past and a challenge for the days to come, a challenge for unity and service. Before carrying out the unveiling, Mayor George Crawford gave a brief address. A glint of sunshine burst through the hovering clouds an instant before he released the flag which shrouded the monument, exposing the granite column with its bronze tablets. This was followed by the placing of wreaths around the base of the monument as the band rendered the “Dead March”, followed by the discharge of three volleys by the firing party and the sounding of the “Last Post”. While the crowd stood in solemn silence, teary-eyed, with bared heads, the ex-service men and uniformed ranks stood at attention. The National Anthem closed the ceremony and the parade re-assembled and marched back to City Hall.

 

  • Following is the address given by Mayor George Crawford prior to unveiling the Sarnia Memorial on the November 7th, 1921 ceremony:

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathered together this morning for the purpose of unveiling this beautiful monument–the gift of the people of Sarnia to the loving memory of those brave boys who gave their lives in the defense of their King and their country–the cause of justice and liberty.

We have not forgotten those who left all and enlisted, whether in home or in foreign forces, to fight our battles. We have seen to it that the name of every man from this city that served his country in the great conflict is inscribed on the bronze tablets attached to the sides of this granite monument. No matter how much we do, I feel that we can never pay off the debt we owe those lads and their friends for their brave sacrifices.

 

In erecting this monument is a humble way we as a grateful people have undertaken to cherish the memory of our departed boys, and to hand down to succeeding generations the recognition of the noble deeds of those Sarnia boys that so bravely fought and died on the battle fields of Europe–that the homes of their loved ones might be safe and that a free country might be saved for them.

It is timely and thoughtful that the unveiling should take place on Thanksgiving day. I feel personally that it is a great honor to have my name connected with the event. The committee responsible for the choosing of this substantial but simple design as a memorial are to be congratulated in their wisdom of choice and location. It is the hope and aim of

the committee that another armistice day will see a handsome bronze or marble statue of a Canadian soldier mounted on top of this granite memorial.

At this time, also, it is not out of place for me to say a word or two recalling the splendid record made by our citizens during the war. You gave, you worked, and you prayed for the success of our arms. Your reward was victory. I now with a deep sense of pride, honor and humility–on behalf of the people of this city–unveil this monument to the memory of those who served their king and country well–who fought and bled and died, that the world might be made safe for all.

 

  • A side note on Mayor George Crawford: His grandson would lose his life in World War II. His 18-year-old grandson, LAC George Crawford (of Ottawa), was killed instantly in August of 1944 on the last flight of his R.C.A.F. training course in Lindsay, Ontario. The training plane he was in was experiencing difficulties and he bailed out of it at too low a level. His body was found, with parachute unopened, in a farmer’s field. Young George Crawford had family in Sarnia– J.S. Crawford, 148 South Christina Street and W.H. Crawford, 167 Queen Street–and he had visited Sarnia on a number of occasions.

 

  • In July of 1922, Mayor George Crawford endeavored to secure a suitable soldier’s statue to be placed on the top of the memorial tablet in Victoria Park. He received photographs of several designs modeled in bronze and took the matter to the War Chest Committee to discuss financing the purchase of the figure.

 

  • The selected bronze statue that stands atop the Memorial depicts a Canadian “tommy”, a man in the full uniform worn by Canadian soldiers in the First World War. The soldier statue was sculpted in 1921 by Mr. J.G. Tickle of Toronto.

 

  • On November 11, 1922, after a solemn parade left city hall and travelled to Victoria Park, the Sarnia Cenotaph Memorial, with its new bronze symbolic statue, was rededicated/unveiled. The parade included civic and Point Edward officials, the Citizens Band, the Imperial pipe band, the Salvation Army band, a firing party, war veterans in uniform, military units, collegiate cadets, members of the machine gun brigade, American veterans from Port Huron, boy scouts, and the Ladies Auxillary of the Great War Veterans’ Association. Captain Rev. A.R.C. Garrett of Forest, who had lost two of his brothers in the war, dedicated the memorial with these words: “To the glory of God and in loving memory of those from this city who gave their lives for God, for King and for country, I unveil this memorial.” With those words, in a bittersweet moment for Captain Rev. Garrett, he tugged at the rope that held the enveloping flag, unveiling the bronze statue on the soldier’s memorial. On the east side of the granite block was also attached a new bronze tablet bearing the names of forty-two Sarnia men who had died in the Great War, but had been inadvertently omitted from the original tablets. Adding to the solemn and impressive ceremony of remembrance, on the fourth anniversary of the Armistice, were hymns, prayers, the laying of wreaths, a salute by the firing party, a sounding of the “Last Post” and the singing of the National Anthem. The four bronze tablets from the original 1921 and 1922 Sarnia cenotaph are now located on the outside west wall of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 62 on Front Street. The transcribed information from the tablets is included in this project, beginning on page 342.

 

  • On the evening of November 11, 1922, Memorial Park was handed over to the Village of Point Edward and a memorial was unveiled. Nearly three hundred people assembled to witness the ceremony. Chairman James Hambleton of the Service Club handed over the park to Reeve Darbyshire, who accepted on behalf of the council and the village and thanked the soldiers for their gift. In acknowledging the sacrifice made by the boys who had gone overseas leaving their homes and families, Reeve Darbyshire stated, “Through their effort, we still stand as free men. Mothers, teach your children of their deeds. Make them understand what the Memorial stands for. Let them know the price at which our freedom was bought.” The memorial had been fashioned in the village and made possible by the united efforts of the veterans, the council, and the people of Point Edward.

 

  • In Sarnia’s Victoria Park in the 1920s, along with the Soldiers Cenotaph Memorial, was also an old cannon that had its origins in the 1850s (Crimean War). It had been purchased from the Military Reserve at Point Edward in 1879. Near the west end of the park was a hard maple tree that had been planted on May 7th of 1914 by Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, who was the Duke of Connaught and Governor General of Canada. It was on that date that the Duke of Connaught officially declared the municipality of Sarnia a city. The ceremonial nickel-plated spade used for planting the tree was placed in the library, known as the Carnegie Library at that time. The spade today is still housed inside the Sarnia Library. Unfortunately the maple tree was cut down years later during renovations. Also in Victoria Park in the 1920s were a bandstand, benches and a flagpole. The Cairn Thermometer was found in the east end of the park, a gift from the Centennial Committee of 1936. The three-acre Victoria Park was a site for concerts and open-air church services.n

 

  • Located behind (north of) of the current Sarnia cenotaph is the I.O.D.E. Memorial Plaque. Donated to the original Sarnia Library in 1928 by the I.O.D.E, the plaque’s first home was in the foyer of the Carnegie Library which stood until 1961, very near the location where the plaque now sits. The plaque reads:

“To the one million dead of the British Empire who fell in the Great War and of whom the greater part rest in France.”

 

  • Even before the end of World War II, people discussed and proposed the creation of some kind of War Memorial for the City of Sarnia to acknowledge the local returning soldiers and to commemorate the local fallen of the Second World War. George Stirrett, a local World War I hero, made a proposal in the fall of 1944 that gained a lot of attention. Stirrett, who had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military Medal during the Great War (more information on G. Stirrett is in the “Sarnia and Canada War History Notes” – see after The Battle of Somme), proposed the building of a Civic Centre, combining an arena, a Y.M.C.A. and a cultural centre, which would include the public library and an art museum all in one memorial. The Athletic Park was considered the ideal site for such a Centre with the idea that the citizens of Sarnia could raise the necessary funds to build such a Centre. Sarnia Mayor W.C. Hipple was not in favour of such a combination in one memorial on the basis that such a centre could not be operated by a civic commission.

 

  • May 8, 1945 was declared V-E Day (Victory in Europe). During the month of May in Sarnia, concerned individuals met often to discuss proposals on a municipal war memorial for the city of Sarnia and eventually suggested possible ways to perpetuate the sacrifices of the sailors, soldiers and airmen of World War II. Mayor W.C. Hipple, chairman of the Foundation Committee for the War Memorial, released three specific proposals that had been presented to the Committee:

 

> a general purpose auditorium to be located adjacent to Athletic Park (with facilities for hockey, skating, and other sports, as well as music, meetings and exhibitions).

 

> a memorial recreational centre composed of a park, playing field area (football fields & baseball diamonds) and a recreational building (the nucleus would be an ice arena with a capacity for up to 5,000 people). The auxillary section would contain meeting places and club rooms for youth and adult groups and could accommodate expansion to include a gymnasium. To obtain the necessary amount of land, the memorial would be located just outside the present city limits, preferably on the east side of East Street in the vicinity of George Street. This proposal was submitted by the local branch of the Chemical Institue of Canada.

 

> a War Memorial Library Building which would be located on a landscaped site, such as Victoria Park, and be close to city hall, to business and to shops. It would include an enlarged free public library, a small auditorium, an art gallery and local history room, and hobby and study rooms. The building would also include a small and dignified chapel to the memory of the men and women who gave their lives in the war. This proposal was submitted by the Sarnia Public Library committee.

 

  • Two months later, the Sarnia Canadian Legion forwarded another proposal to the Foundation Committee: a memorial park which would include a formal garden and cenotaph, with buildings suitable for cultural education, exclusive of a rink, erected on an area between forty and fifty acres. That was followed shortly after by the Canadian Legion and Canadian Corps Association branches in Sarnia recommending that no plan should be approved until a majority of their members returned from overseas and had a chance to express their opinion. With the views expressed by the veterans’ organizations, the Foundation Committee for the War Memorial resigned.

 

  • At the conclusion of World War II in mid-August of 1945, plans to erect a suitable memorial in Sarnia to those fallen soldiers continued. The planning was re-kindled in 1946, with the Sarnia Memorial Committee. Committee members included representatives from the Canadian Legion (Sarnia branch 62), the Canadian Corps Association (Sarnia branch 10), and a Next of Kin Committee. This Committee of interested citizens began by compiling a list of local men who had made the supreme sacrifice in World War II. The list of fallen soldiers from World War II that appears on the Sarnia Cenotaph was originally compiled by the Sarnia Memorial Committee, and was first published in the Sarnia Canadian Observer under the heading “Names of Dead Servicemen”, in the August 26, 1946 issue.

 

  • Not long afterwards, plans for the memorial were aborted, apparently for “several reasons”.N One committee member pointed out that veterans of the First World War had been given $103 by the city on their return from battle (the Soldier’s Civic Gratuity Fund), yet the city had given no recognition to World War II veterans.

 

  • In April of 1950, Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent had visited Sarnia and was surprised that Sarnia had no cenotaph dedicated to Second World War fallen soldiers. In October 1950, Mayor W.C. Nelson, Aldermen Paul Blundy and Iven Walker and representatives of local veterans’ organizations in the city (Canadian Corps Association, Canadian Legion and Sarnia Wing 403 Air Force Association) formed a committee to plan for some type of Sarnia Second World War memorial.

 

  • Suggestions for a Sarnia WWII memorial included an annual bursary to further the education of some son or daughter of a Second World War veteran and a park or playground of some form for children. In November of 1950, the committee approved a plan to erect a memorial in the form of a Lambton County Museum and a small chapel, which would be added to the Sarnia Public Library in Victoria Park. Nothing ever came of this project and the committee ceased to operate.

 

  • In October of 1952, led by the Sarnia Sappers’ Club Association (the second largest veterans’ organization in the city), pressure was put on city council and the veterans’ organizations to restart their plans to erect a suitable memorial for Sarnia’s Second World War dead. In January of 1953, the Sarnia Canadian Legion and Sarnia Sappers’ Association combined their efforts to find ways and means of building a better war memorial.

 

  • The Memorial Committee was credited with working to make the “new” cenotaph a reality. Its members included former Aldermen Alex Rapson, Alderman Harry Turnbull and representatives of the Canadian Legion Branch 62, the Sarnia Garrison, the Sappers’ Association, the Royal Canadian Air Forces, the Canadian Corps and the Naval Veterans. In November 1954, the Sarnia Memorial Committee, chaired by J.T. Owen, was continuing to seek missing data from the community on those who paid the supreme sacrifice in the Second World War for the new Memorial plaque.

 

  • The “new” renovated Sarnia cenotaph in Victoria Park, (which is the one that currently exists in what is now called Veteran’s Park) was re-dedicated on November 11, 1955, ten years after the conclusion of World War II. The renovated grey marble monument had been enlarged by the addition of two new wings, on which were inscribed the names of Sarnia’s fallen soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korea War. The prior existing bronze tablets were removed and are now located on the outside west wall of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 62 on Front Street.

 

  • The November 11th, 1955 re-dedication ceremony was preceded by a parade consisting of civic, military and veteran units marching from city hall to Victoria Park. Places of business in town were closed from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. so employees could attend the ceremony. During a Friday morning drizzling rain, the cenotaph was unveiled by Lieutenant-Colonel J.H. Coleman, M.B.E.Ed, Commanding Officer of the Sarnia Garrison, followed by a dedication ceremony by Rev. G.G. Stone. The first wreath laid upon the cenotaph was by Captain and Mrs. Augustus R. Mendizabal on behalf of all the next of kin. The Mendizabal’s had lost their only son, Flying Officer-Pilot Rodolfo, in August of 1943. Practically every service club, business and professional organization, Legion branch, civic body as well as next-of-kin of fallen laid wreaths at the foot of the monument to the accompaniment of soft music played by the Sarnia Citizens and Sarnia Veterans’ bands. The customary firing of the salute was followed by the trumpeter sounding the “Last Post”. Then all bowed their heads to observe two minutes of silence in recognition of the men who did not return. Following this were the sounding of “Reveille”, the reading of the memorial prayer, and the playing of the National Anthem. A benediction closed the solemn but colourful ceremony.

 

  • In 1959, work on a new Sarnia public library began, its location moved slightly to the corner of Christina and Wellington streets. The “old” Carnegie Library was demolished. Renovations were made to Victoria Park, including the moving of the various monuments to new locations, such as the old cannon to Canatara Park. By 1961, Victoria Park was approximately one acre in size and the cost of maintenance was shared equally by the Parks Board and the Sarnia Library Board.n

 

  • In its history, the park has been a marshaling ground for troops, a gathering place to send troops off to war, and a place to honour those who fought and those who lost their lives in war. In October of 1998, following a proposal by Mayor Mike Bradley, Sarnia City Council passed a motion endorsing that Victoria Park would be renamed “Veterans Park”, to reflect the history of the park and as a way to honour those who served. On Remembrance Day 1998, the park was officially known as Veterans Park.

 

  • In June of 2013, the Royal Canadian Legion Sarnia Branch 62, with financial assisitance from the Federal Government, Veteran’s Affairs, completed a restoration project on the Sarnia cenotaph. The restoration cost was approximately $10,000 and included removing and replacing damaged monument joints, cleaning the monument and remounting plaques.

 

Aftermath

 

With Desolation and the Stars

I lonely vigil keep,

Over the garner’d fields of Mars,

Watching the dead men sleep –

Huddled together, so silent there.

With bloodless faces and clotted hair,

Wrapped in their long, long sleep

 

By uptorn trees and craters rims

Along the Ridge they lie,

Sprawled in the mud, with out-spread limbs,

Wide staring at the sky.

Why to the sky do they always stare,

Questioning heaven in dumb despair?

Why don’t they moan, or sigh?

 

Why do I rave, ‘neath the callous stars,

At their upturned faces white?

I, surely I, with my crimson scars

Slumber with them this night!

Death, with shadowy finger bare,

Beckons me on to – I know not where;

But, huddled together, and freed from care

We’ll watch till the dawn of Light

 

By Frank Walker

 

 

A Working Party

 

Three hours ago he blundered up the trench,

Sliding and poising, groping with his boots;

Sometimes he tripped and lurched against the walls

With hands that pawed the sodden bags of chalk.

He couldn’t see the man who walked in front;

Only he heard the drum and rattle of feet

Stepping along barred trench boards, often splashing

Wretchedly where the sludge was ankle-deep.

 

Voices would grunt “Keep to your right—make way!”

When squeezing past some men from the front-line:

White faces peered, puffing a point of red;

Candles and braziers glinted through the chinks

And curtain-flaps of dug-outs; then the gloom

Swallowed his sense of sight; he stooped and swore

Because a sagging wire had caught his neck.

 

A flare went up; the shining whiteness spread

And flickered upward, showing nimble rats

And mounds of glimmering sand-bags, bleached with rain;

Then the slow silver moment died in dark.

The wind came posting by with chilly gusts

And buffeting at corners, piping thin.

And dreary through the crannies; rifle-shots

Wood split and crack and sing along the night,

And shells came calmly through the drizzling air

To burst with hollow bang below the hill.

 

Three hours ago he stumbled up the trench;

Now he will never walk that road again:

He must be carried back, a jolting lump

Beyond all need of tenderness and care.

 

He was a young man with a meagre wife

And two small children in a Midland town;

He showed their photographs to all his mates,

And they considered him a decent chap

Who did his work and hadn’t much to say,

And always laughed at other people’s jokes

Because he hadn’t any of his own.

 

That night when he was busy at his job

Of piling bags along the parapet,

He thought how slow time went, stamping his feet

And blowing on his fingers, pinched with cold.

He thought of getting back by half-past twelve,

And tot of rum to send him warm to sleep

In draughty dug-out frowsty with the fumes

Of coke, and full of snoring weary men.

 

He pushed another bag along the top,

Craning his body outward; then a flare

Gave one white glimpse of No Man’s Land and wire;

And as he dropped his head the instant split

His startled life with lead, and all went out.

 

By Siegfried Sassoon