I knew a simple Soldier Boy

Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

Posted By: Brandonio on November 6th 2008 at 13:57:58

Message Thread

I hope everyone on this board is wearing a poppy (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 13:45:39
- In celebration of the Poppy farming in Afghanistan ? (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Nov 6, 15:12:51
- There was a cracking Timewatch with Michael Palins on the other day (General Chat) - Small, Nov 6, 14:36:49
  - Thought he said 800 ? (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Nov 6, 15:14:21
  - you really should qualify that statement (General Chat) - ghostof barry butler, Nov 6, 15:11:19
    - Ah yes - sorry. My head's a bit bent-up (n/m) (General Chat) - Small, Nov 6, 15:28:15
  - Also, there was that Paul McCartney video (n/m) (General Chat) - yarmyyarmy, Nov 6, 14:39:33
    - I bought that album. On tape (n/m) (General Chat) - Small, Nov 6, 14:44:36
      - 8-track? (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:46:50
        
        I did have a reel to reel thing once. It was brilliant (n/m) (General Chat) - Small, Nov 6, 14:54:14
    - Some topped themselves rather than watch that. (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:40:43
  - 5.18pm (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:37:26
    - ok (n/m) (General Chat) - Small, Nov 6, 14:41:11
- oi old git..... (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Nov 6, 14:10:17
  - The Colonel's lady and Judy O'Grady (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:13:49
  - *agree* (n/m) (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Nov 6, 14:10:35
- I went to a load of World War I battlesites and graveyards on a school trip once. (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Nov 6, 14:04:55
  - *stifled and guillty lol* (n/m) (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:07:13
    - I did mine straight out loud, it was because of (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:19:13
    - *guilty* (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:08:37
- I went to a load of World War I battlesites and graveyards on a school trip once. (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Nov 6, 14:04:54
  - Can you get 'shot to ribbons'? (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:09:30
  - I think the last cavalry charge was in WW2 in Poland, when some brave, romantic but crazy (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:06:12
- Lost mine the other day... (General Chat) - Brom, Nov 6, 14:04:24
- I'm not, but only becuase I've been relatively hermitic recently, and I haven't seen (General Chat) - Arizona Bay, Nov 6, 13:58:17
  - hermitically sealed (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:00:23
  - Use last year's or make a hugeantic one out of red crepe and a lump of coal (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 13:59:17
    - Can I go and get shitfaced down the legion instead - they'll probably make more dinero out (General Chat) - Arizona Bay, Nov 6, 14:01:43
      - Yep. You take Crib, I'll bring Shut the Box and we'll have a games-off. (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:02:57
- I knew a simple Soldier Boy (General Chat) - Brandonio, Nov 6, 13:57:58
  - Boom (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:00:09
    - Spooky (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:07:07
- I've seen them around. They seem to be all the rage. (n/m) (General Chat) - yarmyyarmy, Nov 6, 13:57:45
  - and they're only 1p (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:00:07
- I'm not. (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 13:55:48
  - and a sock (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 13:55:59
    - towelling? (n/m) (General Chat) - camcan, Nov 6, 13:57:02
      - woollen (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 13:58:25
- I'm not. (General Chat) - camcan, Nov 6, 13:53:58
  - Shouldn't it also include all the soldiers who have died in modern wars? (General Chat) - DiscoDaleGordon, Nov 6, 13:56:54
    - Yes, and it does (n/m) (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 13:58:33
    - that's a reason against buying one shirley... (n/m) (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 13:58:05
      - nope, the poppy is to remember ALL our fallen....... (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Nov 6, 14:01:12
        
        I won't forget (General Chat) - camcan, Nov 6, 14:04:45
        
        time to move on?? (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Nov 6, 14:07:57
        
        what does the money go towards? (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:04:38
        
        ... (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:06:26
        
        yes, that's what i thought (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:11:15
        
        That's not very rational (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:21:31
        
        modern soldiers are paid to kill and be killed throught their own choice (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:47:07
        
        Well, if you take the reasons for invading Iraq as the one given by the Government (General Chat) - Yellalee, Nov 6, 14:56:35
        
        lets just stick to the real world here shall we... (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 15:02:28
        
        good post. totally agree. Nobody was more against the recent wars than me (n/m) (General Chat) - Brandonio, Nov 6, 14:34:33
        
        Same here - don't have to agree with WHY the wars are being fought (General Chat) - Yellalee, Nov 6, 14:39:03
        
        You don't join the forces though Lee if you want to pick and choose your wars. (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:42:03
        
        Yeah that was kind of the point I was making (General Chat) - Yellalee, Nov 6, 14:52:27
        
        Anyway, I think war is rubbish. (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:53:29
        
        me too (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:55:18
        
        Indeed it is. (n/m) (General Chat) - Yellalee, Nov 6, 14:54:11
        
        In which case you two need to get in on the old knickers v thongs debate up there ^^^ (n/m) (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:56:36
        
        Its more than just irational its plain CUNTISH (n/m) (General Chat) - DiscoDaleGordon, Nov 6, 14:25:46
        
        Pithy (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:27:36
        
        Sorry, I feel quite strongly about this, If he feels that modern serviceman are not worth (General Chat) - DiscoDaleGordon, Nov 6, 14:33:50
        
        dying while defending one's country (or one's freedom) is one thing (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:50:13
        
        Yeah cause they get a choice, (n/m) (General Chat) - DiscoDaleGordon, Nov 6, 15:27:02
        
        have they reintroduced conscription? (n/m) (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 15:33:34
        
        thats not the point.... (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Nov 6, 15:45:35
        
        it is the point (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 15:56:20
        
        So those who signed up to fight in WW1 & 2 should be ignored but those that were forced to (General Chat) - DiscoDaleGordon, Nov 6, 16:24:25
        
        i'll refer you to my earlier answer (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 16:39:25
      - So we should not respect and remember the people who dies in modern wars? (General Chat) - DiscoDaleGordon, Nov 6, 14:00:02
        
        Quite right, and the poppy appeal agrees with you (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:03:38
        
        I knew a Greek bloke called Heros, he was the most hirsute man I've ever met and kept (General Chat) - malkybarkid, Nov 6, 14:01:25
      - I don't agree with that, poor excuse. (n/m) (General Chat) - Brandonio, Nov 6, 13:59:49
      - that's my point (General Chat) - camcan, Nov 6, 13:58:47
        
        So ... (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:05:10
        
        I think they're very different wars (General Chat) - camcan, Nov 6, 14:10:47
        
        The difference in the wars makes no difference to the dead, or indeed to their widows (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 14:33:20
        
        well.... (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Nov 6, 14:03:34
- I'm still in my jimmy jams? (n/m) (General Chat) - capecodcarman, Nov 6, 13:53:20
- Did you read that article in The Guardian about the last survivor of the trenches? (n/m) (General Chat) - Ottosson Foxtrot, Nov 6, 13:50:14
  - Andrew Motion's piece, yes I did (n/m) (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 13:53:52
- i ain't bought a poppy in yares (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 13:49:48
  - It is true that the wars were fought to give people the freedom to behave like arseholes (General Chat) - Old Git, Nov 6, 13:55:04
    - I had one...but like most years...lost it off my jacket within 24hrs (General Chat) - Brandonio, Nov 6, 13:59:10
      - so you're only buying one to impress the big wigs at this meeting? (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 14:01:43
        
        No, I bought one yesterday morning at first opportunity (General Chat) - Brandonio, Nov 6, 14:04:03
    - do they still do them white ones for conchies? (n/m) (General Chat) - blindasabat, Nov 6, 13:57:04

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