Bomber Command

Bomber Command

Poem remembering Bomber Command airfields, countryside and bombers taking off, facing defences and returning, and those who did not return.

Seven page handwritten document and three page typewritten transcription

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MNichollsJEK2011088-200201-10

[Royal Air Force crest]
[underlined] Bomber Command [/underlined]
Bomber Command!! those two words ever hold,
me to a life that now soon will be told,
In some new world, distant though it be,
And yet not too remote for me to see.
My memory takes me back to thrilling days,
Where wings of death outstretched beneath the blaze,
Of Summer sun, and the peaceful lazy drome,
Awakes from slumber with the paling of the moon.
For soon the quiet countryside will rise
To shake me to reality, and my eyes
Will tire before the brilliance of the day,
And leave the memories that will ever stay.
Yes stay within my heart when peace is ours.
[page break]
And draw me by its glory, its power,
Striking a note of honour, swift & bold
And haunt me with the tenor of its hold.
Can you imagine days of ceaseless work,
For love of England never lets you shirk,
Can you [deleted] you [/deleted] imagine our thoughts as thro’ the night,
We hear the roar of bombers in their flight?
But the sun must rise before it sinks away
And work begins to greet the dawning day,
The watch tower, grim with never failing eye.
Stands dark and grey against the cloud flecked sky,.
The peri-track that’s smoothe & wide
Can nothing from the Watch Tower hide
For on its asphalt surface run,
The feet black tenors of the Hun.
[page break]
[Royal Air Force crest]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]
Dispersals where the ground crews stand
To guide the Kites when ‘ere they land.
They ask no praise, & yet to see
A kite safe in, is their Victory!
A hangars gaping doors reveal,
Such intrigues that one can feel,
The mystery that lies within,
Its great interior wide & dim.
An Airman wends his weary way,
Around the miles of track that lay
Complete, snug, a world alone
At least that’s how I find the drome.
Now the busy transports pass,
And from the slipstream the short clipped grass
Shivers & trembles against the rush
[page break]
Of mighty wind, then comes the hush,
As they slowly taxi by with ease,
A glint of perspex through the trees
A glims [sic] of crews who bravely sit
Heavily clothed in flying kit
A waving hand, a cheerful smile.
That lingers with you all the while
That theyre away, and makes you proud,
As you watch them drifting thro’ the cloud.
A take-off is a magic sight
As bombers [deleted] fade [/deleted] [inserted] climb [/inserted] in [deleted] the waning light [/deleted] [inserted] to join the fight [/inserted]
You see them rise from earth with grace,
And feel the wind rush in your face.
You watch the letters on the kite
And know that He is on tonight
You wonder if you’ll hear the ‘drone
Of a certain bomber returning home
They circle once, bank & sway
Through the dusky closing day
Then set a course & slowly rise
To become just a speck in the distant skies
[page break]
[Royal Air Force crest]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]
But the throbbing of engines lingers on,
You can imagine them speaking over the inter-com,
And think of each with his own job at hand
Heading so surely to that bomb racked land.
For a time the ‘drome is quiet & bare
Until such time as one can hear,
A pulsating sound that can only be,
The boys returning to home & me.
You count them in your eyes aglow,
Your full of interest, long to know,
Just how things went, & if much flak,
Damaged the bombers coming back.
But as you see the tired crews,
Too weary to give you any news.
[page break]
You realize they went through hell,
And must wait for them their gen to tell.
You search the papers for the lists of awards
And find that already you have hoards,
Of cuttings that you’ll keep through [deleted] yea [/deleted] the years
And always read with your eyes full of tears.
Yes Bomber Command counts her victories with pride
She knows just how many of her children have died
But she’ll still carry on till the long war is through,
And the old world is lost in a World that is new.
[page break]
[Royal Air Force crest]
[underlined] Bomber Command. [/underlined]
Bomber Command. Those two words ever hold
Me to a life that now soon will be told
In some new world, distant though it be
And yet not too remote for me to see.
My memory takes me back to thrilling days
Where wings of death outstretched beneath the blaze
Of summer sun, and the peaceful lazy drome
Awakes from slumber with the paling of the moon.
For soon the quiet countryside will rise
To shake me to reality, and my eyes
Will tire before the brilliance of the day
And leave the memories that will ever stay.
Yes stay within my heart when peace is ours.
And draw me by its glory and its powers
Striking a note of honour, swift & bold
And haunt me with the terror of its hold.
Can you imagine days of ceaseless work
For love of England never lets you shirk
Can you imagine our thoughts as through the night
We hear the roar of bombers in their flight.
But the sun must rise before it sinks away,
And work begins to greet the dawning day
The Watch Tower grim with never failing eye.
Stands dark and grey against the cloud flecked sky
[page break]
[Royal Air Force crest]
The peri-track thats smoothe [sic] & wide
Can nothing from the Watch Tower hide.
For on its asphalt surface run,
The great black [deleted] terrors [/deleted] [inserted] [indecipherable word] of the Hun.
Dispersals where the groundcrews stand
To guide the Kites wheneer [sic] they land
They ask no praise, and yet to see
A Kite safe in is their Victory.
A hangers gaping doors reveal
Such intrigues, that one can feel,
The mystery that lies within,
Its great interior wide and dim.
An Airman wends his weary way,
Around the miles of track that lay
Complete, snug, a world alone
At least thats how I find the drome.
Now the busy transports pass,
And from the slipstream the short clipped grass,
Shivers & trembles gainst [sic] the rush
Of mighty wind, then comes the hush.
As they slowly taxi by with ease
A glint of perspex through the trees
A glimse [sic] of crews who bravely sit
Heavily clothed in flying kit.
A waving hand, a cheerful smile.
That lingers with you all the while
That they are away, and makes you proud,
As you watch them drifting thro’ the cloud.
[page break]
A take-off is a magic sight
As bombers climb to join the fight
You see them rise from earth with grace,
And feel the wind rush in your face.
You watch the letters on the kite
And know that he is on tonight
You wonder if you’ll hear the ‘drone
Of a certain bomber returning home.
They circle once, bank and sway
Through the dusky closing day
Then set a course and slowly rise
To become just a speck in the distant skies.
But the throbbing of engines lingers on
You can imagine them speaking over the inter com,
And think of each with his own job at hand
Heading so surely to that bombracked [sic] land.
For a time the drome is quiet and bare
Until such time as one can hear
A pulsating sound that can only be,
The boys returning to home & me.
You count them in your eyes aglow
Your full of interest and long to know,
Just how things went, and if much flak,
Damaged the bombers coming back.
But as you see the tired Crews,
To [sic] weary to give you any news
You realize theyve [sic] been through hell
And must wait for them their gen to tell.
You search the papers for the lists of awards
[page break]
[Royal Air Force crest]
And find that already you have hoards
Of cuttings that youll [sic] keep through years,
And always read with your eyes full of tears.
Yes Bomber Command counts her victories with pride,
She knows just how many of her children have died
But she’ll still carry on, till the long war is through,
And the old world is lost in a world that is new.