On Looking Back
Title
On Looking Back
Description
Brian looking back on his life, in verse.
Creator
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
One printed sheet
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Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
MWalleyBS1062112-180127-14
Transcription
ON LOOKING BACK
On looking back on the life I’ve won
On borrowed time since forty-one
I’m happy with what I’ll leave behind.
I’ve had my day – the future yet to find?
Born on a farm in twenty-two
In Cheshire – then Derby for a life anew,
At Weston Hall – full stories five
With a history of untold strife.
Cavaliers and Roundheads had their day.
We children copied them in play.
Crossed the moat – attacked the Hall,
Perhaps defeated but had a ball.
Thirty-nine – the start of world war two,
Battle of Britain won by the few.
After Dunkirk it was plain to see
More pilots needed to set us free.
So, I joined up and learned to fly
Subsequently I wondered why?
But I lived to tell the tale
That Britain never was for sale.
Got my wings in forty-one.
Rained bombs down on the Hun.
My Waterloo when Berlin raided
Shot up – ditched – my war ended.
Rescued then incarcerated.
Four years later liberated.
Sole survivor – crew of five.
Very grateful to survive.
Home again – just twenty-two
With not a clue on what to do.
Married Mair the girl I won
Then bought a farm on Ynys Mon.
In sixty-seven, now forty-five
Flew to OZ to start new life.
Settled in as ten-pound Poms
Often told from where we’re from.
Pensioned off at sixty-eight.
Children all now left the gate.
As Darby and Joan we’ve settled down
To live a life all of our own.
Dementia now reared it’s ugly head
With Mair confined to chair or bed
At Mirrambeena we’ve settled down
And here we’ll stay ‘til life is done.
Oft we’ve travelled back to Wales
The lure of homeland never fails.
We’ll be cremated when our time comes.
And rest in peace when we’re taken home. h [sic]
On looking back on the life I’ve won
On borrowed time since forty-one
I’m happy with what I’ll leave behind.
I’ve had my day – the future yet to find?
Born on a farm in twenty-two
In Cheshire – then Derby for a life anew,
At Weston Hall – full stories five
With a history of untold strife.
Cavaliers and Roundheads had their day.
We children copied them in play.
Crossed the moat – attacked the Hall,
Perhaps defeated but had a ball.
Thirty-nine – the start of world war two,
Battle of Britain won by the few.
After Dunkirk it was plain to see
More pilots needed to set us free.
So, I joined up and learned to fly
Subsequently I wondered why?
But I lived to tell the tale
That Britain never was for sale.
Got my wings in forty-one.
Rained bombs down on the Hun.
My Waterloo when Berlin raided
Shot up – ditched – my war ended.
Rescued then incarcerated.
Four years later liberated.
Sole survivor – crew of five.
Very grateful to survive.
Home again – just twenty-two
With not a clue on what to do.
Married Mair the girl I won
Then bought a farm on Ynys Mon.
In sixty-seven, now forty-five
Flew to OZ to start new life.
Settled in as ten-pound Poms
Often told from where we’re from.
Pensioned off at sixty-eight.
Children all now left the gate.
As Darby and Joan we’ve settled down
To live a life all of our own.
Dementia now reared it’s ugly head
With Mair confined to chair or bed
At Mirrambeena we’ve settled down
And here we’ll stay ‘til life is done.
Oft we’ve travelled back to Wales
The lure of homeland never fails.
We’ll be cremated when our time comes.
And rest in peace when we’re taken home. h [sic]
Collection
Citation
Brian Walley, “On Looking Back,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed October 28, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/39101.
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