"A Tribute to the Merchant Navy"

[DeepSea]

"A Tribute to the Merchant Navy" (Wm McAdam September 1942)

I fain would speak of a breed of men
Who plow the Seven Seas,
Whose lives are spent in ceaseless toil,
Who scorn the word appease!
Who, since this Armagedon broke
Upon a peaceful world,
Have worked and toiled and fought and died
To keep our flag unfurled.

North & South and East & West
These heroes giving all,
Have faced the dangers of the deep
In answer to a call !
Torpedoes, mines and bombs and shells
They've treated with disdain,
And fought as only men will fight
Who strike in Honour's name !

The horror of the wintry seas
In weather foul and wild,
Has seen their courage undismayed
Their manhood risen high !!
Thirst and hunger's been their lot
But still they fought the seas,
And weak and helpless called to Christ
To end their agony.

Yes some have lived to tell a tale
Of Gallant deeds sublime,
And some have died that we might live,
A memory we enshrine.
They Crossed the Bar with smiling face,
A sense of duty done,
Their course well run, their life's work o'er
A Victors Crown well won.

And in a land beyond all seas
In a harbour all serene,
Great Evening Star whose Light afar,
Shewed them Eternity !!
Full sacrifice has been their lot,
They faced the test most bravely,
Come ! Light away! our debt repay
To the men of the Merchant Navy.

An original printed copy of the above poem was given to me by an elderly 92 year old lady back in 2001 after she heard about some research I had done for the family of lost Merchant Seamen. It is now sealed in glass for posterity.

[Keith at Tregenna]

All thanks to Deep Sea and Wm McAdam

This is a gem.

Thank you both Keith.


Discovered earlier what I began to read and enjoy, as it went on I realised that I knew it somehow.

LINK: http://mastermariners.org.au/file/SE...er%202010a.pdf

PAGE 4

I thought at the time an early attempt, may go unnoticed.

Yet find copy in NZ.

I do hope it will also help raise further awareness elsewhere.

FOR ANY ONE INTERESTED COPY ATTACHED:

K.

[Keith at Tregenna]

The Battle of the Atlantic

We’ve heard of the famous Mighty Hood that was sunk by a Bismarck shell
We know how many men were lost and the Skippers name as well
We’ve seen the Battleship Barham rolling on her side
before the huge explosion in which so many died

The Repulse and Prince of Wales on rout to the Singapore post
Both lost to the Jap torpedo planes off the Malaya coast
There’s a film about the Kelly sunk in the battle of Crete
And of the famous River Plate where we inflicted defeat

Yet who knows the names of the merchant ships sunk almost every day
Who knew that as these ships went down seamen were put off pay
Shipping Companies oft did this to cut down on the cost
They lost one of their freighters, but how many lives were lost

What of the men on the Arctic run ferrying Russian supplies
The ocean full of U-boats and Bombers filling the skies
Sailing a gas filled Tanker some only in their teens
Wondering if they’ll freeze to death or be blown to smithereens

Wallowing along in a rusting tramp to save the Russian Nation
Struggling to make eight knots whilst trying to keep station
Should a seaman stay topside or should he seek his bunk
Knowing if you fall astern your certain to be sunk

Many a merchant ship now lies under the Barents Sea
Lost in a desperate struggle to set the Russians free
The ocean bed is littered with merchant seaman’s bones
Now to lay forever at peace with Davie Jones

As a Nation we are rightly proud of our Navy in World War Two
Likewise of the R.A.F and what we owe to the few
To the men who fought at Arhnem and Monty’s Desert Rats
To those who fought the Japanese to all we raise our hats

From the Home Guard to the S.O.E in it from the start
All of our Armed Services were keen to play their part
Each had lost so many when they counted the final muster
But the greatest loss was those who sailed under the Old Red Duster

roy may

LINK: Under The Old Red Duster (The Flag of the British Merchant Navy) by roy may

[Belinda Colegate]

I Like the glass idea. We have a copy and would like to prevent further detoriation

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[DeepSea]

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