... for you lovers of a bit of poesy

[TaillyHo]

Been reading Joshua Levine’s Fighter Heroes of WWI recently.

I’d be surprised if this hasn’t been posted before, but better twice than not at all, eh!

 

 

‘Twas brillig and the Slithy Quirk

 

Did drone and burble in the blue,

 

All floppy were his wing controls

 

(And his observer too)

 

 

‘Beware the wicked Albatros’,

 

The O.C. quirks’ had told him flat;

 

‘Beware the Hun-Hun bird and shun

 

The frumious Halberstadt’

 

But while through uffish bumps he ploughed,

 

The Albatros, with tail on high,

 

Came diving out of the tulgey cloud

 

And let his bullets fly.

 

 

One, two; one, two, and through and through.

 

The Lewis gun went tick-a-tack,

 

The Hun was floored, the Quirk had scored,

 

And came ‘split arsing’ back.

 

 

‘Oh has thou slain the Albatros?

 

Split one, with me, my beamish boy,

 

Our RAF-ish scout has found them out’,

 

The C.O. wept for joy.

 

 

 

(attributed to William Bond, 40 Squadron – with apologies to Lewis Carroll)

 

According to Levine, this was based on an actual encounter near Arras in April 1917.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2011 by TaillyHo

[+Olham]

Those Tommies - make a joke of everything!

But in the joy of surviving an Albatros attack, understandable.

[TaillyHo]

Not on'y 'survived', Olham, but actually 'destroyed' the Albartos - according to this account.

Given this was in 'bloody April', I'm sure the Brits would've seen this as verging on a miracle! Little wonder someone was moved to poetry in response.

[+Olham]

Yep, absolutely.

And a great ability of mankind: to ban your fears with a good portion of humour.

[Wodin]

Love it...great read.

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Excellent! I had never run across that one before. Thanks for sharing TaillyHo.

 

.

[+Hasse Wind]

Brilliant! And in fact easier to understand than the original Jabberwocky.