102 Ceylon Squadron Forum

From a 576 Squadron Memorial -

Stranger – pause here a little while,
And listen to the West wind’s sigh,
With its tale of long-gone men -
Earth shall not see their like again.

Stand by this stone and lend an ear,
And I’ll show you ghosts from yesteryear;
The windsock’s creak, the cold wind’s moan,
Long-dead men crowd around – we’re not alone.

Look on this empty, lonely place,
Do their shadows, unseen, still cross my face?
Listen! Far off thunder, or a Merlin’s roar,
Borne on the wind from Time’s remoter shore?

Abandoned, quiet, here I lie,
Time stands still, though years roll by;
Runways broken, dispersals gone,
The only sound the skylark’s song.

Half a hundred years have passed,
Half a century since I saw them last;
Lancasters, black against the sky,
Aircrews, young, so many soon to die.

They came from England and far distant shores,
Volunteers, each one, to defend Liberty’s just cause,
These fractured runways know how many went,
Silent witnesses to Youth’s blood, spent

I was created from the very earth for which they fought,
My rich, dark soil, with their sacrifice they bought;
In Lincoln Cathedral, yonder, their names are to be found,
And know this – by their blood, you stand on hallowed ground.

Let the tangles weeds that cover me remain,
Shrouding my memories of hope and pain;
And, as I return slowly to the land,
Let this proud stone in perpetual homage stand.

So, stranger, continue now upon your way,
But forget not those who – it seems but yesterday-
Gave all their tomorrows that you might live,
For your Freedom they gave their all they had to give

Insert "Halifax's", and York for Lancasters and Lincoln and I might just read this out on Sunday at Pocklington..

Thank you Neil,

stunning poem!

To Aircrew

Thier operations are now over,
And the war is long since won,
And the memory of these brave young men,
Is fading like the setting sun.
The generations that have followed on,
Since these young mens time,
Should spare a thought for all the crews,
That laid thier lives upon the line.
They were up in the freezing blackness,
Not knowing if they'd return,
Some had thier aircraft shot right through,
And saw thier fuel tanks start to burn.
They were duty bound to risk thier lives
For the freedom of us all,
And whilst carrying out thier orders,
They saw many young crews fall.

For those who didn't make it back,
They did not die in vain,
They played thier part in the victory,
That ensured our freedom once again.
And I, for one, appreciate,
All what they endured for me,
They should not be forgotten,
So read the survivors books and see,
Just what these guys put up with,
And what they all went through,
This generation of bright young men,
Our valiant Aircrew.

B.Leyland 1998