Showing posts with label Fullerton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fullerton. Show all posts

06 December 2017

'Halifax in Ruins' by Stanley Burton Fullerton



Verse for the one hundredth anniversary of the Halifax Explosion by Stanley Burton Fullerton of Amherst, Nova Scotia. A carpenter by trade, the poet enlisted the month before his forty-seventh birthday. He was serving overseas at the time of the disaster.

Halifax in Ruins

It was on the sixth of December,
     The Day I never forget,
When steaming up our harbour,
     Came that Fatal Ship.

Then came the sound of fire
     What ever can it be?
It is on board that fatal ship,
     Loaded with that dangerous T.N.T.

Then came the roars like thunder,
     What ever can it be
Some thought it was the Germans
     From far across the sea.

Then came a flash like lightning,
     That swept over our town,
And crumbled up our buildings,
     And played them to the ground.

Then came the sound of weeping,
     And goals from everywhere.
My God! It is so dreadful to see
     Our loved ones perish there.

Then thousands came from everywhere,
     To help those loved ones in despair,
My God, To see that dreadful sight,
     With bodies strewn along the streets that night.

Such sights that were seen, can never be told
     From the ones that were rescuing those poor wounded souls.
Weeping and crying came from everywhere,
     And mothers offered up to God their favourite prayer.

The lights went out, the streets were dark,
     And groans were heard from every part.
Helping hands came from every where,
     To rescue those who were suffering there.

They toiled all night till break of morn,
     And then came down that dreadful storm.
And willing hands that worked so fast,
     Rescued those poor souls at last.

Doctors and nurses came from everywhere,
     Dressed the wound of the sufferers there.
In homes of comfort they were placed,
     With smiling courtesies on their faces.

The undertakers came from everywhere,
     And washed and dressed those who perished there.
Into their coffins they were laid,
     And taken to the resting place.

The tale of the rescuers can hardly be told,
     Of the brave ones, who worked in the storm and the cold.
They worked night and day and never gave up,
     Till the bodies were taken from under the stuff.

Here's to Capt. Harrison, who was thoughtful in mind,
     He saw there was danger in the ship that was moored.
So he cut her adrift and steamed out of the bay,
     And sailed her to safety, where no danger lay.

Now we come to the Steamer, that was ruined that day.
     Her anchor stock was blown two and a half miles away
Even box cars were blown across the wide waves,
     And her big guns were carried 'way out in the bay.

Now she is gone and will sail never more,
     Her big iron plates are all over out shores.
The game will be remembered for long years to come,
     The great wreck and ruin and sadness she done.

Now our people are cared for in huts everywhere,
     And their homes that were ruined, will soon be repaired.
And they will  be placed in their homes once more,
     And dwell by the harbour in peace ever-more.

Thanks to our Government, who thoughtfully responded
     Sending the needed with every-thing wanted.
In money and food stuffs that hastily came,
     To those who were homeless and deserving of same.

Even Australia responded to the call,
     And sent us their gold from that far off land.
To those who were suffering from that dreadful day
     And helped to build up their homes that were blown away.

And even dear England with her troubles at hand,
     She sent us assistance to built up the land
We'll never forget what she has done,
    And always be true to her. As true as the Sun.

Here's to the Star Spangles Banner that waves in the breeze,
     That stands for Liberty, over land and seas.
For the help they gave  in our time of need,
     And binds fighter the friendship for so noble a deed.

When the word was flashed across the line.
     That a helping and was needed.
How nobly the call was answered,
     From those true friends across the seas.

They sent us relief in abundance,
     It came from every-where.
To comfort our homeless loved ones.
     That were so sadly in despair.

Half of our town is lying in ruins,
     And our buildings are badly smashed.
But President Wilson says to build them up again
     And they will send over the cash.

Here's to that good old Union Jack,
     And to the Allies that are it'd defenders.
We thank the Star Spangled Banner
     For the help that they rendered.

The Union Jack and Stars and Stripes,
     I pray will always wave together,
God bless them for evermore,
     And our Maple Leaf Forever.

"Halifax in Ruin" appeared in the Fullerton's sixteen-page chapbook Poems (1918). It can be read in its entirety here, through the Internet Archive.


Note: "SGT. S.B. FULLERTON" is incorrect; in fact, the poet never rose above the rank of private. Let's just say it was a printer's error.

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31 July 2017

'Over the Top: Ypres, July 31, 1917', a Great War Poem by 'Sgt. S. B. Fullerton, Returned Soldier'



Century-old verse by Stanley Burton Fullerton (1869-1952), resident of Amherst, Nova Scotia, from his self-published chapbook Poems (1918). The poet's spelling and punctuation are respected, as is his false claim to having achieved the rank of sergeant.
OVER THE TOP

Ypres, July 31, 1917 
Calm was the morning, not a Hun to be seen,
     As I peeped o'er the land which at one time was green
There in the distance, with a tangle and twine
     Lay the broken barbed wire of the German first line 
Peacefull it looks now, but, ah, they don't know
     That our Boys will be over, we have not long to go.
As I stood in the trench with my phone on my back,
     I looked at our boys who were soon to attack. 
You could tell by their faces, they were deeply in thought
     As you'll always see them before the battle is fought
I then heard a whisper, what's that I hear?
     It was passed by their Captain, is the signaller here. 
Yes, I replied, sir, he answered, thank you
     Two minutes, sir, for zero, it was time to stand to
In that two minutes, they filled the first line,
     Then a roll of great thunder and up went our mine. 
Oh, what an explosion it made one feel shocked
     As we stooped 'til it settled, Lord, how the ground rocked
Then, with a spring, a jump and a hop,
     Like pulled with a string we were over the top. 
Crash, bang, went our guns an unceasing clatter
     As the German first line we started to batter. 
It was like one long fire, with a bursting of shell 
     Nothing could be worse for him, no, not even hell, 
We reached their first line and were slashing them hard,
     Some called for mercy Oh, mercy comrad
With terror stricken faces they were trembling with fright,
     When we get to close quarters they've no heart to fight. 
Onward we went with a rush through the mud
     For our next obective which was, this time, a wood.
At this we were cautious, they had so many runs,
     We knew it was fortified with many machine guns. 
I spoke on my phone and warned my O. C.
     Fire on second target, sir, the big scraggy tree.
I'm going to fire now, he said, so take a good sight
     That is just about it, sir, try two degrees, right 
Got them, that's perfect let them have fifty rounds;
     I knew that would get them, they are running like hounds. 
Now for a smoke as calmly I stood
     Watching my shells burst into the wood. 
Then came a runner with a message that read
     Order all guns to lift, we will now go ahead.
Onward they went, some at the double
     Taking the same wood without so much trouble. 
Then came the report; our objectives are gained 
     The advance was completed so there they remained
It was now gettiug late and night drawing near
     So I found an old dug out, says I, I'l stop here. 
What a miserable feeling as I sat there alone 
     And smoked up my woodbine with my ear to the phone
Then laid my head on a dirty old sack
     Waiting, in case of a counter attack.  
It poured, Heavens hard, rained all through the night, 
     Wet through and slashed up, I did look a sight;
Moreover than that I was feeling half dead 
     Being forced to partake of some German black bread. 
Then came the next morning I was pleased to see light,
     Thanking God to myself for his guard through the night
On my phone came a call so I answered hello;
     A Battery, signaller, you may pick up and go. 
I then disconnected, put the phone on my back
     Then took a glimpse around to make sure of my track.
I braced myself up after picking my trace,
     Then set off in excitement, you bet, a good pace 
Firmiy I walked beneath the Hun's bursting shell
     I am in for a hot time, I know it quite well
Then eventually I reached my old battery once more
     I was pleased to sit down by my old dug out door 
I sat there thinking of what would come next
     I thought of the trenches so badly wrecked.
I have been in some battles but proved this the worst
     I will never forget YPRES on July thirty first

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