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1908
Last day at school for me
Some thirteen years Ive had
And Im going to be a farm hand
Just like me dear old Dad

Here now its Mr Peters
A silence falls over the class
'Registration' he says as he does every day
I am Williams and always called last

Boys first as always he starts,
I know it off by heart,
Abbot, Brown then Carter,
Cartwright and Cathcart,

Edwards, Jones and Needham,
Penny, Potter, Ryan
Sadler, Seedhouse, Setters,
The Smiths both John and Brian,

Taylor, Tonks and Tromans,
Walters, absent he,
Watson, Wigg and Wilberforce,
Then Williams, thats me.

1915
We'd never been out of the county
But here we were grabbing our chance
With butterflies, rifles and bayonets
Here we were heading for France

We crossed on the good ship bravado
Yearning for war stern to aft
Back slapping loud gallows humour
We were young, we were keen.... we were daft

1920
My sister asks if Im going to see the plaque
Then quickly says sorry
I just mean do you want to go
I tell her yes and dont worry

Its cold, my sister holds my arm
'Here comes your teacher' she whispers
'A fine day for it Williams' Peters says
'This must be one of your sisters'

'My wife' I lie and he buys it
I hear someone giggle behind
He tells her she must be a very brave girl
To marry a man who is blind

I swear at him spitting my venom
Like a serpent cornered and trapped
But a voice speaks over a megaphone
And everyone cheers and claps

We are moving along at a shuffle
People queuing to look at the plaque
My sister describes the ornation
Upon cedar wood names carved in black

'What does it say?' now I ask her
And she read me the words that she saw
To those of this village who gave their lives
for their country in the Great War

Read me the names I tell her
And slowly now she does start
Abbot, Brown, Carter,
Cartwright, Cathcart

She hesitates a little,
She is crying a little as well,
I say it doesnt matter
She is finding it hard I can tell

The list is very long she says
And though so much I care
The very best thing about it is
That your name is not there.
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