Image credit -Mason &Sons
Written on 18 March 2025.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few
John Hemingway has died at the age of a hundred and five It was the luck of the Irish he said that helped him to survive At the age of nineteen he left his home in County Dublin And enlisted in the Royal Air Force and was officially sworn in. It was at the age of twenty-one that he took to the sky After having gained his pilot wings enabling him to fly He'd gone to England's assistance in their darkest hour And he never once gave up even when things turned sour. He was shot down four times but always found his way back And defended our skies from a relentless German attack Their brave defence became known as the ‘Battle of Britain’ But for those brave pilots Germany would have won I am certain. He flew hurricanes and spitfires in combat during his career Always facing the enemy head on and never showing any fear Once his spitfire was shot down whilst on a mission over Italy His parachute didn't deploy fully but his fall was broken by a tree. Others called him a hero, but he never claimed himself to be Often said he was just doing a job for the defence of the country He lost many comrades on missions it was a dangerous thing to do John and his fellow brave comrades became known as ‘The Few’. It's people like John who made great sacrifices for their country And it is because of their sacrifice we live in peace, and are free We owe those brave pilots a great debt that we can never repay How fitting for John that he died peacefully on St Patrick's day. Group Captain John Allman Hemingway 17/07/1919 — 17/03/2025
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
