My Home Front

The war results were worse than we expected.
Invade a land, to be promptly ejected.
First Norway with ship, their guns a'blazing;
Poorly planned, our efforts were far too brazen.

But the Germans organized; better prepared.
Beaten again - how ill we fared.
Sicily, Greece, then the Yugoslavs;
Kicked out again, doing things by halves.

Things seemed better on the sea, it occurred to me.
Montevideo a battleship sunk for all our glee.
But in the Atlantic were different anecdotes,
The war at sea was being won by u-boats.

They were sinking our ships just as they'd wish.
On the surface with gunfire, below the tin fish.
Back then we civilians never quite knew,
Believed what the media told us - not true.

By then the shelter we'd rarely go down.
Not very often would the Huns bomb our town.
Now it was bomb cities; London, Liverpool, Coventry.
Standing on shelters, glow from the fires we'd see.

Now the u-boat sinking had got really bad.
Very little in local shops to be had.
For a u-boat captain sinking was a sport;
Ships on their own, never an escort.

Sinking's so bad, what can we do as a ploy?
Line up the ships and make a convoy!
We got four funnelled frigates from the Yanks.
Cost us dearly, but we still gave thanks.

Now belated started the convoy system.
U-boats still active, we often missed 'em.
Mum told me the news she heard or read.
Young or not, from the radio or mum, it stuck in my head.

If I got up at night I would look,
In candlelight mum reading a book.
She was that way most every night
Just in case we had to take flight.

Her love for us was never in doubt.
That candle was rarely put out.
My little mum was so very strong;
Who belted you tho' if you did wrong.

Discipline didn't seem hard back then.
Rules were there for you to ken.
Break them and you got what for.
Rarely did you go back for more.

I still believe right to this day
That that period was the better way.
Looking around now at teenage louts -
Wouldn't have harmed them a few good clouts.