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A Temporary Gent


(Jack Harrison V.C., M.C.
Killed Oppy Wood 3rd May 1917)

Not of the top drawer,
Not quite the social grade,
Not really the stuff of which
Regular officers were made,
He came as a volunteer,
No inkling of duress,
Buy not really the type
For the Officers Mess.

Commissioned  a temporary gent,
Second Lieu's pip on his shoulder
He won the Military Cross and then
Became a posthumous VC holder.
A quiet man we're told,
Not one to boast,
Single handedly tackled
A machine gun post.

Already a local hero for
His rugby league fame
Still in his home city
A much revered name.
One of those lion led by donkeys,
Just a temporary gent,
One of those brave millions
Whose lives were cruelly spent:

A campaign of futility
With no real cause
A victim of his time in one of
History's most senseless wars.
Not quite the stuff of which.
Regular Officers were made
Although he died a true hero,
Temporarily granted the grade.







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