Frank was at El Alamein.
He never talked about it. This seems common with veterans of major campaigns.
The recall hurts too much.
Old Soldier’s Conscience
Young soldier jerked from out of sleep
A hollow thunder loud and deep
Told of action about to start;
He heard the thumping of his heart.
Not a quiver in his hand
Gun was shifted on its stand.
With soldiers it may be their lot
To aim a careful good clean shoot.
Men fell like puppets with strings cut
When shot in chest or head or gut.
Deeds like that when they are through
Rot forever within you.
With a bayonet when he’d slashed
Across a throat deeply gashed,
Frothy blood gushed and bubbled;
Was easy then but now he’s troubled.
For the quiver in his jaws
Show he’s broken nature’s laws.
All the talk of honour in deeds,
Sanctioned by religions’ creeds,
Cover up for a long time
What conscience tells us is a crime.
Yet the sweating of his brow
Says conscience is his ruler now.
Old man jerks from out of slumber
Conscience raging awful thunder
From wars of long forgotten times;
Where killing was not then a crime.
But the quiver in his jaws
Shows he’d broken Nature’s laws.
Dedicated to the memory of:
Frank Huntley Hopson
my Stepfather and
a Desert Rat
© Trevor Morgan