Tag: Battle

The Ridge

In the trenches of Vimy Ridge | CBC News

The Ridge

Reflection’s wise. Its true insight flies

Throughout our minds and forever binds us

To eternal life that is devoid of strife.

Just peaceful thoughts, not restless, nor caught

Into a web of war to tread.

Pure madness bred our way to be

Yet as one we brand an ancestral land

As our spirits rise to embrace the sky

And shed away our fears.

 

Our thoughts of home, as our mothers roam

Among our graves, their faces brave

To the sadness here of men with fear.

For our nation’s prayers we died out there

For our home sweet home, so far away.

That knowledge bears our passion, flares

Within our hearts, to love, to shove

Our fears aside and run in stride

To get away from there.

Over top we’d go in whistled floes

That plundered us within gun sight foes.

Such madness…crushed, our brothers flush

With abject fear with those guns so near.

We prayed in silence for our leader’s guidance

For in them we trust, and as Canucks we thrust

So far ahead though we walked with dread.

With the barrage we shudder, our blanket cover

Oh God we’re scared.

 

The earth it shakes… please mothers take us

To your arms and away from harm.

We fell in silence as there’s no pride in violence

We looked ahead for behind ’s our dead.

Their faces seared, no longer feared

Just darkness now with thoughts that bow

To a light that’s gone, forever done.

For now it seems life’s passion stream

Is ebbing some for our time has come.

–

We fought for glory, each life a story

With silent breath we faced cruel death.

Our youthful brash ‘gainst madness, crashed

Into the mud, the cold, the blood.

That Ridge has been a horror scene.

A Ridge that bears our lives and shares

Blood curdling chills, then silence… killed.

And down we go with our cries now still

Just silent prayers to loved ones shared…so far from there.

 –

The death knell rings for our lives and brings

A peace you share from that Ridge out there.

Is a peace we paved to our silent graves

With a peace we share in God’s love’s lair.

We were men of arms, a brotherhood

And beyond that Ridge, your nationhood.

With souls set free our spirits now see

Just peaceful lands and a national brand…your nation‘s free!

 

Yet horrendous loss this madness cost…Canadians!

–

Please…remember us

Mother Canada

The Maple Leaf Forever

It was the theme at the Ridge

3500 Canadians died under this flag: The Canadian Red Ensign flown during the Battle for Vimy Ridge.

Flag, Red Ensign, Canadian | Imperial War Museums

Let us embrace our past. As a proud united nation and not as some post national state as some would have us believe.

Check out my books at the links at the top of the page. They are all good reads and are available through Amazon.ca or Amazon.com

Support a Canadian author struggling to get some literary recognition.

Thanks.

John

 

Monk’s Orchard

An excerpt from my latest book: Monk’s Orchard:

As they were making their way out of the harbor Michael noticed
a large galleon to windward off their starboard side coming down on Drake’s ship. She was upwind and had the weather gauge on Drake. There was nothing he could do. His ship could not tack or reach that far up wind to intercept her.

Michael immediately assessed the situation and the danger that Drake’s ship was in. He called down to his boatswain to haul in the stay sail sheets as hard as he could muster the crew. He then ordered the helmsman to steer a course that would intercept the Spanish galleon but upwind of Drake to such an extent to add separation between Drake and the Spanish ship. His stay sail innovation proved itself as MONK’S ORCHARD came upwind and sailing off the headwind by about thirty-five degrees. MONK’S ORCHARD heeled hard to port submerging many of the port side gun ports, which had been closed to protect the cannons, powder and shot. As the ship heeled you could hear pandemonium below decks as those items not secured for sea came thrashing and rolling about. MONK’S ORCHARD’s course and speed carried her between Drake’s ship and the Spanish galleon until such time as she now had the weather gauge on the galleon. Michael altered course to starboard and came through the wind then fell off until he had a speed and aspect advantage on the Spanish ship. MONK’S ORCHARD steadied up. Michael had the gun decks cleared while barreling down on the Spanish — bow on. At the last minute, and about three hundred yards upwind he altered hard to starboard, presented a beam aspect then opened fire with his port guns. He struck a mark for, in an instant, there was a large explosion. This was followed by a series of smaller blasts then a massive detonation what could only mean one thing: a direct hit on the powder hold. The ship came apart in a thousand pieces. The ship’s hull disintegrated under the weight of the explosion. The fireworks display was as impressive as it was frightening.

Michael looked at the carnage in amazement but was saddened at the inevitable loss of life. He made the sign of the cross. The men in Drake’s ship yelled and screamed their thanks and approval to Michael. Michael fell off, and then fell back into Drake’s formation as they headed out to sea. The English fleet barely suffered a scratch with this raid. The Spanish lost over ten thousand tons of provisions and considerable material damage to their ships. It would set their invasion plans back by about a year.

Love it.

SJ…………..Out

Check out Monk’s Orchard by clicking on the link at the top of the page. Thanks…John