1914-12-24a Poem

When the Great War began in August, 1914, the pages of all three Hamilton daily newspapers contained poems, expressing fervent patriotic themes. The cause of the war was just, the bravery of British, and Canadian, soldiers, would come to the fore. Although some sacrifices might be necessary, justice would prevail.

By the end of 1914, the events in Western Europe were stunningly devastating, thousands, tens of thousands, of soldiers had died, the damage to civilian populations and to cities, towns and villages was immense, and farmlands had been ruined.

The glory of warfare was less in the public mind, despite all censorship efforts which had been enacted to sanitize the dreadful events of the opening months of World War 1.

The change in the tone of the locally-written poetry which appeared in the Hamilton press in December 1914 reflected what had happened to the mood of five months previously.

          Abbe Frederick Lamy

          (An Incident in the present war)

Abbe Frederick Lamy – priest,     

Five times wounded, never ceased

(Crawling on his hands and knees)

To give succor. Acts like these

Shed a lustre on th’ advance

Of the Fleur de Lis of France.

Pagan France! Perhaps! of yore!

Atheist France! Nay, never more!

All her soul, awaked from sleep,

Throlm with ferling strong and deep,

When to quell the vandal Hun,

Lo! The nations rise as one.

Life is cheapened. Blood and stench!

Dead men lie in yonder trench.

Death, the gambler, cheats and lies,

“This man lives,” and “Nay, he dies.”

Gaunt-eyed Ruin, grim and bare,

Stalks a spectre everywhere.

Five times wounded, yet one sees,

Crawling on his hands and knees,

Giving the last Eucharist,

Abbe Frederick Lamy – priest.

         

          E. Phyllis Adye  ¹

                 ¹ “Abbe Frederick Lamy”

                   Hamilton Spectator. December 24, 1914