Gone are the days when the warrior bold
Sat astride his trusty steed
Armed with a sabre of steel so cold
To thwart the enemy, his deed
And as we study how an Army life
Has changed over Oh! so many years
With crossbows, shot and musket
And even lances and spears
Progressing to formation of Infantry
With Rifles and bayonets at the ready
With riveting order of the Sergeant
“Come on lads hold the line steady”
Motorised armed units then came to the fore
As support to the lads on the ground
In the ever changing strategies of War
With experts ready to expound
Their theories on the rights and wrongs
On how best to carry out the task
When “ Give us the tools and we’ll do the job”
Was what the WW2 Squaddies used to ask
Battles would start with a barrage of fire
From hosts of Artillery
To weaken the positions and strongholds
Of a resourceful enemy
Followed by wave upon wave of support
From their colleagues in the air
And when the target is secured and overrun
The Tommy with rifle, and tin helmet was there
But today there are weapons of mass destruction
Chemicals and missiles too you will find
In the changing method of warfare
So lethal and deadly defined
But still you will see the foot soldier
Fighting for peace and may die
Saying don’t bury me here in these foreign fields
But in England’s green pastures let my body finally lie
Don’t weep for me at my graveside
For we are ne’er far apart
And though I’ve departed this world, that we know
I’ll live for evermore deep in your heart