Sir,
Following your reviews of the local Remembrance Day parades, I wondered if you might print this poem, written by my brother Paul, to express how the British Army soldier is treated after leaving the army?
Much is shown in the news, both local and national, about the heroes who serve Queen and country, yet this poem describes the minority of ex-servicemen that seem to slip through the net;
Tommy Atkins went to war,
And soon his feet were pretty sore,
All 'cos of the boots he wore,
Footsore Tommy Atkins.
They gave him clothes that didn't fit,
And told him "Buy some better kit!"
They really treated him like shit!
Poor old Tommy Atkins
He didn't have a bullet-proof vest,
Because his needs were not assessed,
Tommy got hit in the chest,
Heroic Tommy Atkins!
The bullet wound got really smelly,
Poison ran into his belly,
Tommy's guts turned into jelly,
Poor, sick, Tommy Atkins.
They sent him home to good old blighty,
Telling him (though quite politely),
You're no longer quite so spritely!
Go home, Tommy Atkins!
Tommy tried for compensation,
They turned down Tommy's application,
Saying "You must prove causation!"
"Prove it, Tommy Atkins!!"
Since His compo's been refused,
Tommy feels he's been abused,
Tommy now has hit the booze,
Drunken Tommy Atkins.
Tommy cannot get a job,
People say he's just a slob,
But of his life, he has been robbed,
Jobless Tommy Atkins.
Tommy Atkin's lost his house,
Tommy Atkin's lost his spouse,
And now he's treated like a louse,
Homeless Tommy Atkins!
There's a covenant "ALLEGED"
A promise and a solemn pledge,
So why's he lying in a hedge,
HOMELESS TOMMY ATKINS!!
Richard Simmonds
(Monmouth)