27th October 1936
Youth never yearned to die! What spurred these on,
Free – and so young,
To lie in tatters or draw gasping breath
Their foe among,
Dying untimely, palled in poisoned murk,
Unseen, unsung?
Youth loves adventure: yea, but glory too,
And recompense
Of swift achievement swiftly garlanded,
And vital sense
Of springing powers leaping to their prime
In life intense.
Nor guerdon urged these on, nor lasting hope
Of peace and rest:
But some dim glory stirring in their blood;
And in their breast
A heart compact of England’s storied past
Enkindled zest.
Their deeds are still untold: can Justice now
Redress their wrong?
Our nerveless accents fall on heedless ears;
Unheard our song:
Nought cares our world for men two decades dead!
Is it so long?
At least to-
Our voice we raise.
“Hail Comrades, gay, swift, kind, indomitable,
Beyond all praise.
We’ll consecrate, to match your sacrifice,
Our destined days.”