DAD'S ARMY RIDES AGAIN
by Frank Seddon
 
During the Second World War mining was a reserved occupation Frank never did any National Service, apart from risking his life and health daily for the nation's coal. Frank was a Sergeant in the Home Guard, Dad's Army, going out on manoeuvres after a grindingly hard shift at the coalface. Many others were in the same situation; they just got on with it. This is a true story, The man Clare could have been court martialled for desertion, as they were on official manoeuvres.

When we opened up the hay barn,
He was hanging by the door.
The ghost of Morley swinging
His both feet off the floor.
The German bombers overhead
As the sirens start to howl.
The rats start squealing round the moat
Disturbing all the fowl.
'Dad's Army' searching round the farm
To find a place to rest.
All swearing each one saw the ghost-
Not one of them in jest.
Then each out braved the other,
As down they bravely sat.
Rising all together-
As in, walked Morley's cat.
Guns bark out in Morkem's Wood,
Uneasy sleep the men.
Then some one shouts "The ghost is back".-
As the cat walks in again.
And as the men all stop for breath
- A mile out, in the rain,
Comes Sergeant Seddon with his gun
To round them up again.
And as they all go marching back,
In the middle of the night.
They look like soldiers of the dead,
For all are spooky white.
They halt beside the hay barn,
But none will go inside,
Until the sergeant draws his gun,
Then they all went in and cried.
He gives them all a pep talk,
How brave men win the war
-Though young Jack Clare is missing
Escaping in a car.
At last, he gets them bedded down,
Their nerve restored- and then-
His face gets trampled in the floor,
It's that blasted cat again.
 
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