I read a thread on the General Boards about the exploits of a member’s father during World War II which made me think of my own father’s service. I “googled” the name of his ship, which gave me inspiration for the following little tale:
HMS Mermaid
I googled “Mermaid” on the net
Never thinking that I’d get
A sailor’s true story of the war
On Atlantic convoys in forty four
It made me sad to sit and think
About the life there wrote in ink
Of deadly seas and German foes
Of freezing weather, frostbit toes
U boats creeping from below
Torpedoes going to and fro
My father served upon that boat
He never talked of life afloat
Alas, now gone, his tales untold
Of life aboard, in days of old
How I wished I’d asked him then
To tell me, of the story when
He served his King and country well
When war turned this earth to Hell
But a piece of “Mermaid” lingers on
In Mermaid theatre, London town
The ships bell hangs for all to hear
A lasting memory to those held dear.
Marilyn from Essex
© Marilyn from Essex 2007