Action Stations

“Action Stations ! “ -- Tin hats and apprehension
Rush to guns and hoses, engine room
And wireless office - Air of tension.
Eyes uplifted, and some seawards gazing.
Ears are straining for a distant “boom”
Or sound of engines. Lips are phrasing
Prayers maybe, or curse upon the Hun.
Friendly aircraft in the distance loom
And are gone. Minutes pass. - “Carry On”.







H.M.T.Norse
17 July 1940


First Published 1943 - More Poems from the Forces {Routledge]

Night Patrol

No moon tonight. Nor cloud to hide
That sparkling, silv’ry spray of stars
Splashed carelessly upon the wide,
Black-marbled dome we know as night.
Ashore, the wigwammed searchlights trace
The path of hostile aircraft bent
On murder, while some other place
Is canopied by bursting shell.
A winking buoy-light speeds us on
Our course. The lightship watch
Responds to greetings. Once there shone
A guiding beam .. Now there is none.

We turn, two trawlers hand-in-hand.
Untiring waves give way to our
Proud bows, assaulting as they stand
The gun’s crew. This a damp rebuke
For having been disturbed so.

The sky gives birth to dawn’s great show
Of gold. Triumphant, we return
To harbour. Anchored comrades wake
And greet us, reassured to learn
All’s well with us. Our job is done.




H.M.T.Norse, 1940


First Published “Poems from the Forces” [Routledge] 1941