Wandering around the churchyard of Mells (an idyllic Somerset village near Frome) we found the grave of the great First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon so in the presence of such integrity, I ransacked my memory for this, a war poem I remember being printed incorrectly in our O level history book and corrected in an addendum.
The General
Good morning, good morning the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the Line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of the dead
And we're crying his staff for incompetent swine.
He;s a cheery old card, grunted Harry to Jack
As we trudged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
But he did for them both with his plan of attack.
The video and stills from Mells church are framed by the beautiful Stations of the Cross carvings at Frome St John's and the music (our homage to Edith Cavell) opens out into a general meditation on the First World War.
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