Jutland

Jack Cornwell was a Boy, First Class

On the Chester’s forward gun,

There to relay the settings with

A pair of headphones on,

He’d turned sixteen just months before

Was trained for his chosen task,

And hoped for a life of adventure as

He sailed, before the mast.

 

The Chester sailed to join the Fleet

That had left from Scapa Flow,

The Grand Fleet with its battleships

Sailed under Jellicoe,

They’d intercepted the German codes

And knew that they’d put to sea,

Hoping to split the British Fleet

And gain a victory.

 

The Chester turned to meet the flash

Of gunfire, far away,

The light was poor before the dawn

And the mist was thick that day,

Three funnels of a German ship

Came gliding through the mist,

And the Chester turned to starboard

Ready to show the British fist.

 

But the German ship was not alone

And the shells began to rain,

From the following battle cruisers

Shattering decks, in blood and pain,

Jack Cornwell stood at his post while all

His gun crew lay there dead,

Ready to take his orders, though

The Chester turned, and fled.

 

The medics found him with shrapnel wounds

Steel splinters in his chest,

He wouldn’t desert his post, he was

As brave as all the rest,

The Chester sailed for Immingham

Disembarked the wounded crew,

Put Jack in Grimsby Hospital,

There was nothing they could do.

 

He died just two days afterwards

Before his mother came,

She’d hurried on up from London

Where she’d caught the fastest train,

They buried Jack in a communal grave

So many men had died,

Fighting for King and country

Steeped in duty, worth and pride.

 

His name was honoured from lip to lip

How he’d stood beside his gun,

Determined to fight the German ships

‘Til the Chester turned to run,

Such courage born of England

Where it was tempered at the forge,

Was so inspiring in one so young

Said the Navy, to King George.

 

‘For shame,’ then cried the ‘Daily Sketch’

When they heard of the communal grave,

‘Is this how we treat our heroes,

Jack deserves the nation’s praise!’

The coffin was shortly disinterred

And draped with the Union Jack,

Drawn on an open gun carriage

With the Navy at its back.

 

His name went down in the history books

As the boy who stuck to his post,

In the midst of dead and dying men

As they made their way to the coast,

King George conferred the highest award

That there was, for bravery,

Awarded him the Victoria Cross,

Jack Cornwell, Boy, V.C.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[TL Boehm]

amazing historical write. War has always been hellish with its offerings of bravery and bloodshed. Wonderfully penned.

[Ravyne Hawke]

Sad and wonderfully written, David. I love how you take snippets of history and weave your wonderful tales around them.

[Valentine]

I love your tales of true history, and you make them exciting as well as good poetry..Another masterpiece mate..Kathie

[Marie]

Jack Cornwell should have been honoured, and I'm glad he was. But all of those brave men deserve honour.

[Keith]

Magnificent tribute to one of the bravest. I just googled up the Jack Cornwell story, its a great read although you seemed to have captured most of it in this excellent piece.

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Another great story as always David! :-)