The Sailor’s Chain & The Infantryman’s Missing Face…
(The Coleshill War Memorial, Warwickshire…)
Glum December drizzle mists the weather vane
Atop an impressive church tower, which rises high
Above the slim memorial, its solid cross proudly standing
Above two servicemen, back to back in full battle uniform.
The sailor, his expression tense, clutches the links of a chain
And the coils of a thick rope over one shoulder lie
And although his figure has escaped time’s cruel weathering
The soldier’s face is disfigured by decades of rain and storm.
Spider webs neatly spun, hang from his helmet, quivering,
His stone face is worn away, as if it is wrapped in cloth,
Like he has been blinded or gassed, yet his resolve seems unwavering,
As his upturned rifle respects comrades slaughtered by an enemy’s wrath…
Pete Ray
12th December 2024…
The Latin cross dominates the stone figures, the inscriptions are cast in bronze.
The sailor is in good condition but the soldier’s face has been badly weathered into something one might see in a horror movie…
The memorial lends itself to WW1, WW2 and Afghanistan…
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