The Take-Off…
A bladed beak spearheads the take-off to flight,
Its torso angled, wings beating downwards,
Betraying a powerful back, whilst talons, long
And withdrawn, form a slim undercarriage
To this stork, an emblem and a memorial to a French air ace…
Captain Guynemer’s biplane would take off for each dogfight,
Its small, angled fuselage propelled upwards,
Flaunting the pilot’s resolve and his patriotism strong.
And his squadron of Storks flew with undeniable courage
Above the vile trench warfare with venom, yet with a wader’s grace…
Pete Ray
19th July 2025…
Captain Georges Guynemer, ‘Ace of Aces’ has been credited with more than fifty aerial victories in his Spad XIII biplane.
He led a fighter squadron known as the ‘Storks’ but on 11th September 1917 he was allegedly shot down by German pilot Lieutenant Wisseman and his body was never recovered.
Wisseman was shot down and killed just seventeen days later…
I saw the above memorial in Langemark-Poelkapelle, 2012…
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