PASSCHENDAELE - THE FINAL CALL

[PilotBoris]

quite a man, and a caring officer as well, but one of the many who were to die in the closing months of the war. wherever he lies now he is with his lads, another unknown soldier to join the ranks.

[PoetHunter]

I meant to say that he is a lesser known war poet! I type too quick!

[PoetHunter]

Thanks for the biography, fascinating insight into a lesser know war poet. I wonder how many died with their work completely lost?

[Teasercop]

@PoetHunter impossible to know. We still find underground mollholes, ammunition, body's, mines ... Some body's (bone remains) can be identified if they still wear some id plaques but after all these years burried in clay nothing much remains. You sould visit our Westhoek.

[Grimnian]

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES WILLARD can be accessed via the link.

[tessler6868]

i've included this fine video in my "soldiers Speak" playlist. thank you

[Grimnian]

Thank you. That is very kind of you

[tessler6868]

how can "captain james willard" be an Unkown Soldier?

[Grimnian]

He wrote the poem, I think he is talking about other people being forgottten , as he himself nearly was.

[SassoonOwen]

I have never heard Passchendaele described so vividly, so painfully...a haunting poem.

[nunatic1234]

men that fought there are true heros

[helmuthoorn]

God knows him, as He knows all the brave soldiers who fell in this wretched war.

John, Johann, Jean

Frank, Franz, Francois

Billy, Willi, Gilles

And countless other brave men and boys like them. He will NOT and NEVER forget them, and they are safe and at peace at last for evermore.

[GinTheSadlar]

Is that not in very bad taste throbbingroot? The soldiers who died in that conflict suffered horribly. To spoof the words of dead men seems really sick and disrespectful.

[supportAntiEmo]

Excellent piece of work, its good at giving you a vision of the hell they had to go through.

[CassyBlack69]

That is so sad. Seventy one years later we finally get to hear his words. It's kinda weird thinking about it. Makes you realise the horror those brave people went through.

[LordFlatbush]

Grimnian... I have been to The Land Of Grimney. It's astonishing stuff.

[Grimnian]

Thank you. Very kind of you to say that. Did you follow the link from my Channel?

[LordFlatbush]

I did indeed. It's like finding a goldmine. So much to look at, plenty to explore. Two big golden thumbs up to The Land Of Grimney!

[LordFlatbush]

There used to be a Wikipedia entry for this man, but it got removed. This poem was sent to his younger brother, and was only to be read if he got killed and he did. Willard left behind a wife and a newborn baby. I guess if he wrote other stuff it got lost or forgotten.

[DeathWatchSoldier]

War ain't hell if your winning! It ain't bad when your dead either! Or shooting someone. Good work though buddy. Like the way you perform this stuff.

[Grimnian]

Not sure I agree with that DeathWatch. I have never fought in a war. If I did, I don't think I'd enjoy it, winning or otherwise. I respect the bravery and commitment of those in the armed forces, but would like to think that they have compassion even in combat. Although it would be hard to have that when you are fighting for survival I guess?

[TheHowlingStorm]

Awesome peom. Wow. Cool dude.

[TheFallingSoul]

Long poem. Who is the actor? Good voice.

[LordFlatbush]

What an extraordinary recital. Totally absorbed by this. Astonishing stuff.

[DevilKissSixSixSix]

God,that was real sad. I'm young, and don't know about this man. Although I'm so sorry about his death, and all those other men who died. What a great writer he was. War is so awful : (

[PoetHunter]

Just as well I popped back. As far as I know, Captain James Willard having survived the slaughter of Passchendaele where over 70 000 British died, German deaths was much the same. It seems that Willard was killed at the battle of Cambrai. This was the battle where for the first time British tanks were used. Willard was one of the 45 000 British servicemen killed. The Germans lost 50 000. Hope that helps.

[CryptDweller18]

Its real sad that. How did James Willard die? He was real talented. I have studied Owen, but don't know much about this guy.

[UrbanLegend077]

Yeah. Captain James Willard, I've heard of him I think. He didn't die at Passchendaele though, he must have died a year later. Sad that he didn't become famous like Owen and Sassoon, he was a really talented war poet by the sounds of things.

[LongSocks99]

Awesome.

[PoetHunter]

A masterpiece. Who was James Willard? Not that famous a poet though was he?... So sad, awful.