Before Action by Lieutenant William Noel Hodgson

Amanda Torrillo Blog Post #1

"Before Action" written by Lieutenant Hodgson serving with the 9th Battalion the Devonshire Regiment. Hodgson was on the Somme battlefield in June 1916 preparing for the Battle of Somme. This battle was originally supposed to be August 1916 but it had been brought up to June 29th 1916. Lieutenant Hodgsons body was retrieved along with over 160 of his comrades. These bodies were brought back into the British Front Line position. They were buried in the vicinity of a little wood called Mansell Copse which was in the British Front Line position at the start of the day. A ceremony was held at the burial site on July 4th. A wooden cross, with the words "Devonshires held this trench, the Devonshires hold it still" cared into it, was put up by the survivors of the 8th and 9th Battalions of the Devonshire Regiment. These graves were left in this position when the cemetery was rebuild after the war. The cemetery named "Devonshire Cemetery" now holds 163 graves. Lieutenant Noel Hudgson is buried in Grace reference A. 3. (http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/william-noel-hodgson-before-action.htm)

By all the glories of the day
And the cool evening's benison
By that last sunset touch that lay
Upon the hills when day was done,
By beauty lavishly outpoured
And blessings carelessly received,
By all the days that I have lived
Make me a soldier, Lord.

By all of all man's hopes and fears
And all the wonders poets sing,
The laughter of unclouded years,
And every sad and lovely thing;
By the romantic ages stored
With high endeavour that was his,
By all his mad catastrophes
Make me a man, O Lord.

I, that on my familiar hill
Saw with uncomprehending eyes
A hundred of thy sunsets spill
Their fresh and sanguine sacrifice,
Ere the sun swings his noonday sword
Must say good-bye to all of this; -
By all delights that I shall miss,
Help me to die, O Lord.