Remembering on this day, Lt Ralph Shaw DSO, 11th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Son of W W E & Lucy Shaw of Handsworth, Birmingham. Killed in Action 28th April 1917 Battle of Arras.
A young man’s call to arms,
From the midland urban sprawl,
Full of life and youthful charms,
Leading men into battle one and all,
In his uniform made to measure,
Khaki and Sam Browne,
The Antelope to treasure,
Onward as his men fall down,
Facing death upon this land,
Come on boys, lets advance,
I have a Webley in my hand,
And lead a merry dance,
Push on towards the prize,
A shiny bronze death plaque,
To what now do we surmise,
Of the bravery we do not lack,
Buried beneath some foreign sod,
Now in an unmarked grave,
Known only unto our God,
His life they could not save,
And under the Autumn sky,
A memorial to all those lost,
They who returned march by,
Having to count the cost.
James Findon © March 2026.
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