Toby Leckie

GCSE ENGLISH COURSEWORK: PERSONAL WRITING

War Story

“What will you lack, sonny, what will you lack,

When the girls line up the street

Shouting their love to the lads to come back

From the foe they rushed to beat?”

As I sat in English Study, these words kissed upon my juvenile ears.  The voice was that of my school friend Albert as he read the first lines of Fall In to my classmates.  As I heard more and more of the poem, I felt stronger and stronger about seriously signing up to fight in the Somme.  I could imagine all the respect and admiration I would receive when I come back, especially from the girls!

After school, I rushed back home to tell my mother about how much I wanted to join Britain in the war.

“I don’t think you should go,” remarked my mother, “many of my friends’ husbands have been killed already.  Take Janice for example: her Simon got shot in the same month he joined up.  I wouldn’t want that to happen to you.  You’re all I’ve got left after your Pa died.  I’d have nothing to live for if you died as well.”

“But Jim’s already left and Patrick’s gonna sign up soon.  Come on Mum, you’ve got to let me go.  It’d be brilliant when I come back.  Everyone would be cheering to me and I’ll be proud that I’d did something like this in life.  And you get paid for it too.  I’ll promise I would send some money back.  You could get that radio in the shop that you always point out when we go past.  Then you could listen to what’s happening over in France.  That’d be good won’t it?”

“Yes, I see your point,” she replied. “Okay, you can enroll in town after school in town tomorrow.

I did exactly what my mother said.  After an eager day at school, I rode down to the enlisting office.  On the door it said:

Join the Accrington Pals!

Sign up today to fight in your

local area’s own battalion

Over three hundred enlisted already!

I read this and acknowledged it, took a deep breath and went into the building.  Two men were dressed in officers uniform were sat at a table.  The one on the left was reading a newspaper.  The headline read: “Largest Ever Enlistment Campaign to Help in War Effort”

Join now!

“Hi,” I said, “I would like to enlist.”

“How old are you, sonny?”

“Seventeen,” I replied.

“Brilliant.  Now just fill in this form please.” He handed me a piece of paper with a set of questions on it.  I scruffily completed the questionnaire and handed it back to the officer.

“Thank you,” he said, “just bring yourself and some basic belongings to the station at dawn on Saturday for standard training.  I’ll see you there.”

The week quickly passed and it soon came to Saturday morning.  I kissed my mother goodbye.  I wasn’t going to see her familiar face until ...

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