1
The First
Writer
Jayne Williams
Director
Adel Al-Salloum
Actor
Gary Lagden
The Spark Arts for Children
Imaginative Spaces
Leicester City Libraries
A work of fiction inspired by local Leicester based stories of The First World
War, with special thanks to the Braunstone History Group.
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
2
The First
This is a story of The Great War
The First of all World Wars
The First World War
This is also a story of friendship
Two best friends
The greatest friendship there’s ever been
Between Jack and Freddie, Freddie and Jack
Two boys from Leicester
Now, you can tell from my accent that I do not come from Leicester
I come from a place called Wales
In Britain
Just over the border
So, in this story of friendship
In this story of The First World War
Set in Leicester
Most of the characters will sound Welsh
And that’s ok
This is just one story
One story amongst many
Many hundreds of thousands of stories
Some shared by soldiers who survived the Great War
Others never dared to be aired out loud
This is our story
The First
Freddie and Jack, Jack and Freddie
Born just a few days apart
Living just a few doors down
From each other
Destined to be best friends
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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The best there’s ever been
Fred or Frederick if he’d been bad
Tall at aged five
The tallest in his class
Carries round a stick of wood which created such fun
He imaged it to be a lethal weapon, a bayonet - a gun.
Fred: Bang Bang you’re dead
Go on then, lie down dead Jack
Jack: What for Fred?
Fred: ‘Cos I said so...you’ve been shot...I shot you
Jack who found fun
Being shot by his best friends pretend gun
Plays along
Jack: Ok...this is me...dying...dying...dead
Fred: Good
Jack: Thanks Fred
Fred: Shhhhh, Jack, you’re supposed to be dead
The bell is rung
And Mr Hitchins screeches
Mr Hitchins: Come on you leaches
Time to suck up some important information
To aid your education
Work hard and you’ll achieve more than the lot
That you have currently got
Better than the rotten hand you’ve been dealt
Anyway
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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No-one knows what Mr Hitchins is going on about
Or even how dealt is spelt
But they smile and nod willingly
All lining up
48 knobbly knees in a wiggerly line
Standing to attention
For the afternoons lesson
But there is a strange tension in the air
Mr Hitchins singles out two lads
Who’ve had a playground spat
Over a cricket bat
And ball
Mr Hitchins: You are young boys now
Yet
When you are men
And trouble comes knocking at your door
Which it will
What shall you do?
Fred:
What’s he going on about Jack?
Jack:
I haven’t a clue
Mr Hitchins: In this world there are quarrels
Much bigger than that
Of a bat and a ball
There are powers that be
Much greater than I
That put such disputes into insignificance
Fred:
What, there are people more important than you Sir?
Mr Hitchins: Hard to believe isn’t it young boy
Leaders, Dictators, decision makers
A hierarchy of men considered to be better than you
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
5
Or me
When they disagree
When they argue
In their playground
It is you who will be called upon
To take sides
To fight their battle
Be mindful of that, boys
When your bat and ball
Is all you have to fight over
Lectures like this were quite regular
From Mr Hitchins
Sometimes the boys would take it all in
Other times
It would seep out of one ear
Just as quick as it was being fed in
Through the other
But he meant well
Mr Hitchins
The boys called him ‘Scratch’
On account of kids never pronouncing
The ‘H’ in his name
Jack:
Yes Mr ‘itchins
No Mr ‘itchins
Fred:
Three bags full Scratch
Mr Hitchins: What did you say boy?
Fred:
Nothing Sir
It’s just Jack
He’s got an itch on his back that I was helping him to scratch
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
6
Mother
In our story - The First
There is one mother
Mother:
Put that down
Mother frowns at Jack as his spinderly stick like starving fingers
Reach out to pinch an inch of bread off the table
Mother:
We pray before we eat young man.
Jack, you know that the joy in our food
Comes from seated prayer to the Lord that giveth
Jack wondered what joy one could get
From stewed carrot and dry bread
Fred however loved any food
That Jacks mum put in front of him
All sat upright around the table
With knife and fork
It seemed so nice to share food as a family
With eyes closed tight
Hands clasped shut
A mumble from the bible
Jack:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forever and ever our men.
Now please mum, can we eat?
Fred hoovers up his food
Faster than the three sisters
So that he and Jack get the lion’s share
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
7
Freddie’s Family
Freddie doesn’t have a mother
She sadly died when giving birth to her son
Frederick met her briefly
When he popped out
But with his eyes clamped tight
He never saw his mothers loving face
Peering at him with pride
Freddie has a father but no brothers or sisters
Just him and his dad
Although that seems quite sad, it’s not
Fred spends most of his time round at Jack’s house
Where Jack’s mother cares for Freddie
Darns his school socks and hems his shirt sleeves
Jack’s sisters tease Freddie
As much as they please
A bit like an extended family
When Jack and Frederick were naughty
The punishment was dished out equally
Told off just like proper brothers would be
Mother:
I’ll bang your bloody heads together
Just look at those grazed knees and mucky hands
You’re like a couple of farmyard animals
Rolling about in the dirt
Jack:
Sorry mum
Fred:
Sorry Mrs Townsend
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Freddie builds a den
Jack and Fred, Freddie and Jack
Born just a few days apart
Not brothers by blood
But siblings at heart
Fred:
Look Jack, I've made a den
Jack:
Good for you.
Can I come in then?
Fred:
Friend or Foe?
Jack:
Sorry?
Fred:
Are you a friend or a foe Jack?
Jack:
Well I don't know do I
Fred:
Foe is the enemy
Jack:
Oh
Friend then Fred...friend
Fred:
You may enter
Jack:
It's a bit cosy Freddie
Fred:
It’s got to be small Jack, or the enemy will spot us
Jack:
Well, if the enemy is just a partially sighted old lady
We should be safe
Fred:
I spent hours on this den Jack; it’s our very own hideaway
Jack:
Fred, you put a flag on the top
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
9
Fred:
Yes Jack, so you could find me
Jack:
Your so called enemy will also see that flag Fred
Unless she’s got a cataract in both eyes
Fred:
If the flag bothers you that much Jack, take it down
Freddie’s flag is a black triangle
With a white skull
Scrawled on with chalk
Jack:
What does it mean anyway?
Fred:
It shows we mean business, Jack
We’re not afraid
We can fight our way through any attack
We are strong and brave
Like Mr Hitchins says
Jack:
This is Braunston Freddie, not the Boer war
Fred:
War can break out anytime anywhere
Best to be prepared
You can be look out
Jack:
Argh mate
There’s an old lady on the approach
Better run quick
She’s walking with a stick
Fred:
Shut up Jack
You’re not welcome in my den
If you’re gonna take the mick
Jack:
Sorry pal
I was just pulling yer leg
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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I’ll take it seriously from now on Fred
Promise
Look, I’ll put yer flag back up
Show the enemy that we’re proud
To be brothers in arms
Fighting strong
Together
Fred:
Thanks Jack
Trouble at the Coliseum
Saturday morning, the children’s matinee
The old Coliseum Picture Theatre on Melton Road
Jack and Fred sneak in for free
To see the silent movies
Cowboys and Indians
Chasing and shooting
Shooting and chasing
Sat at the back
Watching stories about good versus evil
With espionage and spies
Always ending with some poor woman
Tied to a train track
With the words ‘to be continued...’
Across the screen
Freddie and Jack get caught sneaking out
Mother:
What have I told you about these moving pictures?
They mess with your brain
Give you ideas above your station
Wait ‘til I tell your teacher
Jack:
But mum...
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
11
Scratch
Mr Hitchins: You boys must learn some stern lessons
You were born to conform
Not play about with ideas in your heads
Your minds are full of stories
But they should be filled with facts
I’m all for imagination
But this type of trouble and strife
Won’t get you a good job
Or a nice wife
Two boys dressed in identical everyday jerseys
Shirts
Shorts
Long socks
Boots that lace up to the top
Playing in the street
Playing on the causeway
Playing, laughing, having fun
Older boys now
A challenge is on the horizon
To climb the tallest tree
Fred:
I reckon
With the skills that you and me have got
We could climb this tree
Jack:
Right to the top Fred?
Fred:
To the highest branch at least
Jack:
But that must be about 300 ft Fred?
Fred:
I never had you down as a scaredy cat Jack
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
12
Our two boys make a pact to climb their tree
The tallest tree in Leicester
They spit in each hand
Shake on their plan
Fred:
Who ever gets to the top first is the winner
The looser has to wash the pots
For a week
Jack:
You’re on
And they’re off
Clawing and scraping at the bark
In a desperate race they both want to win
Shimmying up from branch to branch
Attacking every inch of the tallest tree
With sheer agility
And speed
Fred gets ahead of Jack
Using his longer legs to his advantage
A gust of wind sends leaves spiralling down to the ground
The tallest tree lets out a massive grown
As if it knows our two boys
Are using its stature
To battle against each other
Jack
Startled
A squirrel landing on his head
Loses his balance
Fred seizes the chance to race ahead
Scrambling higher
Higher
He hears an ear-splitting scream
Jack’s grip has gone and he begins falling
Falling, from their tallest tree
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
13
A huge thud
Jack lies flat on his back
No movement
Fred still clinging to the tree trunk
Fred:
Jack! ....Jack!
Fred scuttles down the tree
Scraping his hands
Splintering his knees
Desperate to see if his pal is ok
Fred:
Jack
He looks down at his best pal
Lying lifeless on the ground
Fred:
Say something Jack
Open your eyes mate
You win
I’ll wash the pots
Just tell me you’re ok pal
Freddie and Jack, Jack and Freddie
Born just a few days apart
Living just a few doors down
From each other
Destined to best friends
Forever
Our boy Freddie
Wears a heavy frown
On his face
A single tear appears out of Freddie’s eye
And slaps onto Jack’s left cheek
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Jack:
Euw!
Stop slobbering on me Freddie
Fred:
You’re alive
Oh Jack
I thought you were a gone-er
Boys finish school and enter the world of work
At the age of twelve
Education is shelved
In favour of a job
A job of work
Jack joins...
Jack:
The Midland Free Press on Belvoir Street
We print a paper with Children’s Corner
A kid’s story every week
With hand drawn pictures
And puzzles to complete
Jack’s sisters learn how to make shoes and boots
And Freddie becomes...
Fred:
A delivery boy
Pulling my heavy cart of produce for sale
Its hard work
There’s a brand new wooden Scout hut
Which Freddie and Jack pass after work
Fred:
Look at them Jack
Jack:
Girls
Fred:
Girls
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Fred:
Do you have a favourite Jack?
Jack:
I like the red head best Fred
She reminds me of my auntie Vera
Fred:
That’s just wrong Jack
Jack:
Noooo
I mean she seems friendly and kind
All the other girls seem to like her
What about you Freddie?
Do you have your eye on one girl in particular?
Fred:
That girl there with the blond hair Jack
She’s everything you’d want in a lady
She’s my May Queen
The May Queen
It’s the annual May Day celebrations
Everyone’s out on the street
Waving flags and cheering
As the parade passes by
Big brass bands
Coconut shys
Singing and dancing
Fruit pies the size of your head
A joyous event for the whole family
Jack and Fred, however
Wait by the stage
For the crowning of the May Queen
Who Freddie and Jack have seen
Many a time
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Up at the Scout Hut
Freddie’s May Queen
Fred:
Lovely Helen
She glides across the grass
Trumpet blasts out
Calling everyone to attention
She lifts her dress
Walks up the steps
And addresses her adoring crowd
Helen:
I am so over-joyed to be crowned May Queen
For the fifth year running...
Fred:
She smells of lavender
Jack:
Freddie and Helen sitting in a tree
K.I.S.S.I.N...
Fred:
Alright Jack
No need for all that
I just think she’s quite exquisite
Jack:
Don’t you mean fit?
Fred:
Right that’s it...
Jack:
You gonna ask Helen to marry you Fred?
Fred:
You’re dead Jack!
Jack:
Oooo, you’re gonna have babies together
Kissy kissy
‘I love you Helen’
‘I love you Frederick’
Fred:
She’s got to notice me first
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Helen:
What an honour
At the age of sixteen
To be given the chance
To welcome in the spring
By leading the dance
Around the maypole
And so
The Maypole dance begins
Helen’s golden hair flings about
As she swings the garlands of flowers
Weaving in and out
Wrapping them around the maypole
Fred feels as though it is he
Who is being wrapped up with florally love
There are glances back and forth
Helen to Freddie
Fred to Helen
Fred can’t stop himself
From tapping his feet on the sidelines
In time with the music
It’s like a mating dance
Of the oddest kind
Between a lady bird
And a grasshopper
But neither mind
They are in a world of their own
Jack:
Helen
My best friend Freddie fancies you
Fred:
Jack, shut up!
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Helen:
Is that true
And what makes you think I’d give him a second glance?
Jack:
He’s handsome and tall
He will give you all his undivided attention
Fred’s the best friend anyone could hope for
I know he’d make a great boyfriend
For the right girl
You should give him a chance
Helen:
Show us your muscles
Fred:
Eh?
Helen:
Roll up your sleeve
Or are you too weak?
If I’m going on a date
I want to know I’m safe
With a real man
A man who can fight for his lady’s honour
And that was the start of the courtship
Between Helen and Freddie
Freddie and Helen
A passion of another kind
Has created hot headedness
Trouble has been brewing for some time
Overseas
However distant it may seem
Europe sets the scene
For a disagreement
Much bigger than that
Of the bat and ball
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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In Freddie and Jack’s
Old playground
Governments clash and crash through borders
All hell breaks loose whilst Britain chooses
How to respond
With the rest of Europe
It’s time to fight
Pack up Your Troubles in your old kit bag and smile
Smile
Smile
Your County needs you
Join the queue
And fight for your King
While you’ve a Lucifer to light your fag
Smile boys that’s the style
Be a hero
Don’t be a coward
Join up today
What’s the use in worrying?
It never was worth while
So
Become a British Tommie
Pick up a gun and blow those
German Gerrie brains out
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and...
As Germany invades defenceless Belgium
Britain declares all out war
Before the sun sets on the 4th of August 1914
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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This is the story of The Great War
The First of all World Wars
The First World War
Signing up
Fred:
My dad said
He’d give me a clip round the ear hole
If I didn't enrol
Jack:
My mum said
Although she'd never wish me dead
She thought
I ought
To sign up
Show I'm brave
Mother:
You can learn how to shave Jack
Leave boyhood behind
Become a man
Fred:
We'll be fine
It'll be an adventure
Mr Hitchins: An experience that
Working class lads like you
Would otherwise never have
Fred:
I'll never get another chance
To go to France
Jack:
I've only been as far as Skeggy
Fred:
The war will be done by Christmas
We'll be back home
Just as your mums brussel sprouts
Are being dished out
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Jack:
Oh god
Our two boys Fred and Jack, Jack and Freddie
Stand in line
To sign up their efforts in battle
At the Glen Parva station of the Leicester PALS Regiment
Sgt Major: Aged 17?
Don’t you mean 19 son?
You can have a gun and travel abroad.
Jack:
I don’t want to end up in Welford Road Cemetery Sir
Sgt Major: Don’t be so ridiculous lad
Our troops have had
Far superior training than that
Of the German Army
They won’t know what hit them
When we get you lot out there
Behind enemy lines
Firing a machine gun
Or planting a bomb
Fred:
We get to fire guns Jack!
Sgt Major: You lads will have a blast
Jack:
Will we fight together Sir?
Freddie and me
Brothers in arms
Sgt Major: Yes son
You shall do more harm
To the enemy
Fighting together as a team
With the rest of your company
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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I shall send you to Flanders Field
Fred:
France Sir?
Sgt Major: The North East of her son
The rest spanning across
Part of Belgium
Time to get ready chaps
Say your goodbyes
Freddie takes Helen to the Tallest Tree
Fred:
Helen, I’ve brought you here
Into the woods
Because
I’ve got something very special to show you
Before I go
Helen:
Frederick Slater, we’ve only been courting a few months
Fred:
Nooooooo, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick
It’s this I want you to see
Helen:
What
A load of trees?
Fred:
Not just any tree
This tree
The tallest tree
Fred explains how he and his pal Jack
Have met here since they could remember
A secret meeting place
Where they could sit back
And relax
With no worries
Or fears
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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If ever they find themselves in trouble
This is the place they could be safe
Under the strong bond
Of friendship
Helen:
Are you afraid Freddie?
Fred:
Afraid of what?
Helen:
Afraid of War
Fred:
If wrong doing has been done
I would be proud to fight Britain’s battle
Fight for King and for Country
Helen:
You are so brave Fred
I do think I might...
You know...
Love you
Fred:
Think you might?
Well I know that I love you Helen
And when we win this war
I’d like you to consider taking my hand
Helen:
I do love you Fred
And it’s you who takes my hand in marriage
If that’s what you meant
Sergeant Major
Sgt Major: Stand up tall boys
No slouching
No stooping
No rounded shoulders on soldier boys
Stand proud
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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That means you too boy!
I have eyes in the back of my head
I see everything
Just like your teacher said
You have to trust me now lads
Otherwise you risk being dead
Don’t worry about what we’re fighting for
Your Governments decided
You’ve said your goodbyes
Now let’s set off for war
Fred:
Hey Jack
If we pass the river Rhine
Before we get to the frontline
Promise me you’ll pee in it
Jack:
What?
Fred:
Pee in the German river
Jack:
What for Fred?
Fred:
Just for fun
Argh, go on
Jack:
Ok
Fred:
Flanders hey
Heck of a long way
From our tallest tree
In Braunston
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
25
Freddie and Jack, Jack and Freddie
Born just a few days apart
Living just a few doors down
From each other
Destined to be best friends
The best there’s ever been
The greatest of friendships
Between our two boys from Leicester
They may be children in age and appearance
Fred and Jack, Jack and Freddie
But in their minds they are men
And they will fight
Fight this war
Our two Leicester boys learn how to be soldiers
Smoking their first cigarettes
Drinking Rum
Firing guns
Getting fit
Training to run fast
Darting between sandbags
Snacking on battle biscuits so tough
They almost knock out teeth
Trying to eat them
Meeting other men from all over Britain
Travelling to another country on Troop Trains
On cattle trucks once over the border
An adventure of the highest order
Two boys from Leicester starring in their own moving picture
A Western on the Western Front
A ‘Shoot ‘em up’
Like the ones at the Melton Road Coliseum
Sneaking into their very own story
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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Making history
A silent movie
Bravery and defiance
Good versus evil
It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long way to go
At the start of the war just 700,000 men in the British army
Against 3.7 million in the German Army
It’s a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know
250,000 young men join as volunteers
Under the legal fighting age of 19
Good bye Piccadilly
Farewell Leicester Square
Civic Pride and community spirit
Pits Cities against each other
To recruit their Pals Battalions
Friends, neighbours
Fighting together
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary
And so it begins
And so the credits roll
No-one could believe how quickly the war had begun
And they feared for how it might end
They'd send letters back and forth
But very few spoke of the truth of battle
The gruesome rattle of death in the trenches
The beds they lay on
With bodies buried beneath
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
27
Their feet worn and torn from boots
That took root within the trenches
The first night
Before the first day
On the Frontline
The Seargant Major made them write letters
Just in case
Jack:
Fred
Fred
Are you awake?
Psssssssst
Fred:
What?
Jack:
Are you awake?
Fred:
Aye
Jack:
What do you think the war is for Freddie?
Fred:
Freedom?
The chance to think for ourselves
Live the way we want to
Freely
I dunno
What does it say in them papers you printed?
Jack:
That Germany is the enemy
Monsters who invade and dictate
We must attack and stop the rise of the German Empire
Fred:
Well there you go then
We’re fighting to stop them taking away our freedom
Jack:
The papers say that blood has already been spilt
Blood of everyday boys like us
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
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What if we meet them?
Fred:
Eh?
Jack:
What if we find out the everyday German guy is just
Like you and me?
Fred:
They’re monsters Jack
You said that yourself
You’ve got to slay the dragon
Before it breathes fire
This isn’t just some small battle Jack
This is a World War
The Great War
A war to end all wars
We’ll go down in history as brave men
That’s got to be worth the sacrifice
Jack:
Some men have already come back dead though Fred
Fred:
All the more need for us to wade in then
I’ve always dreamt of being a rifleman
Make my dad proud
Jack and Freddie
Never ones to
Do as they’re told
And yet
Obeying the pointing finger of Lord Kitchener
Plastered on every street corner
The trenches
The ditches
The hovels
They eat in
Sleep in
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
29
And fight the Great War from
They may be children in age and appearance
Freddie and Jack, Jack and Fred
But in their minds they are men
And they will fight
Fight this war
Fred:
What did you say Jack...in your letter?
Jack:
Nothing deep
Just, ‘I love you all’
What about you Fred?
Fred:
It’s a secret
Are you scared Jack?
The Frontline
Standing proud
Shoulder to shoulder
Soldiers lining the Fields of Flanders
Marching
Moving forward
Towards the Frontline
Proudly approaching enemy lines
Risking their lives
Human ammunition
Jack:
The first time ever to see a dead body
And there are 300 or more
Right beneath our feet
Dead man's land where dead men lay
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
30
Breathing still
With fear
That never before we have felt
No-one could prepare us
For the ware and tare
That war would have on us all
Many men
Darkness in their eyes
Exploding stomachs
Exposing their insides
Guts lie by their side
On my call
This is it lads
Over the top
Fire at will
Shoot to kill
For King and Country
Sandbags
Trench floor
Fire step
On my orders
Over the top
Three
Two
One
Charge
Trench floor
Fire step
On my orders
Over the top
Three
Two
One
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
31
Charge
Trench floor
Fire step
On my orders
Over the top
Three
Two
One
Charge
The afternoon of the first day on The Frontline
Freddie is shot by a German Soldier
A Gerrie
Shot in the head
A bullet lodged inside his skull
Despite that
Jack holds onto the belief
That his best friend
Will be fighting fit again
Jack:
Freddie, Fred
Open your eyes
Look at me mate
Remember what we said
Brothers in arms
Together
We’ve got to pee in the Rhine
Remember
Look Fred
The letter from mother
It’s addressed to us both
Mother’s Letter:
The sun still rises and sets
Whilst you are fighting this bloody war
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
32
My dear boys
‎
I feel that the world has stopped turning
Until you return home safe
Just your mother worrying
Not knowing if you are ok
Hope they are feeding you well
You’d both best return home
Safe and sound
Or I’ll bang yer bloody heads together
Jack:
Fred
A smile
You can hear me then Fred?
You’re awake
How are you feeling?
Rest Fred
While I read to you pal
Mum says there’ll be a round of
Bread and ham when we get back
As much as we can eat
Says we’ve earned it
You hear that Fred?
Ham and bread
We should write back
Tell mum we’re both ok
We told her we were off on an adventure
I don’t want to tell her that it’s all gone
Wrong
You’ll get sent to hospital Fred
And everything will be fine
Mum says the girls are working
In the munitions factories
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
33
Says there are hundreds of them
Young women
Doing the job of a man
Mother’s Letter:
Jack:
They’re making bombs and bullets for battle
Strange to think
These weapons the girls make by hand
Will cross over hundreds of miles of land
To be closer to you than we are now
Sisters in arms she says
You’ll never guess Fred
Mum says your May Queen
Has started her own football team
Wearing shorts above their knees
Mother’s Letter:
After
They raise a glass
In the ale house
Where Helen drinks to you
Dearest Freddie
We’re muddling through
Though we all miss you
Terribly
Jack:
Freddie don’t go to sleep Fred
Keep your eyes open pal
If not for me for Helen
You’re fiancé
I’m scared Fred
Freddie...
Fred
Sir
Sir
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
34
He’s not breathing Sir
Freddie
Fred
Don’t leave me here
I can’t fight without you by my side
Remember what you said in the den?
Brothers in arms
You are a soldier
Freddie
Fight for me pal
The night of the first day
The two best friends went over the top
Freddie passed away
From the first shot to his head
The whites of his eyes steadily became yellow then green
Some say there's a god in the sky
Who decides when it is your day to die
Jack did not believe this day was Freddie’s
He was wrong
Jack and Fred, Freddie and Jack
They were sent like lambs to the slaughter
With no thought of who Jack or Freddie might be
Jack now with Freddie’s blood on his shirt
It could be him
Perhaps it should have been
He’d known Freddie all his ‎life
Not bad lads
Trouble followed them wherever they went
Yet here
They were sent out to find it
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©
35
Sgt Major: Frederick Slater aged just 17
A brave boy
His letter
Jack
Is addressed to you
Jack opens the note
That his dear friend wrote
The night before
And all it says is
Jack:
Meet me by the tallest tree
Freddie and Jack, Jack and Freddie
Their short time together
Fighting this Great War
They saw them dying in their thousands
Over there
Where losing lives for King and country
Is an act of bravery
Those who survive are committed to a lifetime of memories
Replaying the scenes of fatal injury
Over and over
And over
Our story of the First World War
The First
But not the last
Freddie and Jack, Jack and Freddie
Born just a few days apart
Living just a few doors down
From each other
Destined to be best friends
The best there’s ever been
The End
The First by Jayne Williams
The Spark Arts for Children
Sept 2014 ©