The Track

Their khaki uniforms dyed green, to match the jungle,

Soon a mottled colour from the continuous rain

These young diggers not much over 20 years,

Ready to face the enemy,

They started up the track of mud and slush,

No road as their bosses thought back in Australia,

They climbed that track with curses aplenty,

To face the advancing Japs,

To try and stop them, on their relentless advance upon Australia,

They did the hard yards those lads so young,

They slogged through the mire, and mud

Until they met the advancing  horde in bloody battle,

The mud now red from the blood,

Outnumbered they slowly withdrew fighting all the way,

Every mile bitterly contested,

Until just 20 miles from Port Moresby with reinforcements newly arrived,

They made their stand,

The reinforcements stunned at the sight of those ragged mud covered lads who stood side by side with them,

They held then turned the mighty Jap,

And chased him back across the track stinging him all the way,

And now years on the survivors of the battle for that god forsaken track meet,

Both sides now friends to remember and pay respects to those who lost their lives

 

By Richard Davies
written after his uncle recounted a function attended by survivors from both sides of the campaign along the Kokoda Track

 

FILE PHOTO: By Warrant Officer Class Two Gary Ramage.

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