The Mechanic

I first met Benny years ago, we went to the same school

Loyalty, Trust and Friendship was our motto’s rule

His dad made model aeroplanes, powered by rubber bands

Balsa wood and tissue paper, built with loving hands

 

Spitfires and Meserschmitts were launched from the backyard

We’d pause and stare in wonder, as our playthings sparred

They’d crash and lie there broken and no longer flew

So he would always help us out, with a tube of glue

 

He’d thrill us with his stories, of those days of yore

When freshly out of high school, he served in the second world war

How many aircraft he destroyed, will remain unknown

But down through many decades, the number has steadily grown

 

He must have been a hero, in allied pilot’s eyes

As hordes of German aircraft fell down from the skies

No quarter ever asked, no quarter ever given

When the slightest error, could never be forgiven

 

I still catch up with Benny and recall those days long gone

Those airmen have all left life’s stage, but the memory is still strong

And when we spin our “waries”, we remember Benny’s dad

By far the worst mechanic, the Luftwaffe ever had

 

By Tomas ‘Paddy’ Hamilton
20 October 2020

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