What Bill Said Poem by Cicely Fox Smith

“So Fritz ‘e’s at ‘is tricks,” Bill said,
“’Is dirty sinkin’ game:
We thought we’d learned ‘im better -
Well it seems ‘e’s still the same,
But there ain’t no ‘Ans-medoodle
In the blessed ‘ole caboodle
As’ll stop me
Goin’ to sea.”
Bill said, said he.

“I’ve known ‘is little ways last war,
First was off the Lizard
In a seven-knot rusty cargo tramp
By name the
Northern Wizard;

I left ‘er in my singlet
In a January blizzard
Which wasn’t the best o’ fun -
And that was Number One,”
Bill said, said he.

'Next was south the Fastnet
In the tanker
Panama
;
‘E peppered us with shrapnel
Just afore he said ‘Ta-ta!’
We was seven days driftin’
With our dead and dyin’ crew -
An’ that was Number Two,”
Bill said, said he.

“Last was west of Ushant,
The Old Man up an damned ‘em;
‘E shoved the ‘elm ‘ard over
And ‘e went for ‘em and rammed ‘em,
That was Number Three,”
Bill said, said he.

“And now ‘e’s at ‘is tricks,” Bill said,
“The same old game again.
Well let ‘im do ‘is darnedest,
And ' e’ll find as ‘e found then
I ain’t met
The square-‘ead yet
As’ll stop me
Goin’ to sea,”
Bill said, said he.