Last Parade Poem by A. P. Herbert

Fall in, old friends—and then dismiss.
You never thought to part like this.
So long the bugle and the gun,
But not one chance to hit the Hun.
And yet, God knows, you've done your due;
Montgomery was based on you;
And when Montgomery went in
You were remembered in Berlin.

Fall in, old friends. We shan't forget
The cheapest army mustered yet:
And let us give your women thanks
Whose homes we robbed to fill your ranks.
You stood before—they stood behind,
To keep the Darkness from mankind.
You took up arms to save the sun.
Old friends, dismiss. The job is done.
December 3, 1944