The Farewell Poem by Christopher Tye

The Farewell

Farewell my homeland and family,
To Flanders Fields and foreign lands must I go,
For king and country our regiment goes,
Our hearts will always be here with you.

If luck is on our side we will return one day,
To England's green and pleasant land,
But for now we must embark for distant shores,
Who knows what lay's ahead for us as we fight for freedom.

We leave from every shire and parish in this land,
Hoping God will watch over us and our brothers in arms,
We do not hate our enemies we just stand for liberty,
We know not where this war will lead us.

To our families we hope to return soon,
They say the war will be over by Christmas,
And freedom and liberty restored to all,
We hope our losses will be mercifully light.

Farewell for now all that I have known,
Our hearts are heavy and our souls homesick,
If my time on earth runs out remember me,
And think of me as a little part of England,
That's forever at rest in Flanders Fields,
For us this is the price of freedom.

By Christopher Tye