War - Ww1 - Billy The Bantam Poem by Paul Warren

Billy the Bantam joined the 1st AIF in the Liverpool Camp
In the 12th Reinforcements for the 13th Battalion
In September 1915 when was issued an ID disc
ID number 400, name, Billy Bantam religion RC and rank bugler

He took his duties seriously in the morning to sound reveille
Six weeks at sea saw him arrive at Zeitoun camp in Egypt
And he soon reached ascendancy over the other mascots
Which included wallabies, opossums, dogs and snakes

The diggers took Billy on desert route marches sitting on a pack
And one day shaped up and defeated a fox terrier fellow mascot
In March 1916 he was posted to his unit at Tel-el-Kebir
He was a happy and friendly fellow always with the diggers

When he got to France he found himself near Bailleul
In a farmhouse with other chickens where he was the rooster
At Bois-Grenier he was in the trenches with bullets and bombs
After this he was permanently attached to battalion transport

For rations and discipline Tom Igoe was his mate who over-fed him
With too much cheese so the M.O. gave him castor oil
And 24 hours light duties for a complete rest and recovery
But worst happened when he was stolen but later found

Billy found a bantam hen and he started a large brood then
And his troop used to follow the Battalion around France
Until Tom Igoe left the Battalion with the 1918 men
Billy was smuggled in an instrument case on board to Australia.

© Paul Warren Poetry