War - Ww1 - Shov. Wood Poem by Paul Warren

At the call of the Armistice of the Great War in 1918
The armies of the war needed to be disarmed clean
And the quartermaster sergeants of the AIF
Had to record the return of the equipment that was left

Although these men were efficient at their task
The army's records were abbreviated puzzling fast
Because the language varied with each man
The return of equipment didn't always go as planned

One quartermaster sergeant was baffled by shov. wood
And asking around others were puzzled as it could
Not be found as to the item issued to the artillery batteries
So one of the artillery sergeants had an idea in his theory

They would make something to be ticked off by the officer
And they went to work with bits and pieces to infer
With a couple of wheels from a farm made a shov. wood
So duly painted and stencil it was put together as it could

Wanting to have it ticked off quickly it was shown
But the officer with a laugh was amused with a smile known
You see shov. wood was wooden shovels that were there
And he said in fact you have three instead of one so don't despair.

© Paul Warren Poetry