THE LAST FLIGHT
He knew his service time was up
His service time was done
His Vampire soared above the clouds
Now he would have some fun
He'd flown for nearly 15 years
He'd flown right through the War
His father's shop now beckoned him
For he would fly no more
Greengrocery is a useful trade
It just was not for him
Inside he raged a dark tirade
The future was so grim
He pushed the stick into a dive
For one last bit of fun
When up aloft he felt alive
He dived from out the sun
The children by the bridge below
All saw the jet fly under
Then through the gorge above the trees
Roaring by like thunder
The right side wing then seemed to flip
The winds were furious there
Down to the left he seemed to slip
His flying ended there
A flash of flame a mass of smoke
Then sounds of his impact
In life he'd always liked to joke
Death is a joyless fact
The children by the bridge had run
To try to get some aid
But there was nothing to be done
His mess bills went unpaid
©Copyright 2005 by Trevor Morgan
Author’s Note: A RAF pilot, at the end of his career, flew his Vampire jet under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and died. I witnessed this long ago as a child.
I remember this incident well. Some friends and I saw the plane go under the bridge and crash into the rock face opposite to us. We ran nearly a mile and found a policeman and told him. He was in the process of arresting us for wasting police time when a taxi driver drew up and reported the crash as well. He then wanted details. But because he told us we were bloody little liars so we said: it was all a lie 'cos he said so and he was a policeman and he knew best