William H.A. Willbond MSM, CD

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT GERMANY, 1959-1963

‘Twas back in nineteen and fifty-nine
in Deutschland I was serving time
With B Coy 2 QOR of C[1]
over there in Germany

In the BOR[2] 1 QOR of C
I stayed ‘til nineteen sixty-three
An no-one ever yelled so loud
as CSM[3] the “Rod” McLeod

Old Mumbles Hampton was our RSM[4]
and he was real good to all us men
HQ Coy[5] CQ[6] was old Joe Zumprelle;
he had eight war medals and big beer belly.

And of old Zump we were all very proud
but he wasn’t like by the Rod McLeod
Shakey McNeil, the Rat and Me
all worked for Zump in the Company

Old Zump got married in forty-five
but no-one ever saw his wife alive
Marriage Allowance he was paid for years
then the Feds made him pay back in arrears

Staff Hendrick, Jim Duberry, Al Bond and I
observed the Rod as he rose on high
Oft in the evening you’d hear his cry shrill
‘bout the lads on CB[7] a-doing pack drill

The Orderly Sergeant, he’d scream and he’d shout
‘bout the terrible drill and the rotten turn out
The TDM path was side-lined with rocks
and each one was painted whiter than chalk

Old Flatnose McEarchern who worked R&D[8]
had something on Kenrod as sure as can be
He never paraded, he often came late;
no-one would check him when he went out the gate

Like Lance Corporal Uzzi, he’d sit on Rod’s desk
treated with kindness, not like the rest
No yelling, no shouting, no screaming or strife
(There was some rumour about some young soldier’s wife?)

I said farewell to Shotzie and sold my old car
I made my last trip to the old Mollie Bar
I packed up my kitbag and homeward I flew;
eighteen I went, I returned twenty-two