Cpl Eric Lowther of the 6th Battalion the Lincolnshire Regiment, is pictured at left above with two fellow NCOs in this hugely evocative wartime photograph. For the story behind the poem he wrote about the First Battle of Sedjenane, see the following page. Photographs and text in this section courtesy of Mark Gamble
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The Battle of Sedjenane
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Zero hour was drawing near,
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Patrols went out to seek
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The enemy who had pressed us
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Until we felt so weak.
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Every nerve in every man
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Was tensed before the battle
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Soon big guns began to roar
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And machine guns began to rattle.
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Onward came the drunken Hun
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Once, twice, thrice, and more
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But still the men behind the guns
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Fought on as this was war.
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All day long they tried to break
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Our lines, still strong as steel
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But men they found it hopeless
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And the strain began to feel.
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The sun went down and darkness fell
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But our men still brave and true
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Fought on until the morning light
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Which brought them hopes anew.
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The enemy who had suffered loss
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Fetched up more men to break
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Our lines still strong and forlorn
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And our positions tried to take.
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All day long through toil and sweat
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Men fought with dauntless courage
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Until at last unbeaten yet
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Withdrawn still fighting steady
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Although our pals we had to leave
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Never to see again
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But one day the foe will suffer
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For the Battle of Sedjenane
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Eric Lowther’s poem ended with a dedication:
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“Dedicated by Corporal Lowther to the Officers and Men of the 6th Lincolns Regiment who stood to their guns and willingly gave up their lives in those hours of hell. They fought this battle with the courage of a true Lincoln. Gladly they went to where duty called. They did not flinch themselves to save, but through their valour we have found new strength, new greatness and new life”.
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NEXT PAGE: More on Eric Lowther
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