It was j ust before dawn one m iserable morning i n black forty-four
W hen the foreward commander was told to sit tight
When they asked that his m en be withd rawn
A nd the generals gave thanks as the other ranks
H eld back the enemy tanks for a while
And the A nzio Bridgehead was h eld for the price
Of a f ew hundred ordinary lives
A nd kind old King G eorge sent Mother a n ote when
he heard that Father was gone
I t was I rec all in the form of a s croll with gold leaf and all
A nd I found it one day in a drawer of old photographs hidden away
A nd my eyes still grow damp to rem ember
His Majesty s igned with his own rubber stamp
I t was dark all ar ound there was frost on the g round
When the Tigers broke f ree
A nd no-one survived from the Royal Fusiliers Company "C"
T hey were all left beh ind most of them d ead - the rest of them d ying
A nd that's how the h igh command took my d addy from me