Three Cheers For The Man
On The Ground
© E. Sykes 1942
Wherever you walk, you will hear people talk
Of the men who go up in the air
Of the dare devil way, they go into the fray
Facing death without turning a hair
They will raise a big cheer and buy lots of beer
For a pilot who's home on leave;
But they do not give a jigger,
For a flight mech or rigger
With nothing but 'props' on his sleeve
They just say " Nice day " and then turn away
With never a mention of praise
And the poor bloody erk who does all the work;
Just orders his own beer
And pays
They've never been told, of the hours in the cold
That he spends sealing Germany's fate
How he works on a kite till all of the night
And then he turns up next morning at eight.
He gets no rake off for working till take off
Or helping the aircrew prepare
But when ever there is trouble, its " Quick at the
double "
The man on the ground must be there
Each flying crew could tell it to you
They know what this man is really worth
They know he is part of the RAF's heart
Even though he stays close to the earth
He does not want glory but please tell his story
Spread a little of his fame around
He is one of a few, so give him his due
Three cheers for the man on the ground
Please follow this link
to a poem which was true then and even truer now
