[Editor: A poem published in Aussie: The Australian Soldiers’ Magazine, no. 1, 18 January 1918.]
The Song of the Bayonet Instructor.
Kill ! Kill ! Kill !
At the throat and then at the heart,
That’s the way to make the Hun start,
So go at it with a will.
Kill ! Kill ! Kill !
The right groin, the stomach and breast,
Give it him hard without any rest,
So long as you’re killing still.
Kill ! Kill ! Kill !
The long point, the short and the jab;
Shove it right into his Sandy McNab,
Stop when he’s permanently still.
Kill ! Kill ! Kill !
The parry, the butt and disarm;
Always keep cool, but don’t be too calm,
Just think you’re at Kaiser Bill.
Kill ! Kill ! Kill !
With a rush, a plunge and curse;
Don’t leave a job for a dainty nurse,
Or take any change on the bill.
“Dingbat.”
Source:
Aussie: The Australian Soldiers’ Magazine, no. 1, 18 January 1918, page 4
Editor’s notes:
Hun = Germans (“Hun” could be used in a singular sense to refer to an individual German, as well as in a collective sense to refer to the German military or to Germans in general) (similar to the usage of “Fritz”)
Kaiser Bill = Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm II (William II) was the head of the German Empire, from 15 June 1888 up until his abdication on 9 November 1918, two days prior to the armistice which ended World War One (however, his official “Statement of Abdication” was dated 28 November 1918)
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