Sep. 1941.
“The Casualties Were Small”.

When Winton Aerodrome was bombed,
The “Casualties were small”.
Just your son, and my son, and little widow Brown’s son,
The youngest of them all.

And your son was your eldest lad,
Handsome and straight and tall.
A model for your younger sons,
Beloved by you all.

And Mrs Brown’s, her youngest boy,
Her sole support, and stay.
So like his father, all her joy,
Was quenched, on that dark day.

And mine, my only son and pride,
So loved and dear to all.
The blast of bombs spread far and wide,
Tho’ “the casualties were small”.

The exact date of the poem ‘The Casualties Were Small’ is not known. It is likely that May wrote it, as an expression of her worst fears for Ron’s safety, following his description of the circumstances of the live bomb incident could easily have been fatal for him (see Diary post 10 Sep. 1941). The poem has been added to the poems collection on this site. It inspired the title of the book The Casualties Were Small which contains over twenty of May’s poems as well as selected diary extracts, including those which suggest the background to each poem, accompanied by many nostalgic photographs.

Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?

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