Churchill funeral poem

[Mikkanjazza]

At the end of the BBC's broadcast of Churchill's funeral, I recall Richard Dimbleby reciting a poem, obviously specially written for the occasion - all I can remeber is the last line, I think it was "But the heart breaks at Bladon". I have tried everywhere to identify it with no success - anybody out there help?

[swedeheart]

If you're still in possession of an LP player you might want to have a look at this

It seems promising (although it does say "Dimley"...?)

Incidentally, there's lots from the funeral on YouTube, here's part one (there are six parts altogether from that particular poster) but it's from Independent Television and it's mostly the procession I suspect, just having browsed it.

That's an awesome last line. I'll keep looking but it does seem hard to find.

[swedeheart]

or even "Dimbley"

[swedeheart]

Success! Sort of. I haven't found the text as such, but it was written by a Mrs Crabtree/Avril Anderson. These two excerpts are from Wendy Webster's book Englishness and Empire 1939-1965:

excerpt a

excerpt b (reference)

I don't understand how to search those BBC archives though - ♫ ♪ maybe it's because I'm a foreigner ♪ ♪ that they won't let me in...♫ ♪

It's also mentioned here (towards the end).

If you do find it, please post it here.

[Mikkanjazza]

What a star swedeheart!! This certainly gives me something to get my teeth into. And I was barking up the wrong tree - I rather thought it would have been written by the Poet Laureate, so I was on completely the wrong track. I'll certainly post it if/when I find it. Thanks again!

[swedeheart]

My pleasure. Notice how the meter leads you to into thinking there will be one more line, and then, when there isn't, the impact is terrific - it's as if that heart stops beating right there and then. I really want to find it now!

[kempie]

"At Bladon"


Drop English earth on him beneath
do our sons; and their sons bequeath
his glories and our pride and grief
at Bladon.


For Lionheart that lies below
that feared not toil nor tears or foe.
Let the oak stand tho' tempests blow
at Bladon.


So Churchill sleeps, yet surely wakes
old wariror where the morning breaks
on sunlit uplands. But the heart aches
at Bladon.

[swedeheart]

Huh! That's neatly wrought! The last line falls into place less spectacularly than I thought at first, and the heart aches instead of breaks, but all in all I likes it! (Should it not be "to our sons"...?)

Way to go kempie, how did you do that please?

[Mikkanjazza]

Yes, come on kempie, you can't just leave it at that - where did you find it? And swedeheart - you describe yourself as a foreigner - you're not telling me that English is not your first language?

[swedeheart]

Hi Mikkanjazza, it seems Superkempie has left the building;-) He/she is very helpful though and has answered many of my questions over the years. Your username is green, Mikkanjazza, so I'm guessing you're new to this site - welcome.

Thank you for your kind words and no technically I'm not a foreigner as I live in my own country - Sweden, Stockholm - and have never lived abroad, but I chose my AnswerBank username to try and send the message across that English isn't my language. I use dictionaries all-the-effin' time; if you met me on the street and asked for directions you'd hear me stammer and stutter because I have great difficulty retrieving words in English (I'm not young, either). I often notice when reading threads here on this site that many jokes and references go straight over my head. But what's really bad is that I sometimes use expressions in their original sense and later find out that they're often used sarcastically:-( (of course, I can be a right bitch when I choose too - it's just that it would be nice to be aware of it ha ha).

Anyhoo... the reason I mentioned it, earlier, is that some sites won't let me enjoy the party, for instance I can't watch BBC iPlayer, and yesterday I couldn't make any sense of those archives either, so by mentioning it I was sort of saying Over to you, you're on your own now, kid.

BTW your username sounds Finnish...?

[kempie]

The lines of verse were retrieved from the ChurchillChat Google Group, specifically from a message concerning the 10th Churchill Tour - "Churchill's England" - of May 2006, organised by US based The Churchill Centre...

http://groups.google.com/group/ChurchillChat/b rowse_frm/thread/73f65893bfedf9f7/4a8aff1b919f 3fe1?tvc=1

[Mikkanjazza]

Kempie - many thanks for that reference - I may well follow it up - like swedeheart I have a feeling that the wording may not be quite right, but at least I'm a million miles further forward than I was before, so thanks again. Swedeheart - your Engish is impeccable - I would guess that very few native English speakers would use the word "wrought" and even less would use it correctl;y - it's often mistakenly used as the past tense of "wreak", that is, to inflict (usually damage) on someone or something. So that's what my name in green means? How long do I have to stick around before it goes black? I'm English - the username is a combination of Mikka (for Michael, that's me) and Jazza (for Joyce, my wife who sadly died a few years ago). Not quite sure what you mean by "not young" - I'm 71, can you beat that?

[swedeheart]

Thanks kempie, I appreciate that :-)

71 he he no Mikkanjazza I can't beat that, but give me time. What a nice thought to include your wife in this, "Jazza" sounds a lovely term of endearment, I can almost see her dancing beside a gramophone as I read it.

Not sure when you'll turn grey or whether it's just a matter of time or if it also depends on how active you are. For me I think it was a couple of weeks. The only trouble with being green on this site is that some people will assume you're a troll, as trolls register under a new name with each dawning day, so it seems. But don't worry 'bout that - like youth, it will pass!

[Mikkanjazza]

Swedeheart - thanks to kempie's links, I have been able to e-mail Canon Roger Humphreys at Bladon Church, and he has sent me the poem - exactly as posted by kempie. What I hadn't noticed was that there is a semi-colon following "our sons" on the second line, so "do our sons" does make sense (sort of), i.e. it is our sons who are doing the dropping. And my memory still insists that it was "the heart breaks" rather than "aches" - but then it was a pretty emotional experience, and maybe I heard what I wanted to hear? And indeed if you look at it cold-bloodedly, you might be upset, but hardly heart-broken at the inevitable end of such a long life. Anyway, enormous, enormous thanks to you both - I've been trying to find this for years, and you two have come up with the answer in just days! It may be our paths will cross again, but for now (does the Spock thing with the fingers) live long and prosper.

[kempie]

\V/ � Dif-tor heh smusma

[swedeheart]

...erm... ditloid... ford... something... what kempie said ^ (I can do the Vulcan salute with my left hand but not my right, ain't that weird) See you around, Mikkanjazza.

[Segilla]

Good news for you swedeheart? This is a recent answer on Answerbank for a problem put by an American unable to watch UK TV
"... the stations can check the IP address of the user to see where they have come from. He could try visiting the site via a proxy site like http://www.proxify.com which hides his real IP but there's no guarantee this will work".

I can tell you it worked for him!

[swedeheart]

Oh my...! Segilla...! But is that... how shall I put it so as not to embarrass The American Friend... erm... I've had a look at it and I'm wondering if perhaps it's only mildly legal...? I'm a bit timid about breaking the law and feel I would like to make an informed decision. I'll certainly look into it! Much obliged, as the Americans say!

[alfiedog]

a good many years later but yes, here it is:

'At Bladon', by Avril Andersen (also known as Mrs Crabtree):

'At Bladon'

From the halls of king's they bore him then
the greatest of all Englishmen
to the nations the world's requiem
at Bladon.
Drop English earth on him beneath
do our sons; and their sons bequeath
his glories and our pride and grief
at Bladon.
For Lionheart that lies below
that feared not toil nor tears or foe.
Let the oak stand tho' tempests blow
at Bladon.
So Churchill sleeps, yet surely wakes
old warrior where the morning breaks
on sunlit uplands. But the heart aches
at Bladon

[coolshoes]

Lily Avril Anderson was the daughter of Sir Robert and Lady Lily Anderson of Londonderry. She married Tom Crabtree, my Grandfather's brother, and was known as Avril, but published her work as Avril Anderson. I think her poetry was also read at the funeral of Lord Louis Mountbatten.