---

By Rebecca Adams, 12

Appleton Academy

I seriously aren’t feeling well,
The battlefield a living hell.
Every day I face death and pain,
I don’t know how I’ve stayed sane.
With guns and weapons all around,
My feet start trembling on the ground.
It seems there’s no such thing as a good day,
And I cannot stand this sea of grey.
There’s no-where to run or freely roam,
But one thing keeps me going. I want to go home.

---

By Zunaira Afzaal, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

As we enter the battlefield,
Staying brave and bold.
As we enter the battlefield,
With our stories remaining untold..

We enter with pride and honour,
We'll win once and for all.
With enter with pride and honour,
We'll remain standing tall..

As we entered the battlefield,
Determined to win.
As we entered the battlefield,
Fighting to remove our sins..

We left with pride and honour,
Victorious once and for all.
We left with pride and honour,
Still standing tall.

---

Poppies For Blood – Edward Agombar, 12

Westgate School

Poppies for blood
Today remember
Trenches of mud
A vast land of barbed wire .

Poppies for blood
Swarming rats and lice
The silence of death
A family photo blurred by the rain.

Poppies for blood
Poppies for blood
Thousands upon thousands
Dead
We remember those that died for us

---

By Aisha Ali, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Guns as dark as the night sky
The lids over the threatened eyes
As soon as I turned my back
There were many people attacked.

World War One lasted four years
There were many people who had fears
Poppy day is a remembrance day.

This day had to come
Where people started fighting
Now I am here alive

---

The Dark Sky... – By Aneeq Ali, 12

Beckfoot School

The wind was howling,
I was marching into battle,
They were attacking,
We couldn’t fight back..

“Fall back” instructed the commander,
However, I disobeyed him,
And ran for my friend,
He was wounded..

Dodging the bullets,
I lifted him up,
Then came that moment,
When a bullet pierced through my heart..

I disobeyed my commander,
So he shot me!
Listen to the commander or suffer the consequences.

---

Trench Foot – By Ayesha Ali, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Bullets whizzing past my head
My feet won’t move they are frozen stiff.
Trench foot-blackened toes.
Futile socks sent from home…..
These feet have been used to walk, through the long grass swaying side to side
It felt like heaven now I have trench feet.
Disgusting as ever.
Wrinkly and gangrene toes
Sergeant coming towards me.
Trying to put whale fat on my feet
At first I felt embarrassed and awkward
His stubbly fingers on my toes
Felt great it was helping
His thick stubby fingers all over me.
The whale fat was of no use
Once I was disgusted
But now I think it was good
Rats scuttle past my trench feet
Tin cans rattle in the night
We bayonet the vermin
Hang them on lines with pride
.

---

Destiny – By Humaira Ali, 13

Appleton Academy

Waiting for the bombs to blow
At 11am the sun glows.

Soldiers fighting risking their lives
Wishing that they would survive.

At Flanders field there they are
Poppies radiant like a shining star.

The war ended in 1918
1936 was unforeseen

---

War Poem – Ehtisham Akbar, 11

Beckfoot School

The young soldiers who died in war
Their wounds extremely raw
The heroic heroes fought fiercely for our country on
The blood covered battlefield
A soldier masks his fear
Marching forward for glory and freedom
A silent tear trickles down his bruised bony cheek
Although he died amongst thousands of comrades, deep in his heart he
Feels isolated as he breathes his last breath.

The poppies are silent witnesses
Unable to speak of the horror of war weeping silently
Shedding tears of sorrow
Unable to intervene.

His family feel angry with themselves for a moment or two
Their hearts explode with misery
They will miss his lovely laughter and silly smile but it’s all a memory now that
Will linger in their heart and will haunt them for the rest of their days
Knowing that he will never walk through their door again.

But for the young hero heaven awaits him
Many years have passed since but I’ll always remembers the
Bravery of those who taught future generations to sacrifice for others.

---

By Riyadh Akhtar, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

Waiting to hit the battlefield,
Shaking and stuttering with fear,
Legs shaking, hands sweating,
Family already missing,
BANG guns dropped,
Bodies flopped,
Breathing in smog,
Bodies were left
Families felt like it was theft.
Fighting for survival
By killing our rival
Silent but deadly.
Gas Gas.
The voice was fluctuating.
While the rest were fighting
Life on the line
Maybe it was a sign
Where did all the youth and laughter go?

---

World War I – By Zainab Akhtar, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Soldiers preparing for war,
Women cooking and doing the chores.
Family placing poppies on the grave of their fellow son, Jack.
Fighters fighting to get their land back.
This lasted 4 years until Germany gave France a big old sack..

Eight million killed, twenty million wounded, soldiers spent sixteen days on trench duty.
Britain were jealous of Germany, this was because they became a vigorous country..

Daddy's gone to fight,
Leaving me and Mummy nice and tight.
I hope Daddy is alright, with all his might, I just want him back by tonight. .

Oh Daddy, you've left us,
Despaired and scared.
Me and mummy are at your grave,
Leaving you poppies so we can remember this day.

---

In World War One – By Olivia Austin, 11

Thornton Primary School

Sauntering around no man’s land,
Hearing the dreaded missiles bang.
Guns firing,
Solders dyeing.
In dismal World War One..

Muddy trenches everywhere,
Bullets firing hear and there.
Bombs exploding,
Guns reloading.
In terrible World War One..

Looking up at the night sky,
I gaze at the stars as I lie.
I hope for peace,
For now at least.
In dismal World War One.

---

WW1 Poem – By Sam Avison, 12

Appleton Academy

In 1915 World War One began, through the streets the innocent ran.
Lying in the trenches was not very god. It got even worse when they saw blood.
Planes dropped bombs all around, houses collapsed with a mighty sound.
Fighting together hand in hand, the soldiers fought to save the land.

---

Unforgotten – By Uzma Azeem, 14

Zakaria Muslim Girls High School

Sorrow and grief
Filled hearts of families, forgotten was any
Happiness and pride.

Fear of death
Clouded minds, gone was the
Satisfaction for striving.

The pain of separation from home
Became stronger than
The will to stay and fight.

Fear of dying
Overcame the
Bravery for trying.

Fear surrounded the thoughts of soldiers
It was no longer known that
The battles were fought for honour.

For their death, countries became
Worried, proud
For the loss of citizens they weren’t.

Only months
It has been since war ended and lives were lost, some aged
A hundred years.

(Years later, this is read from the bottom to the top)

---

WW1 Poem – By Freddie Azfar, 11

Bradford Grammar School

Rifles, snipers, machine guns and tanks,
Such a brutal war,
Grenades, cannons and courageous soldiers,
Fearlessly marching into battle..

Smart, brave and reckless people,
All of them fighting,
For their freedom..

Heroic gutsy and fearless troops,
Obeying orders,
From the wise colonels..

Guns, trenches, parasites and fever,
All these infections get meaner and meaner!.

Maggots, lice, mosquitoes and leeches
These trenches are foul!.

This war was hard work
But we still won!

---

The Dying Soldier – By Sarah Babi, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

The sky darkens as the sound of a bomb goes off
In the distance the sound of a faint cough
...From a dying soldier...
He looks around to realise he is bound
To the ground by his wounds
He calls for help but instead
Yelps in pain.

On the snowy ground beyond the trenches
There’s a man in the ground
He is a lone survivor
The once soft white snow
Was drenched red as he bled..

He longed to see his family again
Who were slain
He vowed vengeance for their
Death but it all went in
Vain.

The dying soldier closes his
Eyes and let out his
...Final sigh....

In the hope to see his
Family to be reunited
With them
And to never let each other
Go
........Again........

---

By Thomas Bannon, 12

Appleton Academy

World War One
It wasn’t fun
There were deaths and some thefts
Blood was spilt
In the houses that were built
They fought for survival
Against their rifles
When planes flew
Bobs blew

---

WINNER

Johnny – By Bethia Barber, 14

Fairweather Green, Bradford

Take me to the field where Johnny stumbled, and fell –
Take me to his body, though it rests in hell
I’ll pay you my last farthing, and give you my last ration card;
Johnny’s death strikes like a brittle ice shard.
Don’t care about living; the Great War took him from me
My pledge on his finger, as it always will be,
They’re killers, all of them. Those khaki shirts
Hide hearts as dark as bloody ink spurts.
Black as my grief, and deep as the grey
Of the forlorn morning light; what can I say?
Is it real? – Or am I dreaming?

Johnny, my friend – my sweetheart, my lover –
My husband, my conqueror –
I never loved another.
Your kingdom is fallen in ruins and ashes
The king, he has fallen –
The land is no more –
The skies sound with weeping, and the darkness is seeping
With loss and betrayal and a locked, closed door
Through which I can venture –
No! Never more.

But light is approaching beyond the wild storm
Your memory is dearer than the sweetest wild rose
My sorrow has mellowed, as life still endures
And our daughter brings joy I never dreamt of before.
On occasion we visit the memorial, which arose
In the village, as stately as the old oak tree grows.
But, Johnny, more precious than the poppies on your grave
Is the image of your face in the life that you gave.

---

The Memories Of The Poppy – By Libby Barlow-Hall, 14

Silsden, Bradford

The wind blows softly through the blood red poppies
That speak of long dead battles for power,
Battles that stole lives from the conflicting world.

The red of the blooms forever reminding us
Of the losses this earth felt
In the first great conflict of this world.

Did the generals of that war ever wonder
If they were ordering others into an empty carnage?
While they sat in their command stations
Throwing the lives of those they never met
At the endless army of the enemy’s men.

If the time comes will we fight as willingly as they did?
Marching to the end of our futures.
Will we remember those young lives lost in the battle?

The memories of men may fail
In the long years of our lives
But the memories of the poppies shall never falter.

---

Why Does War Happen? – Alex Barrett, 11

Eldwick Primary School

It came so fast,
But we saw it coming,
No-man’s land so vast,
It all ends in a bit of running.

---

Raheem’s WW1 Poem – By Raheem Bashir, 13

Priesthorpe School

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Goes the snipers and the rifles
Our darling England should be protected
With all our hearts!
The bloods running down our
bodies like Usain Bolt
We must kill for her
We must die for her
She’s our loyal queen
And we must saver
her from these foreign invaders!
The terrible, torturous, trench feet
took over my feet
I used to have 5 toes but
now I have 2 only my middle ones
my nails were black, my feet were rotting
but I love England and no one
can stop me from protecting her!!!!

---

The Poppy – Hollie Bawnsley, 14

Beckfoot School

The shields of blood covered the field,
Darkness shrouded over lives.
The sun did not let her rays smile.
Nor the birds sing their sweet songs.

The sheds of blood covered the field,
Hope lost at another man’s hand.
No longer did laughter enclose their hearts,
Emotion turned frosty, numb with hate.

The sheds of blood covered the field,
Lives stolen by the hatred.
Never could life begin again,
The sun could never rejoice once more.

But now a new light covers the field,
A new faith surrounds their souls.
A single poppy blooms from the evil,
A single poppy brings the new light.

And now love and life is reformed,
A single poppy is worn to my chest.

---

It’s Time To Say Goodbye Now – By Elliah-Courtney Bayles, 14

Tong High School

It’s time to say goodbye now,
As I wave my mother farewell.
It’s time to say goodbye now,
As I’m young and fit and all round swell.

It’s time to say goodbye now,
Time to take the soldiers path.
Take it with my brothers,
Arrive there with a laugh.

It’s time to say goodbye now,
As I enter what’s said a game.
I want to be a winner,
I want them all to know my name.

It’s time to say goodbye now,
As over the trenches we go.
Turning our backs to the war, our heads sunk low,
As our stairway to heaven will finally show.

It’s time to say goodbye now,
As my bullet wounds won’t heal.
Slowly falling into peace,
As you whisper in my ear,
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
The greatest lie to ever hear.

---

Silence Among The Poppies – By Eire Benson

Beckfoot School

There is silence among poppies, no more noise
No more war lest we forget those who fall.

Once this field was full of trenches with heroes
All ready to fight with bayonets and shell shocked heads
But nothing made them cower but now just
Poppies grow with silence of victory..

Once this field was heart of destruction surrounded
By gas with mothers and children choking to survive
But death took its toll and now poppies
Grow with silence of defeat..

Once this field had many soldiers all with
Families but now only survivors stand in victory
Or defeat walking among the silent poppies
Remembering the fallen heroes..

Lest we forget the fallen,

---

By Adam Bentley, 12

Appleton Academy

Over the hills,
And on the streets,
War and attacks,
Near whoever you meet..

Give them peace,
Or even joy,
Give the poor children,
A small toy..

It’s time that we remember,
100 years ago,
Battles across the land,
The poppies go to show. .

How could we forget,
The lives that it has lost,
Shot, beaten, killed,
The bodies that one lost..

In the world, still no peace,
Wars are not fun,
It’s good that we remember,
World War One.

---

Life In World War One – By Sophie Bhatt, 11

Eldwick Primary School

I saw the blood,
I saw the guns,
I saw the bodies laying helplessly on the ground.

I heard the bombs,
I heard the bullets,
I heard the screams and shouts and cries.

I smelled the smoke,
I smelled the fire,
I smelled the burning of the rubbish and rubble.

I felt the fear,
I felt the pain,
I felt the hope of the people back home.

I touched the gun,
I touched the ground,
I touched the muddy grass that was all around.

---

By Asma Bibi, 14

Belle Vue Girls’ School

My poor feet-stuck in this stinking, flooded trench,
So stiff and look absolutely disgusting to others,
A parcel from home contains useless socks,
I wear leather boots-futile.
… My feet have been used to the English beaches.
Where the water lapped gently over my feet,
My feet were in heaven before…
Now they feel like hell.
Where once long grass sprang beneath my toes
Now gangrene spreads and deathly wrinkles.
The sergeant is coming towards me with the whale fat.
I would have been embarrassed once
But now I want all the cure in the world.
His thick stubby fingers wrap between my gangrenous toes.
But the whale fat is of no use.
Perhaps my rotting painful feet are not the problem.
But my whale body may not live to see the end of the war.

---

I Had To Go – By Iqra Bibi, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

From the day I wore that hat
I knew what my duty had to be
On the door I heard a rat-a-tat-tat
And realised it was morning already.

I got dressed to look my best
And filled up with glee
There was no room for all the rest
Because I knew what my duty had to be.

As I stepped out of the door
I knew I had fears
For when the war was started
There was bloodshed and tears.

Now I hid behind a boulder
And gave a slight sigh
For then I needed a shoulder
To cry and cry and cry.

In the green fields
The poppies now glow
As red as a soldier’s blood
Who then had to go...

---

RUNNER-UP

We Stand Together, We Stand Alone! – By Issac Birdsall, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

We stand together, we stand alone,
In the trenches damp and cold,
People standing strong and bold,
We will win this we get told,
Just sit tight, work hard and behold.

We stand together, we stand alone,
The gun’s ring out the people fall,
Then we hear the “GAS, GAS” call,
We grab the gas masks standing tall,
Others don’t, others fall.

We stand together, we stand alone,
The bombs explode all around,
Rotting corpses on the ground,
The soldiers out getting a pound,
Will happiness ever be found?

We stand together, we stand alone,
I run out clutching my gun,
I thought this war was meant to be fun,
Come on kill the Hun,
Let’s end this, let’s get it won.

We stand together, we stand alone,
I feel a pain, I know I’ve been hit,
Bullet holes cover me bit by bit,
Then there’s redness in my spit,
I fall to the floor in a bloody pit.

I close my eyes with a tired groan,
This is death!
We stand together, we stand alone.

---

Only 10 Hours Ago – By Jack Bowman, 11

Eldwick Primary School

Only 10 hours ago men were dying but now we’re joyful on the football pitch. .

Only 10 hours ago men were shooting at each other but now we are shooting at the goal..

Only 10 hours to go we were throwing grenades but now we’re throwing a leather ball..

Only 10 hours ago our hearts were madly beating but now we’re beating the last defender..

Only 10 hours ago we were swapping clothes but now we’re swapping photos with our enemy..

Merry Christmas!

---

By Sophie Braithwaite, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

Unconscious, lying around like a dying fish,
Almost camouflage from the mud.
Yet some moaning in agony,
Some even crawling, slithering like a slug,
Amongst the crowd to be back in our haven.
Suddenly, a violent shake,
Wake up lad, you’re up,
Then a ferocious Bang!
Attack!
Rushing, stumbling, falling
I clutched my gun.
Boom! Bang!
If you could take a life, you would not want to remember.
The guilt smothered my face,
Frozen as ice, plastic as a doll,
I glared into the fiery pit of death,
Watching the devil take another soul.

---

Bang Bang – By Cheyney Louise Toni Brame, 11

Appleton Academy

Bang Bang the guns sang.
To the soldiers in the trench
It didn’t make much sense.
Bang Bang was the song
To the soldiers the war seemed so long
Bang Bang was the sound.
Over the top they were bound.
Bang Bang all around
Many of the soldiers never to be found.
Bang Bang is the call.
To never forget the soldiers who fought in the World War.

---

By James Brennan, 12

Appleton Academy

100 years have gone by since the last World War One
Soldiers did die.
Men were forced to fight and give it all there might.
Bombs dropped, guns were shot, fallen heroes forget them not.
Poppies grew where the fallen had died, now we buy them and wear them with pride.

---

Tommy Boy – By Shannon Briggs, 12

Appleton Academy

Back in the 14/18 war
Tommy Boys scared of what they saw.
Along with fighting, guns and mortar.
Lack of food, clothes and water.
Families sending cake and socks tied up neatly in a cardboard box.
Mums and Dads and family too.
Praying their heroes come home soon.

---

By Jodie Lauren Brown, 11

Appleton Academy

War is stupid, war is wrong.
It only defeats the strong.
War is distraught and sorrowful.
Think of the people who died.
What a loss.
If you gain from others’ pain you are no longer sane.
Why kill because of religion, can’t we all just live in peace?
Think of that person’s family; their parents, siblings, niece!
These people fight for us, to keep us safe and calm,
They are brave people who do not deserve what they get.
My heart splits in two when I imagine war;
Imagine accepting you’re going to die and how distraught you must feel.
War is bad.
War is sad.
Can’t we all live in peace,
Hopefully in the future!
R.I.P Soldiers, gone but never forgotten!

---

The Great War – By Jude Buchanan, 11

Thornton Primary School

Flames fire up from German grenades as we charge into the blazing battle field.
My fellow soldiers fall to the ground at my left and right with me in the centre.
I stumble through the sticky mud towards the barracks but suddenly I stopped and looked to my right to see a young boy.
I recognised him, in fact we went to work in Prospect Mill before the war began.
I yelled at him “stick with me and you’ll survive”.
He started to trudge over when a bullet pierced his head, his body dropped.
These soldiers’ deaths weren’t caused just by the forces of Germany but by high command sending us to the land of no body.
Out of all the terrible sounds, the worst was “gas boys gas” because you’d be lucky to survive. But it was still terrible surviving because you’d see people drown in the green sea.

---

By James Cameron, 14

Woodhouse Grove School

The soldiers were being deceived by the silence
Their senses became stronger and stronger
The air tasted toxic like petrol
The green sea felt warm and was shaking in their hands.
The smell of the feat from their fellow soldiers.
Sweat, blood and tears dripping down their pale faces.
Gas! Gas! – They ran out of their trenches
And fitted their innocent muscles on
While some of them don’t make it and they watch their friends suffocate in the gas
They can’t do anything about it
They slowly fall apart
It feels like slow motion
Muscles are scared and won’t move
Frozen
Their image is now frozen in time
As we remember
They fought for her – our country

---

Why Does It Have To Be This Way? – By Devon Chan, 12

Beckfoot School

It has been horrible from this day.
I could hear the dreadful screams,
With my family killed I would never beam.
Tears filled my eyes and my heart full of despair
All this shooting and killing was UNBELIEVABLE
So nobody seemed to care,
I dipped my head and looked at the ground,
I prayed, “Please lord, try to stop the war so I can turn my frown upside down!”
Suddenly I was shot and blood ran out of my body surreptitiously,
I fell down gasping for breath knowing that is the end of me…

---

The Sergeant’s Cry – By Holly Chappels, 10

Ryburn Valley High School

I heard a gunshot loud and clear.
I felt a sudden streak of fear.

I listened for the Sergeant’s cry.
Ready to fight and ready to die.

I ran across a piece of land.
Suddenly I heard a bang.

A big explosion filled the sky,
And then I saw the first man die.

He fell down like a ragged doll.
I couldn’t help but watch him fall.

“Fall back! Fall back!” the sergeant cried.
We ran so fast we could almost glide.

And then I felt a stab of pain.
And in my leg I felt a flame.

I fell slowly to the ground,
And I couldn’t hear a single sound.

And then a bugle began to play,
To say that we had lost that day.

I closed my eyes as comrades fled.
In their fear, they left me for dead.

This was the place where I would die.
In a poppy field is where I lie.

---

By Joseph Childs, 11

Bradford Grammar School

They died that we might live
That day they went to die,
They died that we might live,
Franz Ferdinand was assassinated,
Then war was declared.

The central powers against the allies,
Sixty five million fought,
Twenty five countries took part,
And sixteen million soldiers died.

The treaty of Versailles
Ended the war in 1918,
Oon the eleventh month, day and hour,
Humiliated Germany.

Now the poppies grow,
Red in the fields,
That day they went to die,
They died that we might live.

---

Remember Our Men – Amina Chowdhury, 12

Bradford Girls Grammar School

They risked their lives,
So we could have ours,
They left their wives,
And didn’t cower.
They saw their friends die,
One by one,
They heard the terrible cry,
After the shoot of a gun.
Now they’re all gone,
Their worries healed,
Their fighting hearts switching to off, not on,
As they lie peacefully, in Flanders Field.
Think of those men,
And play your part,
Every now and then,
As they deserve a place in your heart.

---

The Poppies Of Pride – By Aneesa Chowdhury, 13

Bradford Girls’ Grammar School

Row by row we stand up tall,
Waiting for the whistles to blow,
As we here the first riffles go,
We all wonder if our eternal sleep has come.
When I pick up a poppy and watch it blow,
I remember the deep red blood,
That our heroes let go.
100 years on
We wear our poppies with pride,
Remembering the days when you gave up your lives.
We wish you were here,
To have an award bestowed upon.
You’ll always be remembered,
As the most heroic men we know.

---

By Chloe Christie 12

Appleton Academy

I work for you but,
Now you hurt me,
You take me for granted,
You make me work all day,
Every day,
But when the time comes you gas me
You tell me you’re going to bath me.
I sweat you beat,
You shout I bow,
I do everything you say,
But now you’re making me pay.

---

The Mystery Soldier – By Alfie Clacy-Cheung, 11

Birkenshaw C E Primary School

His name was David Smith,
People knew him as an unknown myth.
His clothes were cold and gritty,
And his mum gave him such bad pity.
A bit of bread he was fed,
Plus he didn’t even have a bed.
When he woke up it was grim, gritty and gruesome,
He only wants to see his twosome.
He couldn’t even write because he had no led,
Because he didn’t want to be shot he wore a helmet on his head.
Even though he got shot,
He never wanted a lot.
Now don’t forget,
Those soldiers fought for us and now they’re dead.

---

My Lost Brothers – By Emily Clark-Matthews, 11

Beckfoot School

Oh why him oh why, why?
All those BOOMS, BANGS and screams!
Mud, thick with ticks and flees within,
He went to war at 18 and comes home…
Well never!
His life taken, his carcass in the ground.
He fought against his enemies.
But the silhouettes of his enemies were the ones who shot him down!
He fought for his country’s freedom,
And did his country proud.

---

WW1 Poem – Amber Collins, 12

Appleton Academy

World War 1 was the First World War.
The world wanted to know what they were fighting for.
Protests were started to stop the fighting
The army always knew to run like lightening.
Countries and cities all over the world.
Weapons and bombs fired all over the place.
When the soldiers pass, you would remember their face.
But world war one starred all over the world
How do you stop it? Well, may the best countries win.
It lasted for a long time.
But they would climb, climb, climb till they got to the top, they never quit till the world war stopped.
World War 1 was a time to think.

---

Hope – By Millie Mae Cook, 11

,

Beckfoot School

Lying here in the darkness,
Gunshots going off,
Worrying for the future,
And of times forgotten of.
There is a ray of light,
Tiny, fragile, but bright.
Hope will save us all,
It will not let us fall.
Standing together, we unite,
For we are soldiers,
And we will fight for what is right.
Praying that one day,
I will be remembered.
By a life I am saving.
The changes I am making.
Lying hear in the darkness,
Gun-shots going off
But I don’t worry for the future,
Or time forgotten of.

---

Ghost – By Sian Cook, 14

Beckfoot School

I can hear the sound,
The sound of silent screams.
I always seem to hear them,
In my never-ending dreams..

I had fought on the frontline
With my friends by my side.
But now I sleep alone,
The stars no longer shine..

You see, I hear more now,
I hear the cries and the distraught.
I now can see I’m not the only one who fought..

Loss, pain, anger, don’t they do the same thing?
Destruction is the virus that makes the enemy sing..

I may not be here,
But it doesn’t mean I can’t see.
The way you run with fear in your eyes.
Maybe soon you will be with me.

---

Edward Cooke, 14

Titus Salt School

Imagine a world where the sky is on fire
And worldwide the death rates creep higher and higher
Imagine your best friend snatched from their bed
With no news, you’d have to assume they are dead
And what if I told you such sorrow and more
Was for many the outcome of losing a war?

Men in the past whom on battlefields fell
Carried our lives and futures as well
Even right now soldiers could die
Saving, protecting our futures, our lives
That’s why remembering them is a must
The thousands of lives every year in August
Or else, we’ll fall into such worlds of regret
Remember their sacrifice: Lest We Forget.

---

By Jack Craven

Appleton Academy

Worst and biggest war in history!
Only 40 people are alive today.
Roughly 9.7 billion people died during WW1
Lots and lots of deaths per second!
During WW1 kids had to be evacuated..

WW1 was shockingly bad!
All we want is world peace!
Ridiculous amount of deaths occurred everyday!.

1 time only!

---

World War One – By Paris Crookes, 11

St Lukes C of E Primary School

In no man’s land the poppies grow,
In wretches trenches soldiers sleep,
How miserable they are,
Dreaming of their families far away,
And of the gravestones row by row.
Bold and fearless soldiers,
Weeping, bleeding, crying,
Weeping for their loved ones,
While drifting off to sleep,
Their dreams filled with hope.
World War One the Great War,
Fighting, battling and some more.
We remember up to this day.
We have remembered all the way.

---

World War 1 – By Joe Cross, 12

Immanuel College

Crouched in trenches with little food stocked,
Are men all terrified and shocked,
Though bullets may fly,
And men may die,
This wretched war will not be stopped.

Through boggy fields, mud and wire,
With explosions, shrapnel and fire,
Though people may fight,
Or cower in fright,
The raging fire grows ever higher.

Now the corporal is asleep in bed,
And resting his wounded head,
But outside it is night,
And men still fight,
Whilst the enemy advance ahead.

At last the morning is near,
And the enemy is nearly here,
More people will die,
More families will cry,
And the falling shells inflict more fear.

Lay wounded in fields with no food stocked,
Are men dying and shocked,
Though bullets may fly,
And men may die,
This wretched war will not be stopped.

---

World War One –By Holly Crossley, 11

Tong High School

World War One has
Begun all them
Bombs and all them
Guns..

Bang Bang, Boom Boom
All those friends lost
All that gloom..

Men and women
Brave and strong..

All that fear but
For how long?.

Time goes by day
By day..

People thinking is
This the right
Way?.

1918 the day people
Laugh, the day people
Scream..

World War One is
Over hip hip hurray
Time to relax time to
Play.

---

Ode To A Wounded Cathedral – By Alexander Davies, 11

Bradford Grammar School

My pipes are leaking,
There is flowing blood.
My ribs are broken,
But for them it was not enough.
My little angels can no longer smile,
They can only keep living for a little while.
I’m the only one left,
I’m wounded but alive,
Nothing remains of me but stone walls.
I have narrowly escaped with my life,
But I’m in so much pain.
I wish I could die.

---

The Spitfire – By Christopher Davison, 12

Beckfoot School

It was the day, I slowly jumped into my plane,
It roared like a dragon in pain,
I thought in my head would this be my lucky day or would I die?
Soon I was touching God’s face,
Give me rum and a cigar,
Let me die in peace,
It’s time I say goodbye to the world.

---

By Georgia Delaney

Appleton Academy

World War 1 affected so many lives
Horses, children, parents husbands and wives
So much terror for those who served.
A death that no human being should ever have deserved. .

They fought in the lonely desert of dirt not showing how much they really
hurt..

Their lives were very strict.
What happened next, they could never predict..

They did just what they had to do to keep our country free,
They fought for all not just you and me..

If you’re lucky you come back to receive a medal and a plaque but in their mind memories stay so clear and they may wake at night feeling so much fear.

---

By Mia Dimbleby, 12

Appleton Academy

WW1 started 1914-1918.
On 30/8/1917 my grandma’s granddad died.
Regiment of his war (Prince of Wales own).
Love he had for his country.
Determination to succeed..

Wet weather made it difficult for the army.
Armies of men were based in the trenches.
Rich and poor fought together..

One hundred years ago this began.
Never again should this happen.
Ending with no one winning.

---

Reassurance – By Ellie Dobson, 13

Hanson Academy

The bombing and banging of no man’s land,
Screeching and screaming of rifles,
The touch or a squeeze of a man’s hand,
Reassures me.
The deep breath of a soldier,
To the squelch of mud,
As the temperature gets colder,
Reassures me.
The reassurance is better.
Than being alone,
In the silence of war,
And the noise of an empty trench.
Lest We Forget

---

Fighting For Freedom – Georgia Dodd, 11

Dixons Mcmillan Academy

On the tragic day of August 4th 1914
war was declared on Germany
The soldiers were sent and soon the war began
One that would change lives forever
The soldiers troughed their way through the mud of Flanders fields
People dying all around
Their loves ones praying at home for at least one sign of hope
Gun shots ripple through the air
killing people, soldiers everywhere
Bullets tearing through blood and flesh
Killing the innocent, the ones who did their best
Then silence strikes all around
Leaving only dead and the poppies left on Flanders field
Lest we forget those heroes from World War One who saved lives but risked their own!

---

Not Even A Little Thrill! – By Emer Donnelly, 12

St Mary’s School

You were so proud,
With your head up in the white clouds,
But you find there’s no fun,
When you’re holding a working gun.
The clouds turn black in the falling sky,
As so many brave people die,
As you curse the dam war,
The guns shoot even more.
You think of what the world could have been,
You wish that they had seen,
That there’s not even a little thrill.
When all you do is kill.
War doesn’t bring fame,
When so many people are in pain.
Grieving about who has gone,
And cursing you of things you’ve done.
But we’re not grieving alone,
They all wish that they had known,
That solutions don’t come,
When children are losing their mum.
And you blow out your candles one by one.
And you remember the things history has done,
And you remember the things you’ve been told.
About what a world war can hold.
And to this day we remember,
That day in November,
Of all the lives we couldn’t save,
And praise them who are now in a grave.

---

At War! – By Oliver Donnelly, 11

Beckfoot School

Why him? When is he coming home? Is he coming home?
I can picture him lying in the trenches,
I can feel the pain he is going through,
I can smell the murky smoke overlapping his feet,
I can hear the gun shots booming out of deadly machines..

Is he injured?
Is he alive?
Is he dead?
I don’t know,
Does anyone know?
Now I’m just waiting for that telegram.

---

Thinking – By Poppy Dopson, 11

Roberttown Junior & Infant School

A sombre soldier, praying silently;
Thinking... just thinking.
The poppies are singing as softly as a choir,
Swaying in the gentle breeze.
The soldier is crying about the thought of the past and now the present.
He is drowning in a flood of sadness.
The dark grave is a gateway to heaven,
The cross is just standing there as frozen as ice!

---

WW1 Hero – By Harriet Driver, 11

Roberttown Junior & Infant School

The crying gentleman
Is like a lake of tears
The loud gun shoots
Bang!.

The acrid smoke
Gently flows
The thinking man
Peacefully respects..

The sorrowful grieving man
Strongly concentrates
On his friend..

The inflamed poppies
Billow in the breeze
The tangled man miserably
Cries..

His disconnected heart, drowns with loneliness

---

WW1 Remembrance – By Angel Dudek, 12

Beckfoot School

Poppies grow for the ones that fought
Orders become louder, it scares, but still no return.
People suffered, and risked their lives for us.
People fight for us, but how can we return.
Impossible to survive please respect.
Endless fights war goes on
Silent at Christmas at least a day of joy.

---

WW1 – By Ella Dunworth, 11

Shirley Manor Primary Academy

It’s getting closer – not long now.
There’ll be no-one left to take a bow.
I love my family; they love me too-
Death is coming but every day is new.
I am your enemy, you are mine too.
You try to kill me, I’ll try to kill you.

---

World War 1 Poem! – Jenna Duffy, 11

Appleton Academy

The 28th of July 1914

a day nobody will ever forget.
As we all heard the news, we sat silent and stunned.
Then the day came that people had to say ‘bye’ to their loved ones.
The bombs banged and the gunshots were near.
This was our biggest FEAR!
No food to be had and we were all so very sad.
The days were long and hard but we just played in our yards.
Everyday I would run to the door, deep down inside, I knew the score.
The 10th November, I remember a lot that was the day my father was shot.
30 years have passed feeling bitter and sad, all I wanted was to say ‘goodbye’ to my Dad.
Hurray for the soldiers with a smile on their face and a wave of the flag as the trucks drove past..

The rest were home at last.

---

By Eve, 11

Appleton Academy

Boom, Bang, Crack,
As the bombs crashed against the ground,
Scream, whine, scream,
The children cried,
As the blackout went on for days.
WAIT!!
Not days, not weeks, YEARS!
Rush, run, rush,
As parents, children, grandparents ran to the bomb shelters,
Sniffle, cry, whimper,
Unfortunately the day came,
The ay was for the children to leave their homes and go to the countryside.
Chug, chug, chug,
As the children went on the train.
Yes, yippee, woohoo
The war was over,
The celebrations began,
Welcoming the soldiers home,
Don’t forget,
Also the children home,
Soldiers and children were both home safely,
Although unfortunately some passed away.
So everyone out there in the world just take one moment at home and remember these amazing people.

---

By Saabiyah Faisal, 12

Appleton Academy

Out on the battlefield.

Out on the battlefield is where the brave passed away.
Out on the battlefield is where the injured would lay.
The houses in Britain were being demolished.
While the enemy’s house was clean and polished.
The families of the soldiers were sad to see them go.
It would leave them feeling very low.
When the country was at war they had to ration and not be greedy.
At that current time everyone would be needy.
Out on the battlefield is where the poppies would grow red and pretty.
Out on the battlefield is where we would go support the families and not to make them feel bad by giving them pity.

---

---

The War Of The World – By Falak Farooq, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Air raid shelters, damp and black,
Bombs exploding, back to back,
Children crying, parents too,
“Down to the cellar, I’ll come with you,”
Evacuating train after train,
Forgetting everything, running in the rain,
Going to live in a new strange place,
Hoping to see a friendly face..

In the city parents wait,
Just to hear their children’s fate,
Knowing that they might survive,
Leaves them thankful when they arrive,
Mourning ‘till they breathe their last,
No food, the water is running out fast,
Only worrying about family and friends,
Parents trying to make amends,
Quietly running from town to town,
Running, marching, in their gown,
Sirens screeching, chaos calls,
Thunderous noises as buildings fall,
Underground shelters are almost fitted,
Violently children and adults are killed,
Western front was what it was about,
X-rays needed, bones coming out..

Yesterday for now is gone,
Zeal for life, peace lives on.

---

During War! – By Ruqaya Farooq, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Soldiers preparing for war,
All the news has spread,
The weather is horrible and raw,
News spreads quickly as I put jam on bread,.

I can’t believe war is here,
Cries of children day by day,
I feel as if war is near,
Can’t describe don’t know what to say,.

Bombs Blasting Bombs Blasting,
Not many lives lasting.

---

World War 1 – By Elysia Faye, 12

Beckfoot School

Watching all the bodies rot
Listening to the final shot,
Falling straight to the ground
Hearing just one last sound,
Leaving my body in a split second
Glaring the sky as it beckoned,
Flying up into the sky
This will be my last goodbye,
Waiting there for you to come
Is like trying to count everyone.
Every day and every night
When you feel the need to hold me tight,
Just blow a kiss into the sky
For I will be that close by,
In the heavens throughout the day
I watch over you and hear you pray,
I see you smile and shed a tear
For you know I am still near,
But at least you know now I am safe
In heaven which is a happier place.

---

World War 1 – By Jaweria Fiaz, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

It all began in 1984 when many men
Left to fight the bloody war.
Marching to the fields were poppies grow
There they are stood all in a row.
Run run over there blood blood everywhere
Death death is in the air.
As they fell close to death deeply
Breathing their last breath.
Until this day we thank those men
Who fought for their country and their
Families may they all rest in peace.

---

Firing Line – By Megan Fisher, 11

Hanson Academy

Standing in the firing line,
Aiming at my friend who sheds tears,
Only five other gunmen this time,
Most of his friends have been gone for years.

On goes the blindfold – we know the time is near,
We don’t know which guns are loaded and he has no idea,
His best friend – me – with a rifle that could be loaded.

About turn! Quick march!
We follow orders neatly,
Most unfairly caught for desertion,
He has shell shock – but General says he’s guilty.

Aim! Fire!
My finger pulls the trigger,
I know now it’s mine
And as the bullet flies I say my last goodbye.

---

A World War One Poem – By Hollie Louise Frost, 11

Hanson Academy

The soldiers marched to the beat of the drum,
Little did they know what they had to come.
Families hoped their loved ones would soon return home,
But the soldiers were feeling sad and alone..

Men and horses losing sweat and blood,
Some even dying, in the dangerous deadly mud.
Bravely they fought their war,
Hoping to return safe at their door..

That’s why poppies are grown, in memory of all
The soldiers who didn’t come home..

In memory of my great-great-grandfather, John Harris Swann, he died on the first morning of The Battle of the Somme. His body was never found. He left a wife and four young children.

---

Don’t Want To Be Here – By Abigail Furniss, 11

Roberttown Junior & Infant School

Distraught
Thinking intently, as he slowly
Walks away.
Distraught
Distraught Distraught
Fighting in the background...
That is what he is used to.
BANG! A bomb has exploded
In the background
Distraught
Thinking thoughtfully
As the time he has got remaining
In his life, is running out.
Distraught
The claret poppies are swaying
At the same time representing
The death of everybody who is dead.
The grass is as dull and as grey
As the jet-black sky at night.
Distraught
Slowly, slowly the soldier
Who has given up his life to help us,
Dies every second.
Soon he will be gone.
Gone forever to join everybody
Else who has died.
Or is he.
Distraught
I don’t want to be there
Distraught
In memory of my great great granddad, Gilbert Hartley who fought in and survived WW1 and then unveiled the war memorial statue in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire in 1922..

---

By Hafsah Ghafoor, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

The fighters fought and fought
The wind blew loud and loud
The air whistled and whistled
The dust blew and blew
Until their last breath
Held for silence!!!
The fighters fell to the
Ground as the last word
They heard was bang! Bang!
This was the sound of
The bomb that hit them!

---

World War Warriors – By Poppy Jane Gornall, 11

Thornton Primary School

Bradford boys feeling brave,
Not going to be all that safe.
Leaving behind all their love.
Will not get anymore hugs
Now we stand over their grave..

Defensive positions ready to shoot.
You never know it could be you.
Defeating enemies losing your friends,
It feels like it never ends..

Blasting bombs come crashing down,
Sounds like a pack of horrid hounds.
Mustard gas is absolutely vile,
It has killed many men.

---

In Flanders Fields – Ellie Glossop, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

In Flanders fields the poppies blow,
Beside the crosses, row on row.
I remember when we fought the Hun,
It wasn’t a game, it wasn’t fun..

My body freezes, I gaze down.
I force a smile, refuse to frown.
I’m standing beside Tommy’s deathbed,
And the memories, once lost, flood through my head..

The bullet once meant for me
Hit poor old Tommy instead,
He saved my life, and yes, I’m free
But poor old Tommy’s dead..

I had no one to return to,
But Tommy had many kin,
The news I broke turned his wife’s face blue
My heart is filled with guilty… and sin….

---

By Harry Green, 13

As the soldiers waited patiently.
The dirty smell permeated the air.
As the rats scurried around their legs.
All they were thinking was that trench life is awful.
Damp, silent, muddy and smelly.
The stench was overwhelming.
As everyone was at a standstill, you hear a pin drop while we waited.
I hear a gun in the distance.
Suddenly, I look up
Above the trench walls.
The only thing I seem to see is a coloured green gas it was getting closer.
I shout out, Gas! Gas! Everyone run!”
As we lower ourselves to the ground,
We collect our masks.
But this didn’t help.
We were too late.
There was no-one left.
I started to become worried.
It felt like all my men had abandoned me
Gone forever,
But forgotten never.

---

By Jessica Greenaway

Beckfoot School

Personal damage to the soldiers,
Obvious serious causes of death,
Panic attacks can happen,
Poppies relate to the WW1,
You only live once in your life.

---

Upon The Blood Soaked Fields – By Matthew Griffiths, 14

South Craven School

Upon the blood soaked fields, men found hell waiting
Waiting for them to slowly plunge into the abyss
Where death would reach out to claim their blooded bodies

Men who thought they would find glory in the midst of battle
Were scythed down by the steady chatter of the machine gun
A cloud of yellow mustard gas eerily floated over the corpse strewn battlefield

A lone daisy stood in the midst of this hell
Struggling for survival in the swamp of blood and mud
Life not being any use or joy to it any more

Suddenly, as a knife slices through butter, a shrill whistle split the silence
The soldiers, rising from their stupors clumsily fumbled with their weapons
And clambered over the trench, and into no man’s land beyond

All aches and pains were forgotten
As they were awakened from their previous state of drowsiness
by the sudden explosions of fire and bullets that seemed to engulf these poor men

Guns chattered and blazed like a thousand angry voices
Each one predicting the death of a soldier
As these brave men were unceremoniously wiped from the face of our earth

The few survivors of the initial attack fell onto the enemy lines,
A couple becoming entangled within the maze of razor sharp barbed wire,
Where they were picked off by short bursts from an unseen rifle

Undeterred, the brave group of souls pressed on,
One solitary Hun was unlucky enough to have the top of his head above the parapet,
A British bullet made a permanent home in his skull

If you found the same spot today
It is pretty and unblemished by the corpses and blood of thousands of innocent men
Each poppy there represents the everlasting soul of every brave soldier
Who will be remembered forever
Where we thank them for their courage and sacrifice,
that we may be free and British today.

---

These Men – By Henna Habeeb, 14

Bradford Girls Grammar School

These men fought for king and country,
When the king and country was not theirs,
These men fought on the front line,
These men fought in the trenches,
These men are unlike British soldiers,
These men are heroes in many ways,
These men saved so many lives,
When the lives weren’t theirs to save,
But who are these men you speak of?
And what makes them so brave?
How are they better than our British soldiers?
When the lives weren’t even theirs to save,
These men came from faraway lands,
From places you haven’t even heard of,
These men are true heroes,
But no one has even heard of them,
These men are the Muslim Tommies,
And their names shall never be forgotten,
May they rest in peace,
And be remembered as heroes,
As, the Muslim Tommies.

---

The Brave Soldier – By Blake Haggas, 11

Appleton Academy

He walked with all the soldiers not to be alone,
He gave his heart and soul,
To make sure you would all come home,
Sometimes it was not meant to be,
But all the men stayed strong,
And all of you stayed positive,
And said let’s be strong,
Sometimes it was gloomy,
Sometimes it was fine,
But that brave soldier,
Fought all the time,
He made friends with lots,
And lost a lot too,
But he was that brave soldier,
Who died for me and you.

---

World War One Poem – By Lucy Haggas, 11

Appleton Academy

The city stood still in a silhouette of silence, as Britain was declared at war.
Our soldiers sent to far away shores
They trudged through trenches in the dark shadows of night.
Their hearts thumping with fear, praying to survive another day.
Ear piercing sirens echoed, screaming civilians running to the safety of a shelter.
A mother’s cry never far away, as evacuees fled to a safer haven.
Black clouds they covered the sky like a blanket, smoldering, brewing up like a storm.
But least we never forget, that the sacrificed themselves for us.
The beautiful red poppies so bright and strong, remind us our heroes
As peace was finally alas.

---

My Brother – By Taylor Hammond, 11

Thornton Primary School

Death struck again,
I saw him fall,
A brave soldier he was to all,
A true hero,
He risked his life for all his men,
He shot the people who killed his friends,
Down they went, one after another,
He was just like a brother,
My brother...

---

By James Hanson, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

The soldiers are waiting in the trenches remembering
There past with a terrifying look,
With their bodies still as if medusa caught up with them.
With the smell of rotting flesh in the air.
Run, run, with a terrifying yell and then they saw the
green death breath, they hurried
and put on the climbing helmets. They climbed over the trench wall with bullets whizzing past their heads
and shouting bullets came from there gun while
the bullets ran through the air.
When they won the war
They looked like war beggars with wobbly thighs of the war,
They saw the scarring images of the war and they could not handle it any more.

---

Remember Our Heroes – By Abbey Lily Harris, 11

Thornton Primary School

Friends are lost, now lying in the fields, giving love and shedding tears,
Now if you are standing beside their grave, there is nothing to fear, they will always be brave!.

Soldiers fight day and night, some attacks are wrong, some are right.
Guns are fired, bullets are released, friends are killed and there are wishes for peace.
War is torture, war is bad and most of the time war is sad..

In the fields, gravestones glow, the wind howls and leaves begin to blow.
Poppies growing everywhere, time to love and time to care.
Heads are bowed and prayers are said!

---

By Patrick Hartley, 11

Beckfoot School

Battling from day to dawn
Through the night sky, so torn.
Armed and ready on the thick muddy ground,
Waiting to shoot at the enemy’s crowd.
All of my family and friends have gone,
Some are dead, some are bombed.
The night sky storm tearing us apart,
Like a starry dagger straight through my heart.
The gunshots rain all through the night.
Waking us up with a terrible fright
Hopefully the war won’t reign much more,
The pain, the hurt, the bombs…
The war.

---

By Amber Hebditch, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

Waiting quietly to be called,
I watched him – stared at his blank face.
A young boy trying to escape inside.
But the cold won’t let him.
He sees all suffering, he hears plain sight.
The boy’s hands are frozen,
His feet are in inches of ice.
Feeling empty inside,
For his loved ones, each day becomes harder.
Even with so many things to complain about,
His mind stays shut.

Suddenly everything stopped,
There was a small colour in the distance,
Someone shouted Gas!!!
We all ran to our masks,
Struggled to put it on.
Some of us didn’t make it.
They gasped for air.
Reached towards him.
He panicked inside, frozen in time.
He stood asleep.
The mask was taken off of him,
I saw him slowly dying.
A young boy’s life wasted, gone.
Nothing I could do.
That fourteen year old boy, dead.
Just lying there.

---

By Jennifer Hoang, 12

Heckmondwike Grammar School

As the poverty lessened,
Britain thought she was free,
But when her friends were threatened,
She sent her men across the sea.

Many volunteered to fight for her;
'We'll sacrifice all we own!'
And the beautiful white cliffs of Dover
Were the last they saw of home.

Within hours they were on French soil,
With their rifles in their hands;
Used horsepower due to a shortage of oil,
Followed all of their commands.

The war lasted longer than expected,
A few years, not a few weeks.
By rats the trenches were infested,
Along with gases, the latest techniques.

But Britain encourages them as she can;
She says: 'to be able to stick to a plan
Makes you an honoured British man, not someone who merely ran.'

As there was now a submarine fleet,
She sent more men across the sea,
For she would rather die on her feet,
As opposed to live on her knees.

So now, everyone, spare them a thought,
Honour them with the poppies that had grown
On the very battlefields that they fought,
And for leaving behind their home.

---

RUNNER-UP

Optimism – By Amy Hobbs, 14

Beckfoot School

When you stumble into no-man’s land trembling,
With your gun in hand it’s terrible,
I will not lie knowing,
Realising that you could die

But there is a weapon in this war
To combat the horror,
The blood and the gore
What is this weapon?
What is it you ask?
Better than guns and bombs and gas

Optimism, to keep your heart pure
Optimism, that’s what I’m here for
Optimism, joy and cheer
Optimism makes it better here

Optimism, we stay and fight
Optimism, it’ll come out right
Optimism, though the war is vile
Optimism, think positive and smile.

---

By Jack Hodder, 11

Eldwick Primary School

“Come on lads” the day is here,
Now it’s time to step up a gear,
The scramble over the mud,
Horrified men drenched in blood,
The screams of death pounding in my ear,
There it was I felt a tear,.

Bang! Bang! Could we get through the pain,
Just to go through this again,
Boom! A bomb dropped now it was a misty gloom,
Would I fall to my doom?
I shut my eyes hoping it was a dream,
But that was the last thing it seemed.

---

RUNNER-UP

Horrors Of Home – By Toby Holden, 11

Bingley, Bradford

Feelings were running high in the Barrow household.
Mr Barrow was on his waY to war.
His children were so tearful and sad they didn’t want to see him go.
So in the hallway was Mrs Barrow loving her husband.
Hugging and kissing him.
She was anxiously waving goodbye when the tears came flooding out.
Who knew what would happen over the coming months?

Mrs Barrow couldn’t focus on anything.
She was thinking and reflecting on all the great times they’d had before the war.
She cried a lot and as for the children they hardly spoke always worrying of what might happen.
They were just waiting and hoping he will walk through the door.
The family tried to believe but they fear and fret about their loved one.
Months pass with no knowledge of what is happening in the war.
Times are very misty for the Barrows.

One day “Knock Knock.”
Who lurks behind the door.
Mrs Barrow walks to the door slowly and nervously every bone in her body shaking.
At the door is the shy postman with a telegram.
Mrs Barrow takes the telegram the letter fearing of the outcome.
She reads the letter worryingly.
And then shouts and screams…
HE’S COMING HOME

---

But The War Goes On – By Bethan Jean Holmes, 11

Thornton Primary School

Powerful
Dashing
Storm
Blue
Miserable,
But still the war goes on.
Cold
Exhausted
Lonely
Sand bags
Rats,
But still the war goes on.
Lice
Living in fear
Mud
Determined
Fearful,
But still the war goes on.
Scared
Shocking
Moody
Nervous
Down in the dumps,
But still the war goes on.

---

We Will Remember – By Daniel Riley Housecroft, 11

Birkenshaw C E Primary School

One terrible war.
Full of dangerous missions.
And terrible gore..

Many soldiers fought.
Many soldiers died.
No bodies returned.
So many families cried..

There will be a day when war comes again
People will laugh people will cry.
People way say “hello” and “goodbye.”.

We will visit the tomb of our unknown warrior.
A boy a hero and a lion hearted soldier.

---

Bradley’s World War 1 Poem! – By Bradley Hudson, 12

Appleton Academy

Bang Bang Bang the guns shoot soldiers.
Innocent lives are lost and destroyed.
Loving families were destroyed.
Bang Bang Bang the guns go again.
Bombs flying everywhere destroying lives everywhere
The smell of fire in the air
Bombs destroying families everywhere
Bang bang bang the guns go again.

---

War Memories Of The Deceased – By Emaan Hussain, 11

Appleton Academy

In the Flanders field the poppies blow between the crosses row on row,
Dark clouds are hovering like dark black shadows,
As they’re waiting to see the soil calm another victim,
The soil awaits its victim waiting unsettled and still,
For here in this yard of graves lay the bodies of the brave and mighty,
Those who fought and gave their life for their countries,
Soldiers who left their families to fight against enemies,
Guns in hands of innocent men who thought their lives and bravery was for others to stay safe, are now no more but bones and skeleton, buried within the ground we walk on.
Now just a memory.

---

The Real Killer – By Madhiya Hussain, 14

Belle Vue Girls’ School

You did not tell them the horror of death,
No warning of haunting dreams or restless nights,
Lost voices pleading as they turn off the lights;
“Do not kill me; my wife, my mother, my
children, I cannot leave them all behind.”

You trained them to kill,
“Kill or die”
it was an order that they had to fulfil,
they had to kill the enemy, the ‘bad guy.’

Their gentle features, their tired eyes,
They committed no crime but they paid the price,
The agonized cries, the paralysing fear,
This, they were all forced to hear.

They’ll never experience horror like that again,
And some of them will stay forever young, forever
Handsome and forever strong,
As they are the boys who never got the chance to become men.

They’re the ones who cannot be forgotten.
They all left their marks;
A big burn left for us to light.
We can never forget their courage and how they fought with all their might.

---

What Should Be remembered? – By Maria Hussain, 14

Belle Vue Girls’ School

A war to end all wars,
Why should it be remembered?
Because soldiers suffered,
Some fought, others surrendered..

One way or another,
Misery was inflicted,
Some lost the war, some lost a brother,
All because people’s views contradicted..

We should commemorate the families, who suffered the shock,
Who now can’t turn back the clock,
To save their dead son,
Who only joined the army to have some fun..

Poppies grow, but what do they show?
The remembrance of the soldiers,
Who gave up their lives,
Killed by either machine guns or knives..

Why should the Great War be remembered?
In respect of the soldiers killed and surrendered,
To remember the soldiers who stared,
To make sure our problems were halved,
To commemorate the brave,
And thank them for the future they gave.

---

Trenches – By Mevish Hussain, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Grouping along the cold, dark trench through the mud
Getting wet
So tired and restless everything such a mess
The surviving soldiers are strong and brave
But they can’t forget the surrounding sounds of bombs and grenades
They stop to think why they are here
Then they realise
They are here to save their families
And most importantly their own Country!!

---

Why Did We Come To War? – By Lily Hyde, 11

Eldwick Primary School

Down below we are safer all around,
Up above there are guns that are found.
We are deeply in the oozing mud,
But over the top we would be covered in blood..

We all think it’s going to be fun,
Then we hear the sound of a gun.
I do not like all the gore,
Why did we even come to war?

---

The Heart Of The Bravest Soldier – By Funmi Idowu, 13

Carr Manor Community School

The heart of the bravest soldier,
Holds the loudest beat,
He watches over us,
Though no feeling in his feet,
He carried all the men,
Who got left behind,
The sound of bullets,
Piercing in his mind.

The heart of the bravest soldier,
Never faces defeat,
He served his country well,
His body screaming retreat.
So when the bravest soldier,
Takes his last breath,
He awaits the endless paradise,
That comes along with death.

---

Over The Top – By Ted Illingworth, 11

Eldwick Primary School

A trembling fear coursed my veins,
Pools of blood as big as lakes,
Men fell as quick as rain,
As I emerged over the top.

I felt like death was calling me,
Slowly taking my youth away,
I gave everything I had that day,
As I emerged over the top.

An agonising pain struck my chest,
Bright lights started to fade away,
I fell to the ground, like a shell,
I died . . . As I emerged over the top.

---

By Hadiyah Ilyas, 14

Bradford Girls Grammar

Among the withering trees,
through the bloody grass,
a little boy sits, motherless.

Within an old room,
sadly yellow stained,
a dying woman lays in her pain.

Through the fields,
bludgeoned with red,
a man left standing,
alone and dead.

Sighing happily in desperate sorrow
lying to the eyes,
telling them that we shall see tomorrow.

Will you stop smiling,
at that poor soul’s face?
Will you stop loving,
when there is no love to trace?
Will you stop looking,
searching for a weed?
Will you stop giving,
setting free salves not freed?

---

Remember The War, And Them – By Sannah Iqbal, 14

Belle Vue Girls’ School

They agreed to go, for us
They agreed to fight, for us
They agreed to win, for us
We should remember the war, and them.

They didn’t know their destination, but go in trucks and left, for us
They lived in overcrowded filthy trenches, for us
They lived with limited food, and disease, for us
We should remember the war, and them.

They fought for their country, and us
They saw their mates die before their eyes, but carried on fighting, for us
They died for their country, and us
The least we can do is remember the war, and them.

---

By Shahrbano Iqbal, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

A great war with no end,
A straight path without a bend,
Or so they all thought,
As they remembered those who fought..

The crackle of gunfire above their heads,
Wondering if they would return to their beds,
As they stand there in grubby khaki,
The officers yelling and being snarky. .

But,
Glory blinds them from true fear,
They know if they don't people will jeer, which is why they are found,
As corpses piled high, on the ground..

Mothers' eyes flood with tears,
Looking for lost sons amongst their peers,
But many lay silent out there,
Not knowing the pain of those who care.

---

By Ian Ismay, 13

Priesthorpe School

She must be protected, saved, kept well.
We must fight for her,
Some must die for her.
Our England.
Blood maybe shed
Like a river of tears
We must claim Germany
And all their allies
To stop the war and brutal killing
Mutilated bodies
Cover the battleground like a blanket of death
Someone’s father, someone’s son.
Victims of the enemy gun.

---

By Emily Jardine-Rowley, 12

Appleton Academy

They Will never grow old.
One by one they fell.
Rifles
Love lost
Devastation everywhere
War
SergeAnt stubby honoured with medals
Respect them

---

War – Hamaad Javed, 11

Beckfoot School

The war is devastating.
It’s a thing I can’t stop.
I wonder what suffer I am creating.
I wish I was with my little boy going to the shop.
Will I ever die?
Will I ever go?
I just want to be at home eating a shepherd’s pie,
Why was I chosen to be here?
I think I just need to go to bed,
NO I need to think about this,
I just want this war to end.

---

The Consequence Of War – By Tegan Johnson, 14

Bradford Grammar School

Age 6, a girl should not be left without a daddy
Without a father figure
A pillar to lean on
Age 6, a girl should not have to understand battle
The mind of a soldier stuck in war
True desperation
Age 6, a girl should not hear daddy won’t be coming home
The absence of his letters in the post
Miss his laugh and his humming
Age 6, a girl should not see a family torn apart
Her mummy holds her daddy’s picture and sobs
The consequence of war
Age 13, a girl should not turn a teenager without a daddy to watch
A first date, a break up
Her first taste of true love
Age 18, a girl should not come of age and miss her daddy all the more
Because she’s changing
And he never got the chance to watch
Age 29, a girl should not have to walk alone down the aisle
Because nobody can replace her father
A space in the photographs
At 35, a girl should not have to watch her mother succumb to illness
And tend to her alone
Until she is left an orphan
The consequence of war is longer lasting than the repairs to the land razed
Longer than the lives of the survivors and veterans
Longer even than memory
War should teach a lesson; that lives have purpose
And that the purpose is not to die at the hands of another
But to live in peace, and in happiness.

---

By Zack Jordan, 13

Eccleshill, Bradford

Do you remember the 30th November when all of the poppies grew?
When back in the day he threw a grenade, and the innocent one went boom!
He’d lay there in peace, no funeral with a priest, just fossilised in dense dry sand..

It was a dark dingy day, with no ground rent to pay, next to the terrible trenches and the derelict benches and the one odd house that would stay..

Then there’s the screech, that terrible alarm- the air raid shelter, no place for harm.
No food supply, just a ration book no posh vegetable and gravy with a nice slice of duck?.

Trains departing left and right evacuating children for relief of fright..

People wearing gas masks wandering around, out in the open how do they cope with the sound?.

If there was a god maybe a will, then there would be no incentive to kill, just pay for a poppy and stand two minutes still then maybe there will be a god or even a will.

---

By George Judson, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

Crouching behind the sacks
Waiting for something to happen, hearing the sudden gunshots
But not knowing where they are coming from.
The smell of bacon sizzling on the fire. Limping through the boggy mud.
Suddenly! There is an outburst of gunshots. GAS! A man shouts.
Like mice drowning in water, we all clambered our way out of the gas.
Trying to fit our masks as we go.
We were out!
We looked back at the smoke only to see three men lying on the floor, blood gorging from their mouths.
But we just carried on walking away…
It’s evening and the gunshots have stopped.
I am lying in my bunker dreading tomorrow
Still feeling weak.
A good nights sleep is what I need.
But I have no hope of that here.

---

By Faseeha Junaid, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

World War 1 was a disgrace fighting over to take over the world, what a shame
Hitler was his name who was the meanest boss of all, his image was to be the one.
The way he treated Jews was brutal, for what did they do him, god gave the experience but what was his aim.
After murdering himself?

---

By Alanah Kelly

Appleton Academy

We use poppies in memory of those who died in WW1.
When took into war they tried their best and never failed when put to the test.
1st July 1914

hundreds of thousands of British soldiers went into war.
They would never forget what they saw.
Young and old put their life on the line to try and save our country in time.
They trekked up hills, swaps through desert the lot.
Sometimes it was very hot.
Some were out for years on end despite not seeing their family and friends.
When men died on the battlefield red blood poppies grew from the ground as fellow friends kneeled.
Because of this effect we use poppies as a symbol of respect.

---

Why Him? – By Bradley Kendall, 11

Beckfoot School

My son, my beautiful son, out at war,
I have no information, is he alive? Is he dead?
I am as frightened as a kidnapped child.
His gun… Bang! Bang! Bang!
He is a time bomb waiting to explode tick tock, tick tock…
But if he does explode I will never know,
My fear takes over me, is he alive I need to know,
Why? Why? Why? Do we have to be at war?
Why him!?!?

---

By Harry Kennedy, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

Battered and bruised
Soldiers limped on exhausted
Their guns trailing behind them
Stomachs gurgling for food.
The only sound, bombs dropping
Soldiers grab their guns,
A man in the distance is still
Shaking and screaming.
Legless, armless, lifeless
Just laying there
With blood pumping out of his limp body!
Struggling to catch his last breath!
The honourable soldiers.
There to protect our forever beloved souls.
The brave, strong fearless men fought for their country!

---

My War Poem – By Zayrah Khalid, 13

Priesthorpe School

To help, to protect, to save
That’s a soldier’s life
To bleed, to suffer, to die
That’s a soldier’s death
The places, the people, the laughs
That’s what they thought
The rush, the challenge, the action
That’s what it brought
The suspense, the excitement, the nerves
That’s what everyone got
The loss, the tears, the funerals
That was the reality
The joy, the hatred, the nightmares
The rifles spitting in the air
No food, no shower, no soap
Like the general cared
For friends, for family, for people
To protect them for the evil
To fight, to kill, to save
Before it’s too late
The victory, the proudness, the honour
Don’t let the people hate…

---

Remembrance Day Poem – By Kane Khaliq, 11

Thornton Primary School

Every year round we remember the millions of dead soldiers
We wear poppies red and small,
It’s been 100 years since the horrible life of World War I.
We have 2 minutes silence for the brave young men,
Day after day the pain and misery they had to go through, as
Quick as a flash they got shot down over the top.
Shooting bullets for hours on end, we all show respect and
Remember World War I

---

English Soldiers At War – By Falaq Khan, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

They stood straight,
Fighting their leaders way,
To defeat the Germans,
They crushed their bones,
They hurt their souls,
Fighting for their country together,
No matter what,
They fought the lot,
Saving their pride and honour,
The Germans lost,
The English won,
Teamwork kept them together!

---

There’s A War Going On!! – Kashaf Khan, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

There’s a war going on with people fighting to
keep their loved ones safe. To keep everything
from being destroyed. To keep precious drops
of blood from being spilt.

There’s a war going on with people fighting to
protect the country they were born in, the
country they were raised in, the country they
started a life in.

There’s a war going on with people fighting so
their loved ones can sleep at night knowing
there will be tomorrow.

There’s a war going on with people fighting.
knowing they might not survive but still
fighting for survival meanwhile knowing they
might be leaving everything behind.

There’s a war going on with people fighting for
land, fighting for peace, fighting for justice.

---

By Saira Khan, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

War has started,
Poppies have began to grow,
Our lives have bended.
Soldiers marching in rows..

Slugging our way through muddy trenches,
Bombs are falling,
Gas masks keeping out all the dirty stenches.
People are calling..

The war is dead,
Poppies everywhere,
Finally in my bed.
Our lives are very rare.

---

By Samera Khan, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

The winds howl in the dead of the night
Every single second is a fight
Nobody knows who exactly will survive but the Germans think their enemies will die.

In the midst of the cool air
Screams pierce the day
Bodies drop down dead
With too many regrets to count in their head.

Rest in peace
And finally achieve your own bliss
Rest in peace
And finally be at ease

---

By Zara Khan, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Men setting off in their bright, shining armour
Just enough to protect their heads
Fighting for rights, this was karma
Four more years were left ahead .

Breakdowns caused stress and fear
Wanting to go back home but they were far off near.

Men worked for sixteen days of trench
Used guns and weapons .

Poppies lay on soldiers graves
Thank you for fighting through this difficult maze
R.I.P HEROES X X X

---

Before Action – By Afsha Khazir, 14

Belle Vue Girls’ School

By all the glories of the day
And the cool evenings tension play
By that last sunset touch that lay
By beauty lavishly poured astray
By all days I have lived in shame
O, make me a soldier, my lord

By all of mans hopes and fears
Trenches filled with poisonous diseases
Rats and shocking red blooded bodies
In empty isolated fields filled with sadness
O, make me a man O, make me a solder, lord

I, a brave solider up on this lovely hill
Seen enough cries within comprehending eyes
Hundreds of bodies decorated lavishly before me
I, saw their flesh their bravery upon sacrifice
Must say goodbye to all of this, bravery
By all delights that I shall know and hear
I and you may remember and miss my hero,
Help me to die, o, my lord protect me
This is no place for a man to retrieve
O, take me lord upon millions of smiles.

---

By Eddie King, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

The world stopped moving
The only sound heard was the ‘dripping.’
The dripping of mud, blood and sweat
My nose churns, the smell is just the start
The sense of agony could be seen by a naked eye
My ear ringing. What could have caused it?
Gunshots, bombs, gas, screams,
My ears started to feel the pain so just gave up.
The dripping stopped as we heard marched.
Rubble from the trench plopped in the puddles
Made by the dripping, marching went on.
It was as if the trench turned into a freezer,
Because we were all frozen.
They were Germans, we had to fight them off,
We couldn’t take them all. We can’t run.
Bullets beamed past our heads.
Ricocheting off helmets like chucked stones into the sea.
We fought back but the casualties were multiplying
Now it was just me and another soldier
We kept shooting, there couldn’t be many left
There wasn’t…
Until one German got in our trench
He placed his blade firmly in the other guys’ throats.
The bullet from my gun flew, annoyed at the German.
I tried to speak to the man but all I could see was fountains of blood coughing,
growling and spitting blood
The mud and blood became tears and blood- was I lucky?

---

Will We Fall? – By Olivia King 12

The Royal Hospital School

The breath from our chapped lips in the distance, our men at war seeking power and resistance.
Would our ghosts from the past become fate?
Did we leave our plan a little too late?
Could we possibly survive this battle of blood?
Could we walk past this land of death and mud
Until we reach England’s green and grassy land, Holding our God’s peaceful and trusting hand?
Of course we will some beautiful day,
Or maybe, just maybe, it was meant to end this way.
The guns are now far too loud!
It’s time to make our country proud.

---

By Anna Kopciewicz, 11

Appleton Academy

Went and fought for us.
Orders to attack.
Remembered for ever.
Loved ones that never came back.
Doing courageous things.
Will never grow old.
All attacks on countries.
Respected by everyone.
1 life only.

---

Hug Or War – Razuad Kouser, 11

Belle Vue Girls’ School

I will not play tug ‘o’ war.
I’d rather play hug ‘o’ war.
Where everyone hugs.
Instead of tugs.
Where everyone giggles.
And rolls on the rug.
Where everyone kisses.
And everyone grins.
And everyone cuddles.
And everyone wins.

---

Soldiers – By Yan Lan, 11

Beckfoot School

The misty clouds wash the dead body away,
The heart of field, gobble it all up.
The blood drips like rain,
Soldiers scream in pain..

Bang! The gun shot as loud as an aeroplane,
The petrified bullet made its way.
The blood dribbles from head to toe,
They made enemy from friend to foe..

Brave soldiers stand on the ground
Who will know when they will die?

---

By Raheema Latif

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Air ride shelters damp and black
Bombs exploding, back to back
Children crying adults saying
“Down the cellar after you”
Evacuees on the train
Gone to live in some strange place
Hoping for a friendly face!
Sirens screeching, chaos calls
Thunderous noises as buildings fall
Underground: imaginations
Violent earth reverberations
Yesterday for now is gone
Zeal for life and peace!

---

By Florence Lawson, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

The cold air settles on the bloody,
Isolated in my own body,
Motionless, speechless, breathless,
No longer fearless;

The whispering wind strikes the meadow,
The distant cannons echo,
The blood red reminders of peace flutter in the breeze,
And all these memories are held in deep freeze;

Frozen in time,
Upon my rapid climb,
Over my sea of troubles,
Slowly falling into my puddle;

And still the nightmare lurks throughout me,
You my friend should agree,
That this battle is no game,
He who enters should be ashamed.

---

By Fin Leighton, 14

Woodhouse Grove School

We limped on till we reached the front lines,
And then we sat among the dead bodies,
Of the soldiers who were defending it.
Always silent.
Like a cold winters night,
We were just waiting, waiting for something.
Anything.
Suddenly the sirens went off,
Louder than church bells in a grand cathedral.
We saw planes over head,
Like stars glittering in the moon light.
We went up to the turret to try shooting them down.
The turret failed on us.
We were expecting the worse.
We were shaking like leaves in the chilling autumn breeze.
Boom!
A bomb dropped!
There was a sudden rush of fear that struck us to the heart.
All I could hear was ringing in my ears.
I saw one of my comrades on the floor.
He had lost his arm.
I picked him up and started running
Running and I didn’t stop running. I wanted to turn back
But I was corrupted with fear.

---

Graves Of Blood – By Cristina Lynch, 11

Beckfoot School

Likes gravestones,
But red as they sway in the wind.
As I visit the place I once fought in.
It seems different,
Almost peaceful,
Yet somewhat eerie,
As I tread silently through the crimson fields.

I know a man who died in this exact spot,
But I feel a glimmer of hope as I see a beautiful poppy bloom at my feet.
They will not be forgotten.
These flowers,
They’re odd,
Like a final farewell from the earth.

Though it didn’t end that long ago,
It feels like a lifetime since I saw my best friend perish.
They never found his body.
Though I have suffered,
I feel almost grateful for this war,
For I now know the value of life,
And I know that I must not waste it with ignorance,
But if I do,
I know I may as well be one of those fallen soldiers,
Laying in graves of blood.

---

Soldiers – By Shannon Lynn, 12

Appleton Academy

As I sat at the trenches,
With heart in my hand.
I wait,
Until my death.
I hear the gunshots,
Bombs drop,
Is this where soldiers belong,
I run in fear.
In the grass,
I lay.
Waiting for the day,
When the war will pass.
Family’s lives lost,
But I’ve got to stay strong,
Fight for our country,
Staying strong.
Holding my breath
I go
We fight
Lives lost.

---

By Juckpiekard Lupkin, 12

Appleton Academy

The fields where poppies grow
Was once a treacherous place
Of war guns blazing
Each poppy grows to resemble
Every man lost in the field
Where poppies grow..

Now where the birds
Sing there used to be
The droning songs of
The bombs and shells
Crouching holes where
The poppies grow..

The fields where poppies grow
Was once a treacherous place
Of war and guns blazing
Each poppy grows to resemble
Every man lost in the field
Where poppies grow.

---

Done Deal – By Fatima Mahmood, 14

Belle Vue Girls’ School

I guess this is it
I lay my guard
Blood pouring in the dirt
I slowly fade away
Just another soldier
The general is in the barracks with his binoculars
Dipping his biscuit in tea
While soldiers are pacing with guns and dying

I have been through hell
All for my country
I want to die with honour
Not forgotten
The time has come to say goodbye
I am late but I have arrived
I was thinking about killing myself
Don’t you mind?

Religion, land, power
It is always about these
Bodies are flying in the air
I rather die than my family seeing my state
The officers delivering the news
I can hear their cries
But it is ok I died for my country
With honour
I guess it was really a done deal

---

By Sophie Mann

Appleton Academy

For a hundred years ago the fields were pretty grim,
And soldiers’ tears were nearing the brim.
As they had made it to the end,
It’s their homes they should now attend.
Where the men died,
And where most women cried,
Bright poppies shall grow.

---

By Amirah Mansley, 12

Appleton Academy

Poppies grow long and tall,
Sometimes they can be really small.
They get crushed like family’s heart,
When their soldier dies,
Their spirit flies,
Up in the sky,
Through their eyes.
To shed a tear,
For their dear,
Who will cry to sleep,
To go and leap,
To feel how they felt..

When the bullets shoot,
Without a hoot,
With all the guns,
That lost our sons,
To care,
Which is a dare,
The people who died,
Without a lie,
Just to save us..

Protect
Others
Personality
Personal
You.

Trust
Rightly
Eventually
All
Together

---

By Chloe March, 12

Appleton Academy

Dark clouds above our heads.
The sky is turning red.
The wounded soldiers lay dead
Whilst we’re bandaging up his head.
We’re fighting for our country so we can win this war.
We’re sitting around the fire trying to survive, we’re running out of men as fast as you can say goodbye.
Bombs and guns fire load while we’re all crowded round.
We fight in no man’s land and don’t have a help in hand.
It all began in 1914

and finished in 1918.

---

By Travis Martin, 12

Appleton Academy

During this war a vast amount of people died.
Families that lost loved ones endlessly cried.
The soldiers had to stay strong and bold.
The youngest ever combatant just 12

years old.
The conditions were exceedingly bad.
Some poor children lost their dad.
A world crisis that no one will forget.
Transport like colossal tanks and mind blowing jets.
World War One was cruel and horrific.
Although my people are great and terrific.

---

By Trinity Martin-Buckle, 11

Beckfoot School

You wear poppies anniversaries of a terrible and tragic time.
War and this is why I am writing this poem
War war was at their door
All these people’s lives were at risk
And some survived that’s why I am HAPPY that they defended our country!
I know it’s short but that’s why I am writing this poem!

---

Memories Of Our Boys That Went To War – By Megan Frances Mary, 11

Parkside School

The battlefields are silent now,
The soldiers they stir not.
The sick, the wounded and the living,
No greater gift could they have given.
100 years have passed and flown,
In Flanders Field the poppies have grown.
Today the stories are still told,
of all of those who don’t grow old.

---

Gone – By Luke Matthews, 14

Beckfoot School

The war left viewable wounds,
But many took refuge in my mind.
When I am with you they fade,
But now you have left me.
You have forsaken me to pain,
To the lowest depths of my conscious..

Death took me from you,
It may seemed that I have abandoned you,
But I have only made it easier for you to live.
Your life will be better,
I wouldn’t have been able to provide for you,
I wouldn’t have been able to protect you,
I wouldn’t have been able to love you.

---

WW1 Poem – By Paige McGuire, 12

Appleton Academy

They went to war,
Just like opening a new door.
Another day of their life,
Having to fight..

They had many, many battles,
All vicious and mean.
Not all was good,
Not all was keen. .

Guns were fired,
People grew tired.
War was long,
So, so, long!.

Through the muddy fields they go,
Watching poppies grow.
We mark our place for them,
But if it wasn’t for them,
We wouldn’t be here,
To shed a tear.

---

Our Love will Live On – By Maisy McManus, 11

North Halifax Grammar School

You can get your soldiers and horses and leave,
Just know that I will miss you but it’s for a greater need,
I’ll bear it like a medal of honour,
You’ll wear it shining on your armour.

We’ll find peace where the poppies grow,
In Flanders field through the sun and snow.

You can get your guns and your army and leave,
Just know that I will miss you but it’s for a greater need,
I’ll bear it like a wounded soldier,
You’ll wear it like the battle is over.

We’ll find peace where the poppies grow,
In Flanders field through the hot and cold.

Even through the blood and the war,
I know in my heart,
Through pain and through gore,
Nothing can keep us apart.
Even if we die, our love will survive.
When all hope is gone, our love will live on.

This poem is dedicated to my great great grandfather Alfred Hartley who died on the 9th of August 1917. He was a rifleman on the front line. He is buried at Favreuil British Cemetery, near Bapaume in Normandy. There is a picture on the back of this poem, that we took when we visited his grave on Sunday, 17th August, 2014

---

By Shona Mcnulty, 14

Priesthorpe School

Why did I join?
England wants you
I’m walking to the recruitment office
Thinking its going to be fun.
Echoes going through my head
You’re going to love it
You’re going to love it
I’m sat here wondering
What have I done?
Why have I signed up
Bombs are going off
I can’t hear I’m scared
What do I do?
Help me please

---

By Sharona Milne, 12

Appleton Academy

On a field poppies grow
Soldiers died in the snow
Fell to their knees then to the ground
In the out of bounds,
Many lives ruined
By a knife.
Many guns on the battle field
Not enough shields
Soldiers died one by one
From there enemy’s guns.
They run and run
Till the morning sun
Day and night what a fright
They don’t do this out of spite
They do this because they want to
Fight and fight and fight.
When the battle ends soldiers shed a tear
For the ones they lost in fear.
Home at last
Guns in the past
Innocent men lost
Only 1000 men home at last.

---

Gas Attack – By Jessica Milnes, 11

Eldwick Primary School

Silent but deadly,
Nobody saw it coming,
People around me,
Drowning in air,
Once loved friends,
Now dead bodies,
I’m lucky I found my gas mask in time.

---

Little Known Fact –By Bilal Mirza, 14

Calder High School

Overlooked
Voiceless
Largely absent
Rarely acknowledged
Little known facts
About the world's largest army
Where names like Ali Haider, Khudad Khan
Are whispered
Known for their bravery
To acquire the highest military award for gallantry
The Victory Cross I, for one Salute Warriors of the war the Great War

---

Centenary Woods – By Jamal Mirza, 11

Parkinson Lane School

I plant a tree
One in a million
To create a lasting tribute
I plant in Centenary Woods
A lasting emblem
To the fallen

---

Local Memorial – Sohail Mirza, 14

Calder High School

I stand, stare
At the local memorial
Designed by H Scot Davis
A statue to commemorate the dead
A stature of 25 feet
Weighing 13

0 tons
Unveiled on 15th October 1922
At a ceremony
Attended by many
I look at it
What's it all about?
What do the red poppies mean?

---

The Last Breath! – Thomas Lee Mitchell, 14

Priesthorpe School

There we were shivering, freezing in the slapdash trench,
It was a dark night and I felt a shudder down my spine.
At that very same moment the shell’s rain came from the sky.
Then flashes of yellow spectrum flying left right and center.
With my gun in hand I was distraught and I fired anywhere.
All was silent!
Then the blanket of green fog started to emerge like dragon fire.
At first I thought I was dreaming and I wanted to wake up.
There like a scared, gasping and scraping from my last breath.

---

By Ikrah Mohammed, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

I am doing this all for Britain’s glory
Never mind all those depressing worries
My heart beats every second with pain
But at least it’s beating yet again
Mother kissing me, shedding tears
“Good luck my son, my bravest dear.”
I got the message to grab my gun
I’m running now, this isn’t fun
The gunshot triggers
Subtracting figures
I scream
It hits me, that gigantic bullet machine
In my place a poppy rose
All my pain, it finally goes
11/11
Know that date?
It’s never too late
To commemorate
We never had a space too small
For those who are heroes to all…

---

By Georgia Momanon, 12

Appleton Academy

They Will never grow old
One hundred years
WaR was not pleasant
Many people Lost their lives
Deep trenches dug
World War One
There were Allied forces
Red poppies

---

By Millie Morris, 11

Appleton Academy

The skies are grey, the fields are red,
It’s the 11 month and all of the soldiers are dead.
Families are crying, people are dying.
Though the atmosphere may have died.
Still wear your medals with pride.
You did your time in the trenches with no rest on any benches.
So let’s stop all the violence, and have 2 minutes of silence.

---

My Poppy – By Misbah Mumtaz, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

My poppy falls, my poppy flies,
My poppy flies away,
My poppy flies, my poppy falls,
My poppy falls on his grave,
My poppy skips, my poppy wanders,
Into this floral maze..

My poppy sinks, my poppy seeps,
My poppy seeps into his soul,
My poppy thinks, my poppy reads,
My poppy reads the story once told..

My poppy travels, my poppy journeys,
Its way into his eyes,
My poppy grows, my poppy learns,
My poppy learned that here a good soldier once lay.

---

He’s Stood There All Alone – By Beth Needham, 14

Carr Hill High School

Everyone walks past him, the slight flicker of an eye,
No one stops to talk to him, not since he has died,
The old cracked stone soon to be changed,
The hit and run has happened, he has fallen once again,
As the people gather round like on that sad tragic day,
The memories that once were lost, have been found again.
Just him, the tree and the bench as the wind whispers his name,
A few stop and stare, but others have no shame,
The path curves around him like a blanket on the floor,
Each brick laid carefully, each entrance opened as a door,
In winter all the colours seem black brown and grey,
In summer red and green, he’s remembered once again,
The bench that is next to him he too has a tale,
Each tear that has been shed, on that great heroic fail.
The daughter who weeps wants her memories to be heard,
The bench listens carefully, to every name and every word,
The plaque gets read over and over the deaths are now forgiven,
The daughter gets up to leave, her feelings no longer hidden,
Me, I sit there and watch the people who go by,
Looking for that one, slight flicker of an eye,
Surrounded by the flowers, all of which are red,
Here to remember, all of who are dead.

---

By Liam Newitt, 12

Appleton Academy

Uniform clean and pressed and free, they don’t know who’s to blame,
Hitler bit her who’s to fix her.
No wind no rain there’s just sun we do not know who’s the one!
Is there rain or is there sun, maybe Hitler should have a sun,
Someone’s in trouble when Hitler bursts the bubble, could win or could we lose the war is on let’s sing a song. It’s time to win so let’s sing..

Hitler wins choirs sing, but war strikes again we turn round a bend. Bang goes the gun, what has Hitler done turn from one and win world war two..

Hitler’s dead
Hitler’s dead
Injured people lay on the hospital bed.

---

By Charlotte Newsham, 11

Beckfoot School

Weapons for all soldiers
Opportunity to take a risk
Red poppies everywhere
Lives are in great danger
Doom for every single soldier
War to end all wars
A lot never returned
Respect
1 huge difference

---

By Owen Turner Niemeyen, 11

Thornton Primary School

Terrifying noises like screaming in pain and bombs going of bigger than flats.
High commander ordering soldiers what to do
Endless war.

Gunshots fired as allies attack bravely
Running with fear the plan never worked
Everyone has nothing to live for
All day every day
Trenches and trenches.

Win or lose, die
Ambushes of gas
Red poppies everywhere

---

By Maryam Nisa, 13

Bradford Grammar School

He sat there on the rock, contemplating the scene, He raised his head, sweating in his soldiers greens, and he couldn't breathe, At the sight of the bodies of his fellow friends, Laying strewn on the blood-splattered grass, not able to mend, All from the same industrial city; Bradford to be precise, He thought it would be glorious, but now he must pay the price. .

He decided to take a walk around, across the French scenery, Trodding over corpses, glancing over artillery, And his heart started breaking repeatedly; like a hammer on a weak nail, Because the male residents of Toller Lane are now in a state of fail, As they are punctured balloons with bullet holes and blood-soaked clothes, They were friends-family- life; but dead now- completely unknown. .

BANG! Another gunshot- but what did it matter now?
BOOM! Another bomb- so common it didn't so loud.
SWOOSH! Another rocket- another dreadful dozen dead, But he couldn't give up now, “Not when we're so weak” he said.
And with his rifle in one hand and bag in the other, We won the war, yet there was still more to discover. .

And now when people think of Bradford, maybe it's not the best, But what we did in that war; that'll beat the rest.
Because as a Bradfordian, the rules are “You should never give up”
Never give up as well as standing up,
For people no matter who; brown, white or black, Now watch out everybody: Bradford's bouncing back!

---

By Adilah Nisar, 13

Belle Vue Girls’ School

War suddenly starts
Poppies begin to grow
We lay down our hearts
Soldiers standing in rows.

Huddled up in front line trenches
Bombs exploding above our heads
Gas masks keeping out the stenches
Children and parents dead.

I feel wars coming to an end
We'll get some sleep tonight
Our lives have begun to bend
We'll keep our families tight without a fright.

---

My WW1 Poem – By Abbie Nott, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

The frost attacks, biting our toes,
Nipping, pinching and ripping.
It tears you apart, piece by piece;
In this horrid war, c’est la vie..

Suddenly, gunfire-men rushing forwards,
Like animals chasing their prey.
We all grab our guns, desperate to live,
For this is our last chance at day..

We look around, when they have left,
At devastation and total destruction.
Bodies are lying, all around,
So many, dead and gone..

So we remember, the many men.
Asleep where poppies now grow.
Wilfred, Robert, all of the boys,
We think, each day, of you.

---

The Fight Is Ours – By Ellie Nott, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

Inside a claustrophobic cave of fear,
The air tense with fright.
A group of us wait, huddled together,
Knowing it soon will be night.
For just across an empty plan,
Are Germans- evil men,
And when night comes they know they’ll gain,
An advantage, then.
When suddenly the silence stops…
Our eyes are filled with smoke.
The air is filled with cracks and pops,
We cannot breath, we choke.
So we run, keep running, grabbing our guns,
Like children eager to play.
We creep, so quietly up to the Huns,
As it comes to the end of the day.
Then the pain filled fight begins,
Screams and cries are heard,
We MUST defeat them to add to the wins,
Not go home without a word!
This ordeal carries on, and on for several hours,
We push them back until their army quivers and it cowers.
So we think to ourselves a though that is: This fight, this fight is ours.

---

By Olivia Oates, 12

Appleton Academy

Weapons destroy homes
Over countries bombs are dropped
Remembrance Day
Lives at risk
Died in honour.

Why did the wars breakout
Armies fight for freedom
Red poppies.

1914

---

What’s Happened? – By Katie Rebeca Oates, 11

Eldwick Primary School

10 hours ago,
We faced bullets.
Everywhere around me,
There are people dying.
I could hear shooting and explosions,
A bomb came flying down..

I felt so worried,
Why couldn’t it stop?
So many guns were around me,
Enough to last a life time.
Then suddenly fell silence,
Then all came flooding back!

---

By Joseph Ockerby, 13

Appleton Academy

The bombs came down from place to place,
The world at war, the tragic waste,
Soldiers fallen all around
So many bodies on the ground
Feel the pain feel the sorrow
Who knows of what will come tomorrow.
In the trenches I can hear the thunder
Countless tanks blowing all to sounder.
Then one day all was peaceful.
Both sides united for a game of football.
The war dragged on and on and on.
But finally everyone sang the same song
The war was won, the victory earned
Lasting peace that cannot be spurned.

---

By Paul Omodeinde, 13

Carr Manor Community School

The day I approached the town hall, Convinced I was in for adventure, Unaware of what I was getting into, To foreign lands I would venture.
To make my country and family proud,
The chance to explore the world,
Before Christmas bells rang aloud,
Wondering what the world beholds.
The time was 1915 France,
It will be over by Christmas they claimed, So hurry before you miss your chance, Or you’d make your country ashamed.
It was painstakingly anti-climactic,
I almost wished it was overdramatic
And it never felt like a war,
It felt like one big chore.
Threatening trenches for your death conspires, Attempted escape resulted in barbed wire, Hopelessly stranded on no man’s land, At the feet of enemies, left unmanned.
The treacherous trenches infecting us all, Spreading like wildfire, making us fall, there were many deaths and bad conditions, yet we had barely used our ammunition.
We were all catching hypothermia,
We wish we were back in suburbia,
Where we can lie on our beds,
And rest our heads,
We’re stuck here instead,
Left to rot till we’re dead.

---

By Aleksander Ozog, 11

Appleton Academy

Bullets flying through the air,
Soldiers lying peacefully in the trenches,
Screams of the wounded,
The muddy trenches,
The soldiers praying to see their families again,
The families mourning their dead relatives,
Children frightened about what will happen to them,
Now where there used to be blood now grow poppies.

---

Bullet – By Ravneet Panesar, 11

Keelham Primary School

I was born in a machine,
Then put into a bag,
Now I’m locked in a gun
And I’m right at the back

They scream and they cry
I wonder why
Maybe it’s the gun
But I cannot be sure

It’s as black as the night in here
I think something is getting near.
The gun’s held up high
My friends are about to fly.,

BANG, BANG!
I’m at the front
What shall I do?
I don’t want to go!

CLICK
I can hear the hammer
There’s an icy shiver running down my back
Suddenly BANG!

I’m gliding through the air,
A wave of terror rushes over me
“AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!” screams the soldier
As I enter the body.

I’m drenched in blood
Is this how it’s going to end?
One bullet two deaths
Goodbye my friends.

---

By Hrithik Patel, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

The horrible smell rose from
From the trenches.
The gloomy sight.
The muddy soldiers.
Soldiers coming out of the trenches.
Then an enemy waiting by the tree.
Face to face they meet.
The epic battle commences.
They were the most honest
and reliable soldiers. They had met
and they were together.
The bravest and strongest people ever
In the First World War

---

My World War 1 Poem – By Emma Peacock, 11

Appleton Academy

Racing through the trenches was terrifying,
The sound of the bombs were so loud it made my ears turn deaf,
I remembered something, ‘Jaw Jaw is better than War War,’
It was them words that helped me live,
I fought for my family, my friends, the whole of England.
Years on we all crowd round the graves, carefully placing poppy rings on them.
The nightmare from hell still haunts me today…

---

By Lucy Peacock, 11

Appleton Academy

My great great granddad was a soldier,
He fought in World War 1.
His name was Private Peacock,
And he was sent to France with a gun.

He left his love at home,
And promised he’d return.
She wrote to him everyday,
Telling him how the bombs made London burn.

It must have been scary out there all alone,
And I’m sad to tell you he never did come home.
He made the greatest sacrifice a man can ever make
But she had peace in knowing it was all for England’s sake.

My family never got to lay him to rest,
But we have joy in knowing he’s up there with the best.
So goodnight god bless all you brave men,
We have peace in knowing we will meet you again.

---

Golden Bullets – By Meredith Peart, 13

Carr Manor Community School

Miles long inches deep
My body dreams of sleep
My legs have cramped
Eyes on fire burning
I hear the firing of guns
I hear bombs go BOOM!
Whilst the wind whistles on every time
The battle continues from sun to moon.
Do you hear that?
Ring ring in my ear.
Make it STOP!
All the bodies slowly flop.
I carefully look over
The field is long but ruined
The golden bullets
They shower us.
My face screams
My blood runs
My eyes fall asleep
Just like me.

---

By Bailey Petyl, 12

Appleton Academy

All you hear is a loud gun,
They are all braver,
They’re doing us a favour,
Fighting for our freedom,
We really, really need them,
Especially daddy,
A lot hard to pay,
Fields full of poppies shining brighter than the sun,
Representing those killed by a gun,
I hope we all pray for them a great afterlife,
For all those killed by a gun or knife,
They are all crying they feel a tear,
For their best mates they lost that year,
There all sat in their trench,
Whilst they are all drenched,
They all having a quick nap,
Before they have to wear their cap,
And then they have to serve,
Because they all have tough nerves,
They are all lying about their age,
Whilst they are all in rage,
They want to save lives,
Even if that means using guns and knives
Look at all those poppies shining redder than ever,
Thanks to those that fell as light as a feather.

---

By Max Pollard, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

Sitting there waiting for something to happen
With mud permeating the air, just sitting there
Waiting to hear someone shout gas or bomb it’s pretty tense.
From nowhere, I hear hundreds of people running at me!!
Shouting “Quick! Quick! They’re coming”
I was terrified, I was shaking, I couldn’t move a muscle
but I had to or I could have died, my ears were screaming
That was it… couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t even speak. Dead!

---

Wishes – By Caitlin Porritt, 11

Beckfoot Grammar School

If I could walk I’d be walking in the English fields,
Sharing my thoughts to the rest of the world,
I would sway my arms like butterfly’s wings…
But I can’t do that I’m dust under a grave..

I was holding a gun hid away in a trench,
Nowhere to go, nowhere to run,
I cried out in horror a bomb howling down to me,
I couldn’t move, I couldn’t see,
I fired my gun, hoping a team mate could save me,
But… it was too late the trench swallowed me..

I’m now just thinking, thinking of my family,
I’d run up to them if I had some legs, but I don’t, I never will,
I can imagine it, hugging them telling them I’m safe,
But… I’m not I died on the year 1915.

---

The Trench – By Chloe Porritt, 11

Beckfoot School

Heart pounding, blood boiling, fingers twitching.
Stomach churning, head burning, skin prowling.
Mind twisting, wound aching, feet trembling. .

The trench, the mud, the fuss, racing through my mind.
The sound, the guns, the death repeating all the time.
The war, the sirens, the panic, the bombs dropping, dropping.
Through my mind..

My friends my family, my people know I will die
My rivals, my enemy, my dead ones, haunt me while I sleep;
The shouting, the balling, the commands get me as I fall, fall to the ground..

I know I will die so why don’t I die now,
Because the war will never end and my wounds will never stop.
Please, please, say bye to my friends, my family and my rivals.

---

Standing Tall – By Raees Qurban, 11

Beckfoot School

As I stand amongst many in this battlefield, I am proud that I am here.
To fight for the freedom that we all deserve that yet inside I fear.
Overhead I hear planes flying past and a crashing sound.
Suddenly, a huge fire burns to the ground.
Many lives lost in battle let us not forget the sacrifice.
That is the price we had to pay for our freedom today.

---

By Alisha Qureshi

Beckfoot School

Two months ago I was happy
Two months ago I saw my family
Two months ago I went out with my best friend
Two months ago I held my new born child..

Two weeks ago I entered the war
Two weeks ago I left my family
Two weeks ago I got sent to fight
Two weeks ago I only had the memory of my new born child..

Two days ago I was broken
Two days ago I never got my mail
Two days ago I saw my best friend get shot
Two days ago I remembered my new born child..

Today I am suffering.

---

Here I Am In World War 1 – Laibah Rana, 15,

West Bowling, Bradford

It all just seems to start
My eyes are swelling up
I remember when it happened
Here I am in, World War 1.

They ask me where I’ve been
They ask me what I’ve seen
But, the only words that stumble
Are the words from the unseen.

The monstrous anger of the guns
Just seem to be getting louder
Watching the bodies rise above the sun
I am in Flanders field.

I wear a little poppy
To show the others what I mean
By the country that struck us
As far as we dream.

The noise seems to increase
The poppies have all fallen
My eyes are full of tears
Who made this all happen?

---

Where have all the poppies gone? – By Nicole Rayner, 12

Appleton Academy

Where have the poppies gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the poppies gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the poppies gone?
Girls have picked them all.
When will they ever learn.
Where have all the poppies gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the girls gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the girls gone?
Taken husbands everyone.
When will they ever learn?.

Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for a soldier.
When will they ever learn?.

Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing,
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago,
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to the graveyard everyone.
When will they ever learn?.

Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing,
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing,
Where have all the graveyards gone, covered with flowers everyone
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

---

By Alliyah Raza, 11

Appleton Academy

Not knowing which way to turn,
In the middle of no man’s land,
For fear had rested his hands upon everybody’s shoulders.
And to retreat would never be an option now,
Remembering my responsibilities, of the lives, that are now disposable.
It was my duty to help them survive, and live through another day.
For there was nothing I nor any other man could do to cure our ailments.
But due to the daily bombardments, many of the British fighters hearing had been silenced.
Can that be a blessing in disguise?
A near escape from the enemy’s war song.
But the slightest moments, everyone must think of the souls we have lost.
So many broken hearts of families, who have been left behind.
Although the memories never depart.
They died serving their king and country, doing what they thought was right.

---

By Kelly Renton, 11

Beckfoot School

War is like hell,
It’s painful and depressing,
Gas masks are itchy,
Hate to end up in a coffin..

Hard to trawl to the trench,
Hardly no strength,
Hard to survive,
Helpful for the world to come alive..

Responsible for the fellows to survive,
Poppies growing anywhere,
Sickly, deadly bodies everywhere,
Bomb! Bomb! Goes the bombs..

Green long stalks as big as a tree,
Red sickly blood spreading,
Underground trenches everywhere you look,
Every summer they flood.

---

Back To War – By Jack Rigg, 11

Roberttown Junior & Infant School

The broken soldier slowly walked away from his friend.
The sun is up for a new day and he wishes he was in the grave instead of his friend.
Sobbing tears he drowns his heart in them.
BANG goes the rifle as the soldier goes back to action.
The blood red poppies are swishing in the breeze.
The grass is black as some charcoal.
BOOM the cannon ball has been shot.
BANG! The soldier joins his friend!

---

By Narjis Fatima Rizvi, 11

Belle Vue Girls’ School

World War 1 is a savage time,
Where people fight and have to die..

World War 1, World War 1, will this ever end and will London ever get its peace again?
It is not a fight of 2 people,
it is a fight of many countries and mankind..

World War 1 destroys many peoples’ lives and hopes.

---

By Canice Robins

Woodhouse Grove School

The soldiers sat in the trenches deafened.
By the sound of the artillery.
The dirty infested rats roam the trenches.
They continue strengthened by the support of fellow soldiers..

Suddenly, the ground shook.
The enemy tanks roamed the valley.
Blowing up huge shell holes.
Destroying our defensive line..

Today we remember the soldiers, the heroes.
Because we wouldn’t be this country today if it wasn’t for them.

---

Poppies To Grow On The Field – By Darcy Robinson, 12

Tong High School

The bombs crash,
Ceilings smash,
People dash,
All that’s left on the street is ash.
People were scared,
The sirens aired,
Everyone hopefully stared,
Hoping their men would be spared.
Some hearts are not healed,
From those who died with no shield,
All the land could now yield,
Are poppy’s to grow on the field.

---

Join The Game – By Millie Robinson, 13

The North Halifax Grammar School

“Join the game, join the game,”
Rings in my ears like a thousand bells,
As I walk away, into the game of war...

I stand there muddy, wet, blood shod,
I look around, all my team, my pals, have gone,
Into the land of peace, but in the most terrible manner,
Shot to pieces in the earlier months,
I remember their cries, their pain, as they went,
They looked so happy as they went over the top, into no-man’s land,
Then their faces turn and their bodies crumbled,
I slumped down into the sea of red, my pals’ red, waiting to be relieved of the pain,
I remember crying and screaming as I was dragged back into the trench,
Then the corporal saying “We’re going back over lads, over again tomorrow.”

I sit crying, I know I am not going to make it,
I will never see my family again,
Never look into their eyes with such love, never, never, never,
My ears ring with the sound of a thousand guns, a thousand cries, and a thousand goodbyes.

And as I stand there I think of where I could be if I had gone with my pals,
And I decide to myself,
“If these are the last steps I take,
Down the long and twisting path of death,
Then let them be my greatest,
My final stand, my final fight, my final day,
My chance to join my pals again, in the land of peace,”

Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori,
What a terrible lie...

---

Don’t forget – By Megan Robinson, 11

Shibden Head Primary School

Don’t ignore the soldiers, the fighters,
The controllers, or the writers..

The poppies sway,
To and fro,
In Flanders fields,
Where no man wanted to go..

In the trench, they hope this war ends in peace,
Listening to the French, waiting for their terrible decease..

The poppies sway,
To and fro,
In Flanders fields,
Where no man wanted to go..

Wear a poppy on this day, and remember those who saved our lives,
Who fought not in a child’s way, and cheer for those who survived..

The poppies sway,
To and fro,
In Flanders fields,
Where no man wanted to go..

Poppies, bright, colourful red, remind us of the men who fought,
Don’t forget those who are dead, please don’t let them be forgot..

The poppies sway,
To and fro,
In Flanders fields,
Where no man wanted to go.

---

By Brooklyn Rollin, 12

Appleton Academy

April 25th a long time ago.
You went to battle at dawn.
Many lost their lives.
Together we will mourn more than that though we will march and remember those brave men.
For they went to war and battled on.
They fought for our freedom then through the dark nights and the longest days, through muddy grounds you go you march on and look behind and you see the poppies grow,
We will wear one on this day, to remember your courage.
So strong we want you to know that in our hearts your memory still lives on.

---

World War 1 – By Nathan Roseonie, 11

Birkenshaw C E Primary School

We remember the soldiers who fought
Only fighting for their king and country,
Rough were the trenches they had to stay in,
Less hope they had throughout the war,
Dull the world was around them.

Wet, wounded and terrible it was,
And it never stopped. Never.
Remember the soldiers who risked their life..

One hope left, my family, it was
Nauseous
Endless, but we battled through

---

By Jake Rothery, 12

Appleton Academy

In the morning the soldiers are marching, at night they are yawning.
Bombs are flying over your head and waking people from their beds.
The civilians are afraid while the Germans raid.
And the children are dying while the mothers are crying.
Each soldier is a powerful weapon and some are shell shocked from what happened.
Germans are throwing gas while the English gasp.
Soldiers are shooting while the others are looting.
When the war shall cease this lonely unknown spot of manya pilgrimage will be the end and flowers will shine in this now barren plot and fame upon it through the years descend.
But many a heart upon each simple cross, will hang the grief, the memory of its loss.

---

In This Old Trench – Megan Rowe, 13

All Saints Catholic College

In this old trench where we live,
The sandbags hold us up
I really wish I was at home
Drinking from a real cup.
In this old trench where we live
Trench foot has our troops
Yet we will battle on
And stay with our group
In this old trench where we live
Shells fly over our heads
But we will hide away
In our so called beds
In this old trench where we live
The rifles explode
Boom Boom!
I’ll be back soon
I hope
In this old trench where we live
BANG!
I was gone
All because of a Bomb
In this old trench lay the dead
The poppies grow and blow
In this old trench I lay dead
In this old trench

---

By Shannon Rowley, 12

Appleton Academy

In fields the poppies
grow between the
grass row by row.
For they went to war
and battled on through
night and day.
Guns were shot more
than a lot taking
them down one by one..

---

For King And Country – By Leylah Rushton, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

Will I die? Will I live?
I never should have come.
How can I survive this hell hole?
Will I be taken by the Hun?.

I long for home
For rolling green hills
For just our muckabouts
Will I ever see my family again?
My heart is wrenched out..

“Gas!, Gas!” “Everyone out!”
I frantically grab my mask.
Smith does not reach his in time.
He writhes in agony and gasps..

I find myself running
My feet just won’t stop
How could I have survived?
The images are imprinted in my mind
So few are still alive.

---

WAR 4 LIVES – By Abigail Ryan, 12

Hipperholme and Lightcliffe High School

Bang, Bang, Bang!
“Attack, Attack, Attack!”
Cries and screams break out.
World War 1 begins.
Injured men retreat to the trenches and sit on the benches.
Guns fire, never a quiet moment.
Injured men make puns to keep spirits high.
Even in death he thought of Beth.
“Oh dear Beth I wish this would cease.”
No man’s land has no peace.
No areas are safe.
Fire, Fire!

---

Finally Peace – By Haleemah Sadia ,12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

Brave and bold they held their heads up high,
Fighting for Britain to be free,
Not afraid of gunshots and attacks,
Not afraid of the rain of bombs,
Fighting for their families,
Hearing cries wails and weeps from women children and poor soft soldiers,
Carrying out weapons and armour,
Fighting against wicked horror,
Battles, blood, wails, and morns,
BOOM BOOM BOOM three soft soldiers land harshly to the floor... THUD!
Tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts,
Restless bodies incomplete desertion,
Nobody to be seen or to be found,
Just think where are their bodies?
Where did they go?
Untold stories yet to be found,
Mysteries to unravel,
There is truth to be told,
Remember the soldiers,
Send a poppy to their hearts,
11th of October the end from the start,
Soldiers we salute you, thank you for risking your lives,
May your souls be at peace.

---

By Halimah Sadia, 14

Bradford Girls Grammar School

I have never known what life would be
without a family
For all of those soldiers who died in pain
and all of those soldiers who died in vain

Away from home
they had formed
the strongest army
to fight for this country
not knowing what’s ahead
keep going, is what they said

Through sleepless nights
they would fight
with all their might
living in a trench
fighting alongside the French

So let’s all pray
and remember that day
when friendships did mend
and World War One did end.

---

By Hina Saghir, 13

Bradford Girls Grammar School

Many brave soldiers fought
In world war one.
They didn’t really have a choice
And it wasn’t very fun.
Lots of soldiers became deaf
Because the bombs were very loud
And if they were still alive
They won’t be very proud.
It started in 1914

.
By the end of it, it had seemed
As if the whole generation of youth had died
Which meant that very little survived.
Every year we must remember
This tragic world war.
We sit in silence and imagine
How they felt and what they saw.
Huts burnt down
So it wasn’t very good
Because they had to sleep outside
On the hardened mud.
We’ll just never know
What actually happened in the First World War.
It’s hard to imagine
As it was a very long time ago.

---

World War One – By Amy Shah, 11

Shirley Manor Primary Academy

Waiting for the whistle to blow.
Wanting to leave the army.
Wailing soldiers weeping in the trenches.
Wishing for time to fly.
Wondering if I will survive.
War: Waiting, wanting, wailing, wishing, wondering.

---

He's Never To Return... – By Amina Sheeraz, 12

Belle Vue Girls' School

He was going to come back,
The marriage was arranged for March
He was going to come back for a holiday, in two days but now he's never to return...
Our parents' had arranged a welcome back party, I still long to see him again or hear his voice, even though I know he's never to return...
He was going to be here for my birthday, and the anniversary of when we first met, but I can never see that lovely smile again, because he's never to return...
He was brave- he left the trench first,
But there he was shot,
He died a long, painful death
So now he'll never return...
The phone rang, I became hopeful!
But it was my sister-in-law
Notifying me of his death,
And that he's never to return...
Lost, raw, empty,
I cannot do anything without remembering all those like me, who have someone, who's never to return...

---

The Almighty War – By Ryan Shuckyard, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

It was calm.
The breeze was blowing.
The soldiers were sleeping.
But tomorrow – it was war. The sinky wet mud squelching in boots. The thought of the next day being your last.

Go Go Go! The general shouted to get out the trenches and charge forward.
They all ran – but one fell, he had a bullet to his head.
And blood was pouring as I watched him.
Slowly dying.

We must remember the brave soldiers that fought this day.
They fought for us.
Even though they were betrayed.
And lied to. But they still went on.
With bravery and death clinging to their body.
The haunting thought that a bullet could end their life.
At any moment.
Or gas pouring in their lungs.
Slowly suffocating.

---

By Tristan Skoczek, 14

Woodhouse Grove School

Shooting after shooting!
Every day and night
People dying day after day
The repetition of war.
Bang! The person next to me got shot
The general shouted down! Down!
Everyone got down and picked up their weapons
And then everything went quiet
Suddenly, you could hear men marching
The sound was getting closer and closer
Then bang someone got shot
So we started running away
Like a mouse being chased
We got to the end of the trench
People getting shot
And it all seemed like the end of us all.

---

Comrades – By Shamus Smart-Gant, 11

Liversedge, Birstall

A rifle sadly shooting
The man shooting for his life
The smoke makes it hard to breathe from the battlefield – where he could die like his friends
A bomb hitting him mentally!.

He is swimming in his comrade’s blood
Crying in a pool of sadness
Happy poppies are billowing in the breeze-
The sombre moon shimmered

---

By Sophie Smith, 12

Appleton Academy

Worriers waving goodbye
Occupied and ready
Rights taken away
Loud crashes of bombs
Death waiting ahead.

Worried families
Ashes lay scattered
Red – blood poppies

---

Poppies Are Red Guns Are black – By Katie-Lee Speight, 11

Appleton Academy

Poppies are red,
Guns are black,
The army will attack,
Then hear guns shoot from miles,
The rage goes on,
Day and night,
One hundred years ago you would hear them roar,
Charging in with nothing but despair,
The swords go up,
And soldiers fall down,
The blood drips red,
Then there dead.

---

By Jonathan Starley, 11

Beckfoot School

A munition waster
Life taker
Death maker
Peace breaker
Feral fighter
Corpse lover
Hell enlarger
Mad destroyer.

---

By Harry Storton, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

At the dead of silence
I was just sat there waiting
Waiting for something to happen
Bang!, there goes a bomb
“Everybody back in shelters!”
I looked across the green smoke
There I saw someone drowning gas
People had their gas masks on
We were all there scared and tired
All I could hear was guns firing and shouting
If I manage to make it home
I will tell my children it is not glorious
Although I’m trying my hardest to win
I will save my country.

---

The Forced Fighter – By Courtney Grace Ellis Stoweman, 11

Bradford Grammar School

Sent away to the trenches, the chaos and the guns.
Dead and dying lay everywhere, though the war has just begun.
Only some are given respirators, the rest are left to fight.
And the poison gas is everywhere, especially at night.
It’s for your sweetheart, they say, and the honour.
To help stop Germany coming into power.
Raining down everywhere are the shrapnel and the bombs.
Making craters everywhere and making stone tombs.
Oh, what is the world coming to?
I don’t know why I’m fighting, do you?
But if I refuse to fight, I’ll die.
And at my funeral, nobody will cry.
I don’t want to desert!
But it’s not just from my physical wounds I hurt.

---

Soldiers – By Nathan Strauss, 13

Woodhouse Grove School

The soldiers were waiting
Bathing in their own sweat
They watched the odd rat scuttle by their feet
The smell of dead corpses smothered the air.
The solders knew this was no fair
They hear charge
The soldiers scrambled up the trenches they ran for the pits of hell
Hearing bullets whizzing past their ears.
Seeing their dead comrades fall to the cold ground
They knew no fear
One by one the heroes fall
To become legends of the war
Heroes for everyone
The noble men who died on that day will be remembered every day.

---

Hero Of War – By Ellie Mae Sutton, 14

Beckfoot School

I kicked in the door,
I yelled my commands,
The children, they cried,
But I got my man..

The hero of war,
That’s what’ll be,
And when I come home,
They’ll be damn proud of me..

I’ll raise up my flag,
To the graves if I must,
Because it’s a flag that I love,
And a flag that I trust.

---

World War! – By Kimberley Swaine, 11

Appleton Academy

War is sad.
Over all it makes me mad.
Rapidly they run.
Love the people that care.
Don’t laugh it’s not fun.
War war war.
As they fight we all know what they’re fighting for.
Remember them don’t forget that they love every one of us.

---

By Lyriel Swaine, 11

Immanuel College

We look up to the heavens above, we send our
Lord a last prayer to the grey skies ahead;
But we must surge onwards.
We look right, an innocent ally sends a last
blood curdling scream and falls to the floor;
But we must surge onwards.
We look left, a man with a gaping mouth lies on
the floor, his leg pouring with blood;
But we must surge onwards.
We look ahead, our enemies stand, shooting, running forward to death;
But we must surge onwards.
We march onwards to the battlefield, it is littered
with bodies and blood;
But we must surge onwards.
We must surge onwards towards what awaits us.
Be it Life, Failure, Victory or Death.
But we must surge onwards.

---

Why – By Toby Sykes, 11

Eldwick Primary School

Why did I send my people to war? Why?
Why did I sign up for the army? Why?
Why did I declare war? Why?
Why are we fighting and at war? Why?
Why are we in a world of terror? Why?
Why World War? Why?
Why death? Why?
Why are weak little children fighting? Why?
Why are we not at peace? Why?
Why are we not living a normal life? Why?
Why?

---

WW1 – By Vincent Sykes, 11

Appleton Academy

When the red flowers blow
Row after row
It was such relief with the armistice signed
The families of over eight million resigned
To the unnamed soldiers now laid to rest in France
The people of the 30 or more countries
Must surely remain in a trance
When Austria joined Germany everything went BANG!!!!!!!
And what was to blame?
Possibly the Austrian Grand Duke who was slain
And all I really have to say is this
It was such a relief
To the end of the grief!

---

My soldiers, My Hero…– By Anmol Tahir, 14

Bradford Girls’ Grammar School

It does not require many words to tell his story…

Something moves,
A war cry sounds.
Gunshots roar,
scattered across the floor
lifeless corpse.

The fire in their eyes,
Are as cold as ice.
One will fall,
One will rise,
But many will die.

This is a silent war cry,
Not of one but of a million good guys.
Who were up day and night,
Fighting for our rights

We are the dead.
Shot years ago.
We lived, felt dawn, saw the sunset glow.
We loved and were loved,
and now we lie
in them fields, until the time we will once again rise.

Appreciate what you have because without soldiers you
would not have it.

That is the story of my soldier… my hero.

---

The Screams The Shouts – By Zahraa Taj, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

The screams, the shouts
Of men everywhere
The pain, the sorrow
Of gas in the air
The guns, the blows
Why does nobody care?.

The women, the girls
Working all day and night.

The children, the kids
Not aware of the fight
The workers, the soldiers
Waiting for some light.

The bullets, the guns
As they shoot, run
The shells, the blast
This is no fun
The blare, the boom
What has the world done?.

The world, the war
The blast of a gun
The spoil, the wreck
This is World War One

---

Tired Beaten Sad – Hasna Talib, 12

Kings Academy

The evacuees are going away
And the soldiers are showing the way.
Instead of pouring the sky with water
It was full of danger as for bomb are followed within
The many that are hurt by bombs are the many that are brave enough to protect their country.
He defends the land of the great queen.
The remembrance of those who sacrifice their life to protect others and not being selfish.
Only because someone had taken the life of an important person.
It was mishandled and got the life’s of innocent people around the world.
This story is a moral of life to show every action has a outcome for the better or the worse.

---

To My Father – By Mia Tarroba, 11

Bradford Girls Grammar School

My father went to war
I don't know why he should
I thought that he would come
Of course he never would.

In fact he never came
Or even wrote a note
I found out he was dead
While fighting on a boat.

Sometimes I wake serene
And think the war has ended
Instead I'm all alone
Longing for a friend.

One night when it was dark
A telegram arrived
My mother she was lost
How hard my eyes had cried.

So many months had past
So many lives had blown
So many bombs had blast
So many homes had flown.

But still we all fight on
For freedom and for peace
I pray there'll be a day
When love and care increase

---

By India Taylor, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

In the mud, sat waiting,
Expecting something to happen,
It’s as quiet as a waiting room,
Will it be bad or good news?
My boots are mud-coated,
I haven’t had them off in day.
Gas, gas, I could hear the sergeant calling.
There was a sudden scrabbling about,
Everyone found their masks, all except one.
He was running around looking for it.
I could see the gas attacking his lungs
He was chocking, gasping reaching for air.
A few more seconds and he would be no more.
Everyone wanted to help him nut no one knew how
We lifting him into the wagon along with the others
Who had gone the same way as him.
If people say you’ll back with just a crutch,
They’re lying, it’ll be a missing limb at least.

---

By Louis Taylor, 12

Appleton Academy

My son.
He was 16,
He joined the army,
And now I plead,
Every night I complain,
‘Oh why was it me’
For Peter, my dear son Peter,
He is now on his knees,
All the letters he wrote,
I can still see them,
Not a word of the fighting,
Until it came to me,
Oh dear, oh dear
He won’t come back to me.
World War 1 is nigh.

---

The Guilt – Toby Taylor 11

Thornton Primary School

I told my soldiers to charge,
The men barged over the top,
One by one they all fall,
I watched and started to cry,
I wondered what to do,
Stood helpless while the,
Guilt took over my body..

The shame deteriorated me down to
Tears, this made me suicidal.

---

War 2 – By Michaela Thompson, 11

Worthinghead Primary School

When the war began
All you could hear was bang, bang
With the bombs dropping on the ground
People screaming and shouting
Bombs dropping beside or behind people
Trying to escape underground
Crawling and crawling somewhere safe
Couldn’t hide in houses
All of them were broken.
Day after day
Family and friends come and see their loved ones
All I wish is for no war
As bombs were landing on the ground
All you could see was grey smoke
Coming out of the ground.
One day the war will end
With many people dead
Tear coming down people’s faces
Not happiness…
Sadness.

---

Black Hope – Zoe Tout, 11

Roberttown Junior & Infant School

Sorrowfully regretting wrongful betrayal and
Sadly thinking thoughts of the past.
Where chould a man chained by guilt and plagued by mistakes turn to?
How could he escape the darkened world he forged for himself?
The answer opened his eyes: there was none.
Nothing could free him other than his comrade’s forgiveness.
He was too late.
His friend was gone forever, he was trapped in his own diabolical world with no way out of
it.
Heavy hearted, he knew hope was gone...black...

---

The Great War – By Ella Town, 11

Bradford Grammar Junior School

Bang bang bang go the guns,
Blood on the stained stretchers,
Screaming men being carried away,
Boom boom boom go the shells as they explode..

‘I’ll be home for Christmas!’ they all said,
For many people that never happened,
It did for some,
Everyone missed the men that went to fight..

On Christmas day they didn’t fight.
Instead the soldiers played football,
The happily played, kicking the football around,
In the freezing cold snow..

A few years later the families waited,
The beginning of the war was the last time many saw loved ones,
Very few saw fathers, brothers and uncles again,
The war was a dreadful place.

---

World War 1 – Olivia Townend, 11

St Lukes C E Primary School

Red and special, the poppies grow,
In far away fields they blow,
They remind us of all who died,
Brave and lion hearted soldiers..

The trenches is where they sleep,
Listening to other soldiers weep,
The rats and the mice keep them awake,
As they lay and shake.

---

Poppies – By Megan Trower, 13

Middlewich High School

Poppies, Poppies all around.
I can't hear anything not even a sound.
People cry as people die...
People weep as people 'sleep'.
It was time ago.
But the pain still shows on this day, when everyone's bold...
As the people who fought are freezing cold!
They're under us dead in a hole, whilst we show respect and empty our sole...
There is no time for our 'worries', our thoughts or even pain, we need to think about them fighting...
Yes even in the rain!
One went down, another got bombed.
Families wept as they heard the sound... the sound of officers breaking the truth,
Their loved ones had gone in a poof!
We think of our heroes on this memorable day,
And how they fought for their say.

---

WW1 – By Autumn Turnbull, 12

Appleton Academy

Banging noises fill the sky,
All the people wonder why,
Gun shots are firing overhead,
The killing fields are coloured red..

Tanks are patrolling the town,
Trying to take their enemies down,
In the trenches the soldiers pray,
That god will bring them a better day..

When Santa Claus comes,
The soldiers put down their gun,
As the snowflakes fall,
They all play football..

RIP to the British that died,
For us, they sacrificed their lives,
We can now live happy and free,
Thank you British soldiers, you inspire me.

---

Theatre Of Hell – By Vinay Verma, 13

Priesthorpe School

The sea of blood flows, a river of rotting bodies,
I walk down fully equipped
Ready to kill, ready to defeat
Ready to lose myself on this ongoing theatre of hell.
The ghastly noise of the bombs awake me from my sleep.
I trudge through the muddy sludge
Ready to kill, ready to defeat
Ready to loose myself in this ongoing theatre of hell.
I shoot
I defeat
I lose myself in this going theatre of hell

---

Remembrance Day/World War 1 – By Connor Wade, 14

Bradford Academy

Once a life, when unprepared
Death fronted him with loaded snares
He screamed and yelped ‘please someone help’
Can someone free me from this belt?
He lay there till the snow did melt
But no-one ever came to help
Now he lay underground
With peace and harmony that he found
He fought the war to help us out
But then he died with-out a doubt
Bless his heart, Bless his soul
As his body lay in the hole
Dark and dingy where he lay
Once a year they come to pray
They lay a wreath and stand and stay
For a few minutes then walk away
This is what we all should do on
REMEBRANCE DAY!

---

By Hannah Waddington, 12

Appleton Academy

Guns firing through the air
Dead bodies lying everywhere
There’s no time to have a blast
This was has to end fast..

The battlefield will be sloppy
But it’s a great place to grow their poppy
Their terrible war will stop for no one
Or at least until it is won.

---

By Leyton Williams

Appleton Academy

In 1914

they went to war
To stop Germany ruling the world
Innocent were being killing
So the all went abroad to fight in the fields
We knew we had to win
To keep the world as one
It took four long years
But we finally won

---

Forever Heroes – By Louie Williams, 12

Woodhouse Grove School

In Flanders Fields brave bodies lie,
“Don’t go! Don’t go!” Mothers did cry.
Off to war, we had to choice!
If only someone had raised their voice.
As a new day begins, the bugle sounded,
For all us young soldiers our hearts quickly pounded.
The rifles were risen the mortars were ready,
“Over the top, lads! Pray for today to be steady.”
Millions dead nothing united,
Will war end still not decided.
‘In memory of our long lost fathers.’

---

Am I The Enemy? – By Francesca Wills ,13

Ilkley Grammar School

Gunshots pierce the peace,
Tanks trample the track.
They came with their loaded guns,
Forced us out of our homes..

They threatened me - what could I do?
They shoved me down the road,
I could feel the cold steel of the gun against my back.
I heard the screams of my friends,
My friends – innocent people like you.
I wanted to save them
But, they threatened me – what would you do?.

I look around me and see those I love,
But to you, who are we?
The enemy
We are humans too,
Do you hate me?
I think you do..

I see you – your eyes cold as ice,
You wear their uniform.
You pull the trigger – you watch without a shred of remorse as I fall,
The blood pours from my gaping wound,
My life flashes before my eyes – I see my daughter,
My body drops.
You've slain an enemy,
Am I the enemy?.

Will you remember my face?
As the light faded from my blue eyes.
Will the memory – of my scarlet blood pooling around me - haunt you?
Or will you never give me a second thought?
The man you murdered in cold blood....
Am I the enemy?

---

By Anisa Zaman, 12

Belle Vue Girls’ School

They fought for honour,
They fought for pride,
They did this all to save our lives.
Getting ready for war,
Is this really the law?
Hearing all this makes me roar.
Guns, bombs and swords ready,
Reminds me to get my teddy..

They fought for our country,
They fought for respect,
After all their hearts will still connect.
Britain won Germany lost,
Germany will be at a very big cost.

---