Les Darcy was a battler,
a bone rattler from Maitland,
Australia. He was a blacksmith
at fifteen, working the forge
and his forearms with gleeful
disposition. He fought and boxed,
stood toe-to-toe with the heavy
hitters, traded blows and blood
noses, broken teeth - all
with gleeful disposition.
He'd go twenty gruelling rounds
on a Saturday night down
in loud Sydney town: and win or
lose he rode the long train home
for morning mass on Sunday.
Les Darcy was fair dinkum! and
there was no way to sink him
to the canvas or the claret streaked
mud of world war one - like prime
minister hughes tried to do, and
did do! with a cowardly flick of
his wrist when he marched all
those other young men to
a war that was not theirs.
yet
death took 'em, just the same...
Les Darcy was a battler and
he copped a lotta flak from
the newspapers and
mash fed dogs down in loud
Sydney town because he
had the audacity! to
be under the legal age to
fight in a war that was not
his. Les Darcy was a bone rattler
from Maitland, Australia. died
in Memphis, Tennessee - aged
just twenty
One.
when he came back to his
native shore, they carried his
body through
a hero's procession -
down in loud Sydney town
before, once more;..
the long train home.
