E. O. Hawkes

My Dad, a young man of just 20, Joined the RAF to serve and fly.
He left his home, family and country, to fly in this great prairie sky.
These men had experienced dark times. Our world was at war it is true.
But here they found comrades aplenty, and some of them found their way through.
When he died, it took decades to get here, With false starts, blind allies and pain.
I think I came here to find closure, What I found was connection again.
Connection to all that Dad valued, the friendships and kindness he found.
They’re here for me now in abundance, How I wish that he still was around.
This town made its mark in his memory, It’s people impossibly kind.
I grew up on tales of his time here, I hoped that one day I might find…
That all that he valued existed, that it still was all here in this place.
But I could not have known had I not journeyed here, The warmth, the respect and the grace…
With which these, the fallen, are cared for, they lie here a long way from home.
But unlike so many in England, these guys are just never alone.
I love that they’re part of your family, their story is part of yours too.
A resting place fit for these brave young men, they’re so well looked after by you.
Leaders talk of the special relationship, Between Britain and the Land of the Free
But if nation shall speak unto nation, it starts here, between you and me.
So, I wear this small badge to remind me, that we have this remarkable bond.
That we have more in common than our language,
And what divides us is just a big pond.