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DEATH OF A JOHN LANCY
To
The people cheered and shouted;
The
freedom of the seas was won,
The British had been routed.
The
town that night was a blaze of light
And flags flew through the day,
The women cried, "At last, at last,
Our men'll be home to stay!"
The
joy was tempered by the news
Which came when day was done,
That
though they gained a victory,
They'd lost a favorite son.
For
off an island far away
Out on the ocean blue,
The
cannon's roar and scream of shot
Had pierced the morning new.
Old
Ironsides, the frigate great,
Was fighting British Ships,
When
suddenly a cannon shot
Shattered John Lancy's hips.
The
surgeon took him down below
And told him he would die;
"I
only wish their ships would sink,"
That was his brave reply.
A
moment leter cheers sparng up,
He rolled o'er on his side;
He
raised hes head, echoed a cheer,
A moment later died.
‑‑
Pamela Lancy (aged 16)
1956
Note:
Ordinary Seaman John Lancy (or Lancey) fought in Constitution on 20 February 1815 when she defeated HMS Cyane and HMS Levant. Pamela is his great,
great, great granddaughter.
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The Captain’s Clerk |