This poem was penned by Stewart on the day he attended one of the Thistle Committals – 18th May 2018
We stand, and at attention, wait,
Facing the fence with the monument behind
The Town flag bowed in salute
While the little metal Thistle is placed and aligned.
“They shall not grow old” is said in respect
For the many young men from Haddington town
While the traffic passes on a busy day
A thoughtful moment with heads bowed down.
The Pipes they are played in accompaniment
“Flooers o’ the Forest” a cry for the dead,
As the notes arise into the afternoon sky
Perhaps a tear on the cheek can be shed.
This was a war “to end all wars”
But in the process it killed so many men
Young at heart and at the start of life
They fought and they died in an endless campaign.
“The Haddington soldiers remembered 4 years and 130 dead”
Stewart Carruthers 18th May 2018