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Document 152

War Time 1914-1918 (For Private William Middleton, Gellan, Coull)

Author(s): Sheena Blackhall

Copyright holder(s): Sheena Blackhall

Text

I'm telt ye threw yer watch
Ootower the kirk. The hinmaist
Thing ye did on the wye tae war.
Prood o yon time-piece,
Feart it was be bladdit.
Did it stop fin it struck the grun?
Yer first watch, Willie, an yer last;
Flung frae ye like yer bairnhood,
In the drapt fit of the mairch past.

Fairm-sodjer-bairn,
In the ower-big uniform
(Onythin dis tae dee in)
Someither-body merriet yer quine,
As the war tae en aa wars
Gaed mairchin ooto mine,
Wi nae hugger-muggery;
The loon fa tint his watch,
Wis blawn tae buggery.


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APA Style:

War Time 1914-1918 (For Private William Middleton, Gellan, Coull). 2025. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 16 March 2025, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=152.

MLA Style:

"War Time 1914-1918 (For Private William Middleton, Gellan, Coull)." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2025. Web. 16 March 2025. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=152.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "War Time 1914-1918 (For Private William Middleton, Gellan, Coull)," accessed 16 March 2025, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=152.

If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2025. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 152

War Time 1914-1918 (For Private William Middleton, Gellan, Coull)

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 100+

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Word count 102

Text medium

Book

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Rainbow Publishing
Publication year 1987
Place of publication Aberdeen

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 112
Forenames Sheena
Surname Blackhall
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 16
Upbringing/religious beliefs Brought up Protestant, now Buddhist
Occupation Writer and supply teacher
Place of birth Aberdeen
Region of birth Aberdeen
Birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Aberdeen
Region of residence Aberdeen
Residence CSD dialect area Abd
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Manager of Deeside Omnibus Service
Father's place of birth Aboyne
Father's region of birth Aberdeen
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Private Secretary
Mother's place of birth Aberdeen
Mother's region of birth Aberdeen
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes
Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic Yes Yes Yes Yes Elementary. Gaelic choir. Poetry.
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes

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