A Letter Home

30th Nov09, Embleton Bay, 8am

We walked past a wee bunker that we've walked past many times and, as oft before, I started thinking about the mindset of the boys posted here (and many similar pill boxes etc) in the early days of WWII. Invasion was a very real possibility and it must have been a very frightening place and yet every bit as beautiful as it is today.

So I got to imagining a letter written to a Mum waiting at home. This is a song but you'll have to do without the tune on here. The views are of and from the bunker.

A Letter Home

It's Winter 1939 in a bunker's where I stand
Looking out the window at a mile of golden sand
There's a castle in the distance, it's really rather grand
A castle in the distance and a mile of golden sand

I'm posted here with Geordie, he's a canny little man
He's got a ukelele and we're going to start a band
He says one day we'll make it big and play throughout the land
From the castle in the distance to the mile of golden sand

How's my brother Tommy, he turns 18 next Jan
I hope this all blows over, they say that's how it's planned
But if he does get posted, where could be so grand?
As a castle in the distance and a mile of golden sand

On a Sunday (like today is) we'd be sat with you and Nan
With meat and veg and roasties and peaches from a can
But Geordie's made a cup of tea "the finest in the land"
With our castle in the distance and our mile of golden sand

Once all of this is over, we should come back in the van
There's some spots to put a windbreak up. Aye, it would be grand
To be here in the summer - imagine me all tanned!
With a castle in the distance and a mile of golden sand

They say "look out the window, watch the sea beyond the strand"
It's a canny wee bit scary, the thought of fighting on the sand
We talk about our folks back home and we're prepared to make a stand
For our castle in the distance and our mile of golden sand