A poem sent from Corporal Harold Malcolm (Mack) Kippen C5772 of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment sent to his father Alexander(Sandy) Kippen in Apple Hill Ont in the summer of 1943 Mack was killed in action Jan 18 1944 and is buried in Ortona Italy He was 27 years old
Private Harold Malcolm (Mack) Kippen C5772 Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Somewhere in England 1941
Mack killed in action Jan 18 1944 buried in Ortona Italy Born Feb 5 1916 Apple Hill Ontario his older brother Fred C40829 served with him in Italy in the same unit.
Letter to A.D. Kippen from son, Mack Kippen Sent home the summer of 1943.
Far Away But Thinking
The happiest time of a soldier’s life
This I really can say
When the officers have gone, folks
At the end of an Army day
Parade inspection and squad, dull
Orders Orders galore
We hear them hour on hour
The doughboys sure get sore
But supper time is over
And here days work is done
The hour is at hand, folks
For the boys to have some fun
Some of them have girlfriends
Some take in a show
But some of the really tired ones
Away to the billets go
In billets they smoke cigarettes
They laugh, they smoke, they play
While others write letters
To loved ones far away
They don’t know what to write about
There’s nothing much to tell
It’s mostly just to let you know
They are still alive and well
But if my letters aren’t so long
I’m really not to blame
I think a lot of all you folks
And love you just the same
I’m not writing this for myself
But also for the rest
We’ll be happy to be in Canada
With the ones we love the best
So when Adolf is dead and buried
There’ll be nothing left to do
We’ll climb aboard some liner
And come sailing home to you
We are far away but thinking
Of a time so happy and gay
When we’ll meet again on the other shore
Some bright and sunny day.
C5772 Cpl H. M. Kippen
