Sunday, August 1, 2010

James L. Hardeman's WWII Journal - Poems

My grandfather James L. Hardeman was a Marine during World War II.  I do not know a whole lot about him because he died with I was very young. One of the things that my Mom had of his was a journal that he kept during the Fall of 1942 at Guadacanal. I am currently transcribing his journal, but I thought that I would go ahead and post a couple of hand written poems that he had in his journal.




Click Clack! Click Clack! 
This train is taking me back to my love,
Bang! bang! cling! clang!
The low moan of the whistles groan 
Just tells me I'm going home.
So speed on through this lonely night – 
Tomorrow the world is mine alright.
Roll and rock, rock and roll 
Those wheels make music that never grows old 
As I go riding on and on to you sweetheart.


























Tho we meet once more with arms outstretched and hearts so light –
The dawn will bring an emptiness lets spend our love tonight.
You say that we will never part just goodbye a little while
Do you think a breaking heart can always have a smile?
No darling that's too hard to do, for tomorrow is goodbye,
We'll meet again and love again, no tears you must not cry.
Just hold me ever tightly more so than before –
And know no matter what or where, its you that I adore.
So one more precious kiss my dear and another smile to see –
Goodbye sweetheart, and don't forget a prayer each night for me.

3 comments:

  1. How amazing to find something like this. My Dad was in the 1st Marine Div. in the Pacific. You don't think of those guys as poetic; but times like that bring out different emotions. Very cool to see taht side of your Grandfather.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Was the last poem when he was leaving for war, a death approaching?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Both of the poems were at the beginning of the journal. I need to find out when my grandfather and grandmother were married. I do not know if this was prior to or after their marriage.

    ReplyDelete

All images and text copyright © 2010,2011 Scott Humphries