My Shot'

My father served in the Coldstream Guards and saw action at Loos, Ypres and the Somme. He survived all these (though wounded on the Somme). Finally at Cambrai he received a shot through the shoulder. This was the "Blighty wound" which every soldier hoped for. Not fatal or life threatening but serious enough to be sent back to England. Whilst recovering in hospital in Manchester he wrote this poem which indicates the joy and relief of getting this kind of wound.

Editor's Comment:
Opening lines of poem: 'In Cambrai battle I was shot | on the 30th of November last...'

Corporal 14269 John Hubert Fox, 2nd BN. Coldstream Guards. He enlisted on 21 Dec. 1914 at Sheffield, serving on the Western Front.

我的父亲曾服役于冷溪近卫团（Coldstream Guards），先后参与洛斯战役、伊普尔战役与索姆河战役。他在上述战事中悉数幸存（虽在索姆河战役中负伤）。最终在康布雷战役中，他肩部中弹。此次伤势正是每名士兵梦寐以求的“本土疗伤伤（Blighty wound）”：虽不致命、无生命危险，但伤势严重到足以被送返英国本土治疗。在曼彻斯特的医院康复期间，他写下了这首诗歌，字里行间尽显获得此类伤情后的欣喜与释然。

编者按：
诗歌开篇句为："在康布雷战役中，我于去年11月30日中弹……"

编号14269的下士约翰·休伯特·福克斯，隶属于冷溪近卫团第2营。他于1914年12月21日在谢菲尔德应征入伍，随后在西线战场服役。