My grandfather Sydney Slome – 1st on the left, sat down was a soldier in the 5th Durham Light Infantry c1916.
I composed this poem in his memory;
He went to War
A soldier true
For King & Country
That’s all he knew
The Great adventure
He fought hard and long
When day was done
He would recall
The sweat and smell
Under a setting sun
He looked afar
Now all was green
The distant cries had all but gone
Yet in his mind
A soldiers’ song
He went to war
Photograph and detail courtesy of Tony Slome.
Picture Stockton Archive 
A history of the 5th Bn was written by Major Rames. Stockton library had a copy. I think the photo is of the 1st Bn Sgts mess. My father and uncle served in the 5th 1912-1929.
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My Grandad was in the 1st and 5th Durham Light Infantry in the 1st World War his name was Robert Auton
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Many thanks for this…do you know where I could find further information about the history of the 5th Durham LI and maybe details of my grandfather?
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Upon further inspection I see that I have to make a correction when writing “other ranks”, noting only one veteran with ribbons, the senior officer. All others, as noted via a magnifying glass, were NCO’s, Apologies again! All in the photograph would no doubt go on to earn their battle honours, too.
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Thank you for your poetic lines of verse that clearly evoke mental pictures of the battlefield and brief respite from its horrors.
I paid particular attention to the uniforms of the day, the brass-buttoned-up kneck of the tunic, the puttees of the other ranks and the collar and tie of the officers, noting that one officer-type opted for puttees while the other wore leather (?) gaiters. And the Oh! so familiar bugle-emblemed badge of the DLI, now retired, I believe. My father and his two brothers, all deceased, wore that same type of uniform in WW 1, my father continuing to wear it in peacetime as a Terry and into the beginning of WW 2 when he once again was called into active duty (A and SG #1), the then uniform of the day evolving soon into the battledress, also now superceded.
Please excuse me if you deem my rambling to be a digression.
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Thank you for the photo Sydney and an even bigger thank for the touching, poignant, poem proving, yet again, what a powerful medium poetry is.
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