Scotland boasts heroes, of old Celtic birth
With VC’s awarded to convey their worth
To honour their valour, their stories retold
To acknowledge achievements, of bravery bold.
One such exemplar, who fought for the cause
Had neither a tartan, or riches of Lords
Not from the gentry, but hard mining stock
A young man in his 20’s, from Buckhaven flock.
Robert Dunsire quickly signed up, with the boys
After working his life, in the old Fifer mines
In 13th Battalion, he took up the task
To fight with The Royal Scots, and persist to the last.
By July 13th, Nineteen fifteen
The western front had these latest recruits
As if hills of Scotland were only a dream
Private Dunsire marched on, down this dangerous route.
Sadly we struggle, to picture his cost
Or in depth of battle, how many were lost
The trauma of trenches is distant and faint,
But horror and tragedy does history relate.
With camaraderie in troop, but his Catherine at home,
Perhaps in the terror of trenches, he still felt alone,
But accepting the challenge for country and men
He carried on valiant, his future unknown.
In his soldiers attire, he was dressed like the rest
But Dunsire was dealt a true hero’s test
As, hidden in trenches, he heard desperate screams
Calling out from the vastness of no-man’s extremes.
To this higher calling he committed his cause,
& cast himself over with barely a pause
To ponder his boldness, or recklessness over
He must have thought only of saving a brother.
He located the human whose high hopeful howls
Hade compelled him up, onto dangerous ground
Adrenalin fuelled, he shouldered the weight
Back to refuge of trenches, from unthinkable fate.
And yet, this great victory was only the start
For later in battle, did Robert depart
Over the trenches to a similar need
Bore another man backwards to safety, with speed.
On 20th November, Nineteen-fifteen,
Dunsire was shocked at a telegram received
With modest emotion, continued to read;
That ‘On 26th September, Nineteen-fifteen’
Was conspicuous bravery, on that very day seen;
A hill with a number, the battle of Loos
And disregard for the threat of the enemy troops.
Aware that the shellers and opposing snipers,
Had quickened their shots and adjusted their barrels
Robert crawled out under heavier fire
He escaped with his life, and two lives of others.
To honour achievements for all he had done
Robert Dunsire was granted some precious leave home
Away from the bloodbath of dread and of fear
He saw friends and family and crowds, all to cheer.
Robert recounted, he felt nothing of note
That any man would have acted; their lives to devote
He refused to accept he was anything special
But humbly received this victorious medal.
At the front, two months later, in nineteen-sixteen
Lance corporal Dunsire VC was caught in-between
His freedom and mortar, and there lost the fight
He was ferried to field hospital, but died on that night.
A century later, we all meet to applaud
His achievements in battle and justly reward
Though lacking a tartan,
The proud Dunsire clan
Can boast better treasure;
The courage of man.