Departmental Ditties

[DJ]

I came across an interesting little pamphlet the other day. It
illustrates one relatively unexplored field of WW1 poetry. The volume
produced at the end of the War, when departments were being redeployed
to civilian life. I have seen similar material from Munitions
Factories and Prison Camps..............

This poet owes much to Kipling. As many such writers seem to do.


"Code in music fell under our ban--
Code in pictures that "children" drew--
Code in the mesh of some lacy fan---
Oft we discerned the hidden clue."
Ballade of Censorship.

==================

"Don't state that a letter's in Hebrew, when its
Yiddish for all that you know.
But write ULD on a label, and send to the
censors below.
.............

If Bolshies or strikes are referred to, just send
down the letter to Press.
For more have they learnt on the subject, than
any mere mortal can guess."
The Law of The Censor

===============

You'll find it difficult to seek
The tongue ULD cannot speak.
There's Czecho-Slovak, Serbian, Greek,
And Pagan lingoes quite unique.
There's Basque, and Breton, Gaelic, Erse,
Walloon and Welsh too, which is worse.
...............
How many tongues I quite forget.
I'm told its thirty-three or four,
But it may be as many more.
ULD

K.G. Rhymes and Jingles of The Censorship