Three Cheers For The Man On The Ground
Wherever you walk, you hear people talk
Of the men that go up in the air
Of the dare-devil way, they go into the fray
Facing death without turning a hair
They'll raise a cheer and buy lots of beer
For a pilot who's home on leave
But they don't give a jigger
For a Flight Mech or rigger
With nothing but 'props' on his sleeve
They just say 'nice day' and then turn away
With never a mention of praise
And the poor bloody erk who does all the work
Just orders his own beer
and pays
They've never been told of the hours in the cold
That he spends sealing Germany's fate
How he works on a kite, till all hours of night
And then turns up next morning at eight
He gets no rake-off for working till take-off
Or helping the aircrew prepare
But whenever there's trouble, it's 'quick at the double'
The man on the ground must be there
Each flying crew could tell it to you
They know what this man's really worth
They know he's part of the RAF's heart
Even though he stays close to the earth
He doesn't want glory, but please tell his story
Spread a little of his fame around
He's one of the 'Few', so give him his due
Three cheers for the man on the ground
Eric Sykes, 1942
(He was an LAC Wireless Operator/Mechanic at the time)
