Gordon Jarvie’s childhood recollection acts as a coda to Remembrance weekend and last week’s sequence of poems on the theme of war.
MEDAL
I have the photo still:
myself aged four, podgier
and more curly haired
than I have since become.
~
Dad stands behind
in smart black naval uniform,
hands resting upon my shoulders
for reassurance in a public place.
~
We’re flanked by my mother
in checked-tweed suit
and my grandmother in pleated dress.
Both wear hats. It’s an occasion.
~
In front of Palace gates and railings,
centrepiece to the ensemble,
I hold the medal in its opened case,
blue and white silk, a silver cross.
~
I remember no crowds
but a drab grey morning
luminous with excitement.
We were going to see the King.
~
I was hot and fidgeting
through the long ceremony,
but a tall guardsman lifted me
onto a high radiator for a better view.
~
There was a long queue
of men shaking the King’s hand,
talking with him, receiving their awards.
This was their big day.
~
‘What did he say?’
‘He asked me what I got it for.’
‘What did you say?’
‘For doing my duty, sir.’
~
He kept it many a year.
Then it was gone, stolen
by a door-to-door type
who preyed on the elderly gullible.
~
I have the black case still,
with empty, cross-indented velvet,
from Garrard’s, Goldsmiths,
Jewellers, &c, to the King.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article