The following lines appeared in Lloyd's Weekly on April 8, 1900, and were copied into the Beira Post

THE ARMY SERVICE MAN.

“ Tearin' onward thro' the land, marchin' day an' night,

A-flankin' 'ere, attackin' there, till the last big finishin' fight,

'Is country's proud of Tommy, the man as carries the gun,

But what of the Army Service Man and what of the work ‘e’s done?

It's ' waggons ' up, an' clothin ' 'ere, and grub for everywhere,

An' the non-combatant ' A.S.M. ' 'as got to get it there.

So ‘e 'as to get up with the bloomin' sun an' stay up with the bloomin' moon

A shovin' on stores of every kind from boots to a war balloon.

" There's Bobs a-sittin' in Bloemfontein, an' Buller in Natal,

Methuen up at Kimberley, Clements near Aliwal,

All of 'em openin' 'ungry months for everything under the sun,

Without the Army Service Man-Oh, what price 'im with the gun?

It's ' girders ' 'ere, an' ' pontoons ' there, an’ ’stores for the 'ospital base,'

Odds an' ends for the gen'ral staff, and rice for the bloomin' sayce,

An' the further they go the more they want, an' the 'arder it is to send ;

But the ‘A.S.M.' 'as to get it there if it cost 'is life in the end.

“ There's them that looks down on the ' A.S.M.' cause 'e ain't at work with a gun,

But 'e's daily sweatin' his level best at work which 'as got to be done,

For a gun's no good nov the man be'ind without both powder and grub ;

When the army wheel's a moving round, the ‘A.S.M's' the ‘ub.

Oh, it's ' forage ' 'ere, an' ' sleepers ' there, all sorts by the 'underd ton,

An' the ' A.S.M.' 'as to 'andle the lot, an' get none of the fightin' fun ;

'E gets scanty sleep an' curses free, an' 'e ain't much time to dine.

But 'e's doin' 'is dooty for Country and Queen when 'e's feedin' the fightin'line."

E. HALLEWELL.