Let us take them all in to the room of our hearts,
Let us tear down the blackout
And let in the sun
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

Let us take them all in to the room of your hearts,
These gum-chewing, wisecracking, jitterbug-boys,
Let the dancing begin
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

Soon Time, that considers us less than the grass
Or the parachute down of poplar trees, will take
The last survivor apart
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

It isn’t their money, their style, their looks,
But their hopes and dreams and their gifted lives
We gladly seized and sadly took
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

A pillar of smoke, a pillar of fire, a Hell
From Heaven, a turning for home, wind
Icing through and the spluttering roar
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

The blood round islands of glass on the floor:
Oh, show me their faces, sing me their names
Write them in flames,
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

How much did it cost them, how much was it worth,
This damp little, damn little jewel of green
Pushing up under the starboard wing?
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

The ploughing thud of the landing gear,
The engines cut and, those who can,
Come back to an earth where small birds sing.
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two

Let us take them all in to the room of our hearts,
These unsung young men,
Two hundred, two hundred and ninety two
May we never need their like again.

Tony Weston has been a good English Friend of the 398th for many years. He lives right there in Nuthampstead, truly just a few hundred yards to the edge of what was the boundary of Station 131. Tony sometimes gives visiting 398th tour members a special gift to take home, like a clay fired 398th cup that he produced in his workshop. Tony did things differently for the 398th's June 2000 return to the old base area. That was the return to Nuthampstead and to St George's Church for the dedication of the 398th Memorial Stained Glass Window. As we know, the Window has the names of 398th airman lost in combat etched into its design. Tony wrote the poem shown above to honor those airman. Tony read his poem to us during the June 2000 Remembrance Service at the 398th Monument site in Nuthampstead. The poem was published in the July 2000 issue of the Flak News. We thank you Tony for your special gift and devotion to the memory of those lost 398ers!

Wally Blackwell