At the hands of a barbarous brute

We were free again, and on our minds

Was the fastest homeward route

Our health so wrecked, mind and body to mend

Family would soon be our cure

But how would we cope, being human again

We were going to need help, that's for sure

There they were waiting, with arms outstretched

Smiles beaming across their face

But we were so changed, from before

Will they understand our lost grace?

Meals at a table, with plates piled high

Sights that once were just dreams

Picking up crumbs, even stealing from dogs

Is now in the past it all seems

Adjustment was hard, for us and for them

And problems were soon to arise

Get on with your life and put it behind you

Was all the 'pros' could advise

So some of us, to the bottle we turned

Lost in a world of our own

But somehow we made it, one way or t'other

It's no use having a moan

We were so lucky, though life's a bit hard

At least we were home safe and sound

But what of our mates, who didn't return

Laying dead in some foreign ground

They died from disease, starvation and beatings

But they were heroic right to the end

We think of them now, we think of them always

And their honour we'll ever defend

Time passes on, and so do we

So it's up to the young of today

To make sure we're remembered and never forgot

In every possible way