ONE THOUSAND MEN ARE WALKING


One thousand men are walking,
Walking side by side,
Singing songs from home,
The spirit as their guide.


They walk toward the light milord,
They walk towards the sun,
They smoke and laugh and smile together,
No foes to outrun.


These men live on forever
In the hearts of those they saved;
A nation truly grateful
For the path of peace they paved.


They march as friends and comrades,
But they do not march for war,
Step closer to salvation,
A tranquil steady corps.


The meadows lit with golden beams,
A beacon for the brave,
The emerald grass untrampled,
A reward for what they gave.


They dream of those they left behind,
And know they dream of them.
Forever in those poppy fields
There walks one thousand men.


Joshua Dyer 2019 (aged 14)








Joshua Dyer was 14 years old when he wrote this poem in 2019 as a school 
assignment for Remembrance Day. His mother, who is a former Royal Air Force 
member, and his great-uncle, also ex-military, both widely shared the poem in 
their personal networks. The poem immediately went viral, with thousands and 
thousand of shares. The teenager even received a letter from  Prince Phillip's 
office expressing thanks for his poem, and BBC even featured him in a special.