Major General C.D. Shute, an "interesting" poem

[rmli]

Here is an interesting poem about MG Shute. Also known as "Schultz the Hun". He was an Army General that took over the Royal Naval Division in 1916. You can tell how much his men loved him. Original and complete.


The General inspecting the trenches

exclaimed with a horrified shout,

"I refuse to command a Division

which leaves its excreta about."


And certain responsible critics

made haste to reply to his words,

observing that his Staff advisers

consisted entirely of turds.


But nobody took any notice

No one was prepared to refute,

That the presence of shit was congenial

Compared with the presence of Shute.


For shit may be shot at odd corners

and paper supplied there to suit,

but a shit would be shot without mourners

if somebody shot that shit Shute.

[rmli]

Only what I've read on the Jack Clegg website, and "The Royal Marines" by Gen. Julian Thompson. I guess MG Shute was a right bastard of an officer. When he took over the Royal Naval Division, he tried to enforce Army regulations on a naval unit. Things came to a boil when he tried to force the Royal Navy officers to shave. That went all the way up to the Admiralty. And MG Shute was eventually relieved.

[qms]

Just a quick note:

The "interesting poem" was written by one of the better known autors in the Division (unfortunately, I've forgotten who) and was written, not as a poem, but as a song.
The tune is that of The Eaton Boating Song.

Tom