When the Tigers Broke free

It was just before dawn 
One miserable morning in black 'forty four.
When the forward commander 
Was told to sit tight 
When he asked that his men be withdrawn. 
And the Generals gave thanks 
As the other ranks held back 
The enemy tanks for a while. 
And the Anzio bridgehead 
Was held for the price 
Of a few hundred ordinary lives.

And kind old King George 
Sent Mother a note 
When he heard that father was gone.
It was, I recall, 
In the form of a scroll, 
With gold leaf and all.
And I found it one day 
In a drawer of old photographs, hidden away.
And my eyes still grow damp to remember 
His Majesty signed 
With his own rubber stamp.

It was dark all around.
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free.
And no one survived 
From the Royal Fusiliers Company C.
They were all left behind,
Most of them dead,
The rest of them dying.
And that's how the High Command
Took my daddy from me.