"Great Men are the Humblest"

It all seemed far too clinically clean
Newly built spick and span
But I didn't come for the surroundings
I came to say goodbye to a great man.
Nearly three decades since you left London
But you never lost your love
I don't believe in 'heaven'
But if there is you'll be watching from above.
Chinwagging with the spirits of old mates
With who you used to stand around the ground
Still cheering on The Hamlet
Though we won't hear you make a sound.
I hope this doesn't sound morbid
For it's not what I mean to do
But I'd love to have peeked in your coffin
To have one last look at you.
When it comes to my time
Which I hope isn't for quite a while
I want to wear full Dulwich kit like you
Even in death you had quality and style.
You had such a good innings
Making it to ninety three
Even at such a grand age
It's The Hamlet you wanted to see.
In those rare games that you got to
There was that magical twinkle in your eye
That old football song was never truer
You really were Dulwich til you die.
Such a humble man
Keeping quiet about the War
Lying about your age and such long service
I dread to think of the horrors you saw.
Coming home & settling in Camberwell
Finding yourself a wonderful wife
Discovering another love for your local Club
Decades later you came into my life.
Truth is I didn't really know you
Apart from our love of Pink and Blue
But your genuine warm heart
Embraced everyone you knew.
We were from different generations
But I'm so glad we met
Despite years away from our South London
The Hamlet you'd never forget.
Come each and every Saturday
You'd be desperate for Malcolm's text
If the result didn't go our way
It was time to get vexed!
But there was still that hope and optimism
Passed down from father to son
Even if we lost this week
There was always the next to be won.
You had a love for Dulwich Hamlet
A win would always hide our strife
That's what supporting our boys did for us
Giving us so much pleasure in life.
Having known you and your family
Truly fills me with pride
It's been a pleasure to share the terraces with you
We'll forever be side by side.

Dulwich Poet 10th October 2015



(Yesterday I was lucky enough to be at the funeral of a 93-year-old Hamlet fan...this is for Ivor Bateman RIP)