Colonial Wargames - Poetry - William McGonagall

The poetry of William McGonagall

If Rudyard Kipling was the most notable British poet of the end of the Nineteenth Century, then William McGonagall must rate somewhere close behind him. Regarded by some - especially himself - as being an unrecognised genius, as well as Scotland's foremost poet, McGonagall wrote verse to celebrate every major event of his day, including Britain's colonial adventures. He has been described as being:

'A real genius, for he is the only truly memorable bad poet in our language.'

The following collection of his military verse had been selected to inspire and entertain all those who hanker after a different, Victorian view of the world. I urge you read them and enjoy them, because they are, without doubt, some of the worst poetry you will ever see on the printed page.

The Battle of Tel-El-Kebir	The Battle of El-Teb
The rebel surprise near Tamai	Lines in praise of Tommy Atkins
Lord Roberts' triumphal entry into Pretoria	General Gordon, The Hero of Khartoum
The Battle of Glencoe	The storming of Dargai Heights
The Battle of Omdurman	The Hero of Rorke's Drift
The Battle of Gujrat	The capture of Lucknow
The Downfall of Delhi	General Roberts in Afghanistan
The Battle of Abu Klea	The horrors of Majuba
The Ashantee War: The fall of Coomassie	The Battle of Atbara
The Hero of Kalapore: An incident of the Indian Mutiny	The last Berkshire eleven: The Heroes of Maiwand
The relief of Mafeking