Songs of WW1

[PhilB]

I would like to canvas the views of the forum on the following questions:-

1/ Which song was most popular with the soldiers of WW1?

2/ Which song do forum members think was the best?

From my readings, I suspect "Tipperary" might be the answer to No 1, but "When this lousy war is over" would appeal to me when relaxing in a barn somewhere out of the line. Phil B

[Desmond7]

OK - my personal 'number one' for sheer emotion would be 'Hanging on the old barbed wire'. It just says so much about men who were wounded, came back to their units and found that so many had been killed/wounded etc that the 'old battalion' was no more.

As for soldier's songs, I don't know how the evidence could be gathered but I would have thought 'Pack up your troubles' would be pretty high up the 'charts'

Plus a good few Musical Hall favourites with obscene lyrics!

[Tom Morgan]

I would agree with m13 and Desmond about the popularity of those soldier-songs but one of the the biggest commercial "hits" of the war was Haydn Wood and Fred Weatherly's "Roses of Picardy" which was published in 1916, just after the Battles of the Somme.

Roses are shining in Picardy,

In the hush of the silvery dew.

Roses are flowering in Picardy,

But there's never a rose like you!

And the roses will die with the summertime,

And our roads may be far apart,

But there's one rose that dies not in Picardy.

'Tis the rose that I keep in my heart!

Tom

[Cynthia]

"Roses of Picardy" is one of my favourite songs to play on the violin, Tom, and I can really hold those fermatas! But I really like, "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty," which I think might have also been a favourite song when sitting in a rat-and-lice infested barn or trench! One of my nicest memories of that song is when I finally met the Stark family in Vancouver, and sang a duet with Robert Stark's nephew, David, much to the amazement of his wife and grandchildren! He had learned the song from his father, Sydney, who had served in the ASC.

Cynthia

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Favourite song of the soldiers was probably 'Long way from Tipperary'

[SPotter]

Hi Gang,

'Oh! What a Lovely War', for all its faults is still one of my Top 3 Films of all time solely due to the renditions of so many of the 'old favourites'. The rendition of 'When this Lousy War is Over' during the Church Service is enough to make my spine tingle, even on the 20th ++ watching. What about 'Gassed Last Night', 'Hush! Here comes a Whizz Bang', the list goes on and on....

Born 70 years too late!

Steve

[PhilB]

One veteran Accrington Pal told me that a song called "Little pigs have the sweetest meat" was very popular with them. I`ve never come across anyone else who`s heard of it though. Phil B

[Desmond7]

Has anyone heard a version of this song? If so is it connected to WW1 'Pals' btns.?

When you're walking down the old ...... Road

Doors and windows open wide ... OPEN WIDE

You can hear the people shout

The ....... boys are out,

We are some of the boys

We know our manners

We spend our tanners

We are respected wherever we go SO

When you're walking down the old and so on

Indulge me. There's a story behind this one.

Des

[Tim Godden]

A veteran told me once that when they were on the march they would sing 'One Man Went to Mow' over and over and it would keep them occupied for miles. Also was the song 'Whiter than the Whitewash on the Wall', for similar reasons. Of course there are hundreds, one of the best books I have found for a good introduction is the one by a chap named Brophy in partnership with some one else. I have a copy of it in England and I'll post the title next week if anyone is interested.

All the best,

Tim

[Desmond7]

Nail on the head - look at the obits of most of the pals' btns. and you'll see amongst them - in local newspapers at least - 'he was a prominent local footballer with anywhere rovers' etc.

I was told this was a song sung by boys in 'my' unit - the 12th Royal Irish Rifles - in which they 'glorified' the name of their street/area i.e. 'When you're walking down the old Larne Road' .... 'the Harryville boys are out - we are some of the boys'

Plus we had the local rivalry between Southend Rangers (Harryville) and Summerfield FC (Northend) - and believe it or not, the song is still sung today by local football fans!

[MartinWills]

I would agree with m13 and Desmond about the popularity of those soldier-songs but one of the the biggest commercial "hits" of the war was Haydn Wood and Fred Weatherly's "Roses of Picardy" which was published in 1916, just after the Battles of the Somme.

Roses are shining in Picardy,

In the hush of the silvery dew.

Roses are flowering in Picardy,

But there's never a rose like you!

And the roses will die with the summertime,

And our roads may be far apart,

But there's one rose that dies not in Picardy.

'Tis the rose that I keep in my heart!

Tom

What is more "Roses of Picardy" has also found a place in the French tradition. So much so that a good friend and proud Picard (no, not Jean-Luc) played me a disc of some traditional french songs a year or two back. Ah! I said, a good British song from the war.

He was adamant, it was a well known traditional French song. I politely suggested that he check the disc and slipped in a good welsh name - that of Haydn Wood. No he said peering at the disc, it's traditional look it says - oh - Haydn Wood.

We are still speaking!!!!!!!!!!!

Personally I have a fondness for "Chanson de Craonne"

On the commercial side, the biggest hit was probably Ivor Novello's "Keep the Home Fires Burning". Ivor could have lived the rest of his life on the profits from that song without lifting another finger. In fact Ivor played a part in the concert parties that travelled to the front and perfomed this extremely popular song in France on numerous occasions.

[Somme1916]

My favorites "We're here because we're here" and "Oh What a Lovely War". Some other popular one here in the US "Over There" and "Pack Up Your Troubles"

Jon

[PhilB]

If I were a subaltern (and you can see from my rank that a commission may be in the post as we speak), I would probably have been humming "Napoo, toodleoo, goodbyee" - one of the most plaintive songs. Phil B

[Captain Chavasse]

The long, long trail is my personal favourite, but i bet the soldiers had more fun singing 'Do your balls hang low?'

Do your balls hang low?

Do they dangle to and fro?

Can you tie them in a knot?

Can you tie them in a bow?

Do they itch when it's hot?

Do you rest them in a pot?

Do you get them in a tangle?

Do you catch them in a mangle?

Do they swing in stormy weather?

Do they tickle with a feather?

Do they rattle when you walk?

Do they jingle when you talk?

Can you sling them on your shoulder

Like a lousy f-----g soldier?

DO YOUR BALLS HANG LOW?

[Guest Desmond6]

The following taken from the 'Ranger' magazine - those with maths backgrounds can work out the date!

Des

Tipperary

"It was curious that it should have fallen to the Connaught Rangers to introduce 'Tipperary', because, as a matter of fact Irish regiments did not as a rule sing on

the march."

In 1934 — thirty years ago — the late Captain Dryden

said this to George Currock of the Daily Mail, who,

on the 13th of August, 1914, as a journalist on holiday in Boulogne had watched the B.E.F. landing in France and,,reported to his paper the initial story of Tipperary.

Now fifty years later the story may be told again.

Maybe, in the year 2014 someone will recall it once more .. maybe?

George Curnock, " with a heart full of pride and envy," watched the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish soldiers march to the camp on the hill above Boulogne.

" Every man," he wrote that day, " in the prime of life, not a youth or a strippling among them, roaring the slogan of Englishmen. ' Are we downhearted ? No-o-o-o-o-o-o-!' 'Shall we win? Ye-e-e-e-e-e-s-s.' Their shirts are open at the front, and as they shout you can see the working of the museles of their throats, their wide open mouths and rows of dazzling teeth."

Then he recorded the strange manner in which "Tipperary" as a war song was born. He stood on the steps of a Boulogne hotel beside a woman, already a war widow.

"She was clad in deep mourning and beside her stood three sad-eyed children, wondering, and all in black."

The passing battalions sang " Soldiers of the Queen,"

"Dolly Grey"—" and then came a song of another kind altogether, a song that was new and strange to me — rich Irish voices . . . "

As the Connaught Rangers passed this soldier's widow asked: " What is it they are singing? "

"Madam," Curnock answered, "I don't know, it is possibly a new song of our music-halls."

"But the words, m'sieu ? "

"Madam," he replied, as a second company of Connaught Rangers passed, "they sing 'It's a long u~ay to Tipperary it's a long uay to go'"

"Ah! " she murmured, " it is indeed far that they are going . . . how far . . . how far . . . poor boys . . it makes me sick at heart to see so many fine men marching to the war . . . so full of life . . . never have I seen such splendid men . . "

Curnock's despatch to the Mail wirg this story was

cabled to all parts of the world and people everywhere took the song to their hearts.

When, twenty years later Curnock met Captain Dryden, he was told the eariier history of the song.

"I heard ' Tipperary ' first," Captain Dryden said

"played on an accordion by an itinerant musician in the main street of Galway. That must have been early in 1913, when Florrie Forde was singing it in the music-hall. Our battalion, which was quartered in Tipperary for three years, picked up the chorus and sang it often on route marches in Ireland

"When war was declared we took it to Aldershot and by the time we left for France it was most popular with the men; so that it is not surprising that they sang it on landing and during that march up to the camp.

"The men were still singing it when we joined the camp at Menivret, near Guise, but we went into action at Mons on August 23rd and were engaged slightly again the next day, and, what with marching and trench-digging, we had little time for singing. It was a great surprise to us when we found the new army singing it as they did so often after.

"It was curious that it should have fallen to the Connaught Rangers to introduce 'Tipperary," because, as a matter of fact, Irish regiments did not as a rule sing on the march."

[PhilB]

Most interesting contributions, lady and gents. Here`s a further question to test your knowledge! An uncle of mine claimed that, in the desert in WW2, the Germans and British could be heard simultaneously singing Lilli Marlene. Did the Germans adopt any British songs in WW1 or vice versa? Phil B

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

"There's a Long Long Trail Awinding!",I heard this first on an Old Small sized 78 Rpm,Music Hall Follies Record that I was given by my Grandad,as a youngster,haunting Melodies & Lyrics,encapsulates the era exactly

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

An uncle of mine claimed that, in the desert in WW2, the Germans and British could be heard simultaneously singing Lilli Marlene. Did the Germans adopt any British songs in WW1 or vice versa?

"Stille Nacht" a Favourite @ Christmas ~ when did that become Holy Night?I recall in one of the Great War programmes the Tommies saying they could hear Jerry's Sweet Voice singing this Christmas 1914?

[ArmyOfficer]

The long, long trail is my personal favourite, but i bet the soldiers had more fun singing 'Do your balls hang low?'

I didn't know that was a WWI song. We used to sing while marching back in the late '80s (before we had to become politically correct with jody calls and songs)

[DirtyDick]

I think that the lyrics to 'Tipperary' were written during a few hours in a pub in 1914.

I may be wrong on this, but I heard that this was the result of a bet between some enthusiastic, drunken music students.

[Joy Dean]

A veteran told me once that when they were on the march they would sing 'One Man Went to Mow' over and over and it would keep them occupied for miles. Also was the song 'Whiter than the Whitewash on the Wall', for similar reasons. Of course there are hundreds, one of the best books I have found for a good introduction is the one by a chap named Brophy in partnership with some one else. I have a copy of it in England and I'll post the title next week if anyone is interested.

All the best,

Tim

Yes, please.

Thank you.

A sister of my grandmother married a Pat Brophy!

Joy

[Guest Adrian78]

I would like to canvas the views of the forum on the following questions:-

1/ Which song was most popular with the soldiers of WW1?

2/ Which song do forum members think was the best?

From my readings, I suspect "Tipperary" might be the answer to No 1, but "When this lousy war is over" would appeal to me when relaxing in a barn somewhere out of the line. Phil B

I read an account of soldiers leaving what is now Kickham barracks in Clonmel (Tipperary's capital) to the cheers of locals waving Union Jacks. I can imagine that these men may have felt an association with the song. I have heard however that there has been speculation that the song actually referred to a brothel in France rather than Irelands premier county.

Adrian.

[David Seymour]

Just come across this thread when thinking of asking just such a question. So, perhaps we can start it off again?

My favourite is "Nobody knows how tired we are, tired we are, tired we are, nobody knows how tired we are, and nobody seems to care."

Best wishes,

David

[Alan Tucker]

There is some dispute re origins of 'Tipperary'. A gravestone in Temple Balsall , Warwickshire, to Henry James Williams (died 21.2.1924 aged 50) cites him as the author of the song. A local pub was originally called 'The Plough' and was renamed Tipperary Inn.

Alan Tucker

[Alan Tucker]

Photograph of Williams gravestone in Temple Balsall churchyard. Author of Tipperary

http://www.filehigh.com/viewimg.php?f=29482&i=297907

Alan Tucker