Terry Denham Posted 19 November , 2007 Share Posted 19 November , 2007 Just got this new book by Trefor Jones. It is a collection of about 1500 Personal Inscriptions from CWGC headstones on the Western Front. They appear to have been selected as being poignant, unusual, typical or just simply interesting. As they are listed by cemetery, it is difficult to track down an individual PI but the work makes interesting reading. It is particularly useful in giving the literary, poetic, Biblical etc references often used for PIs - many quite obscure. An interesting collection for epitaph fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 19 November , 2007 Share Posted 19 November , 2007 The title comes from Bivouac of the Dead a poem written by a Kentucky man Theodore O Hara after the Mexican American War. Trefor told me it was recited at burial of a VC winner buried at Tyne Cot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yvonne H Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 The title comes from Bivouac of the Dead a poem written by a Kentucky man Theodore O Hara after the Mexican American War. Trefor told me it was recited at burial of a VC winner buried at Tyne Cot. On the 10th of November Mr Jones was signing his book in "Over the Top Tours Bookshop" (Meensestraat 41-Ypres) and it was nice to have met him. The book is a very welcome one on visits to the front, and more and more a headstone is telling its own story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 The link between the poem and the title of a book on war-grave epitaphs is that "On fame's eternal camping ground their silent tents are spread" is the personal inscription on the gravestone of Capt. C. S. Jeffries, V. C. who is buried in Tyne Cot. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockney tone Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 Pal's, looks an interesting book, any idea how much they are retailing at please? Regards, Scottie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 In pounds 18.99, in Bush$s God only knows! Thanks Tom, my version was a little off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 Met Trefor over the Remembrance weekend in Belgium and had my copy signed. As Terry says, an iteresting and enlightening read. Explains at the back the musical inscription on a headstone that was recently discussed on a thread here. Available from the author as per the flyer in the WFA bulletin or try www.battlefields .co.uk the distributors or telephone 01507 523128. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 23 November , 2007 Share Posted 23 November , 2007 Explains at the back the musical inscription on a headstone that was recently discussed on a thread here. Well, don't keep us in suspenders..... Tell us what it was!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 27 November , 2007 Share Posted 27 November , 2007 After the ball - the line is the one "Many a heart is aching" with the last note (don't read music so don't know the technical term) for the "ing" missing. Poignant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 29 November , 2007 Share Posted 29 November , 2007 Have not finished yet but am enjoying this, many of us have spent many hours reading these. He makes a statement I question, that 750,000 men were killed in France & Flanders, British and Empire. Since total deaths are about 1,000,000 that means 250,000 were killed in other theatres and I just don't think there were that many including sea deaths. Another thing, as I said I'm not finished but is HE WOULD GIVE HIS DINNER TO A HUNGRY DOG AND DO WITHOUT HIMSELF in it? The most sad bitter one I have seen won't be included because it's in Greece, THIS SON DIED TRYING TO AVENGE MY OTHER TWO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 30 November , 2007 Share Posted 30 November , 2007 Paul, IIRC the one you mention is not in the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 30 November , 2007 Share Posted 30 November , 2007 After the ball - the line is the one "Many a heart is aching" with the last note (don't read music so don't know the technical term) for the "ing" missing. Poignant. 'Poignant' is not the word. 'Wrong' is the word. Both the pitch and the rhythm are quite simply WRONG. This is no part of 'After the Ball'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 1 December , 2007 Share Posted 1 December , 2007 I have attempted to attach musical examples of the inscription as it appears on the stone and as 'After the Ball would appear if it began on an A flat. As I hope you can see, they are as chalk and cheese. Inscription After_wrong.doc 'After the Ball' After_right.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 1 December , 2007 Share Posted 1 December , 2007 Not what I wanted. The forum won't allow me to attach TIFF or any of the better graphic files and the Sibelius software does not give me the option of exporting a JPEG file. I tried exporting the graphic to a Word document and this is what we have here. I do not know why it does not simply show the attachments rather than you having to download them (which seems messy). Any technical help gratefully received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 3 December , 2007 Share Posted 3 December , 2007 Ian, I'll take your word for it. I was only quoting what the entry in the book says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frajohn Posted 3 December , 2007 Share Posted 3 December , 2007 Ian Hope this is what you want? regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham-McAdam Posted 3 December , 2007 Share Posted 3 December , 2007 Well done and thanks. The search goes on !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 3 December , 2007 Share Posted 3 December , 2007 Perhaps he was a very poor musician and when he played the notes on the headstone, it sounded like, " After the Ball". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 3 December , 2007 Share Posted 3 December , 2007 Ian Hope this is what you want? regards John Thanks John. That is what I was trying to do. You can see that the basic shape of the tune follows that of 'After the Ball' but only in the crudest way and I'm surprised that anyone can seriously advance that theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 4 December , 2007 Share Posted 4 December , 2007 Or could it simply be that what was supposed to have been inscribed and what was actually done by the stonemason, who may not have been a musician of course, are two different things? Some of what is inscribed in English is not grammatical, has spelling mistakes and lacks proper punctuation, perhaps in some instances due to the cost initially asked for and later waived. IWGC regulations forbade anything in a foriegn language but there are many instances of Latin, Greek and Hebrew as well as Mandarin, Urdu and others being inscribed on stones; I wonder if they all make perfect sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 4 December , 2007 Author Share Posted 4 December , 2007 IWGC did not ban foreign languages for Personal Inscriptions. It stated 'special alphabets, such as Greek, cannot be accepted'. Any language which used the normal Roman alphabet was acceptable. However, there are a few exceptions - including this piece of music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 4 December , 2007 Share Posted 4 December , 2007 Or could it simply be that what was supposed to have been inscribed and what was actually done by the stonemason, who may not have been a musician of course, are two different things? Firstly, Squirrel, I hope you didn't think that I was getting ratty at you when I criticised this theory earlier. It has to be a non-starter. A non musician, or an inept musician, could not have substituted a common time sign such as 3/4 with the rather abstruse C sign. Again, the tune beginning on an A flat is simply weird and implies an outlandish key. The music, as inscribed on the stone, is perfectly correct, if a little strange, but could never be confused with 'After the Ball'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 5 December , 2007 Share Posted 5 December , 2007 Ian, of course no offence has been taken , only quoting what is in the book and subsequently getting it wrong about IWGC regs - thanks for putting me right Terry. I don't read music so your explanation puts things in a different light. Perhaps it is a musical joke by the family that only they would understand and enjoy the rest of us trying to work it out 90 odd years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 5 December , 2007 Share Posted 5 December , 2007 Perhaps it is a musical joke by the family that only they would understand and enjoy the rest of us trying to work it out 90 odd years later. Perhaps he was a fan of Elgar who had done much the same thing with his 'Enigma Variations' first performed in 1899. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 7 December , 2007 Share Posted 7 December , 2007 Just seen this book. A fascinating catalogue. Highly recommended. With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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