commander

"I died in Hell
(they called it Passchendaele); my wound was slight
and I was hobbling back; and then a shell
burst slick upon the duckboards; so I fell
into the bottomless mud, and lost the light"

Cry haddock

for a modern take,
Arrse for some classics.

Tuesday 11th, Holy Trinity church at 7pm, normally followed by Embassy drinks.

The Dean

At least nobody's posted that overrated garbage from Kipling..........

Ooops, here it comes............


I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, 'We serve no erd-coats 'ere.'
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed and giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again, an' to myself sez I:
Oh, it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' 'Tommy, go away':
But it's 'Thank you, Mister Atkins,' when the band begins to play -
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
Oh, it's 'Thank you, Mister Atkins,' when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' 'Tommy, wait outside';
But it's 'Special train for Atkins' when the trooper's on the tide -
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
Oh, it's 'Special train for Atkins' when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' 'Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?'
But it's 'Thin red line of 'eroes' when the drums begin to roll -
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
Oh, it's 'Thin red line of 'eroes when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that , an' 'Tommy, fall be'ind,'
But it's 'Please to walk in front, sir,' when there's trouble in the wind -
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
Oh, it's 'Please to walk in front, sir,' when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' 'Chuck him out, the brute!'
But it's 'Saviour of 'is country' when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

MacScot

I always like this tribute by Andy Stewart to Scottish soldiers who died overseas in battle...

The Dean

Yea but I have to point out that at my univ, the gay society called itself The White Heather Club...........

MacScot

..why the gay society..I thought it was always called the White Heather Club...used to be shown on TV...especially in England when you didn't celebrate Hogmanay (New Year)...you had to put up with this Scottish twaddle until the Old Grey Whistle Test was shown on BB2.

Apologies by the way for the last three seconds of the video..I hadn't noticed the nationalist notice !

Eva

Womenspeak.


Now That You Too.....


Now that you too must shortly go the way
Which in these bloodshot years uncounted men
Have gone in vanishing armies day by day,
And in their numbers will not come again:
I must not strain the moments of our meeting
Striving for each look, each accent, not to miss,
Or question of our parting and our greeting,
Is this the last of all? is this—or this?

Last sight of all it may be with these eyes,
Last touch, last hearing, since eyes, hands, and ears,
Even serving love, are our mortalities,
And cling to what they own in mortal fears:—
But oh, let end what will, I hold you fast
By immortal love, which has no first or last.

Eleanor Farjeon.

commander

i have to take this opportunity to mention that my grandmother dated Andy Stewart.

And im using this as a shameless 'bump' until 11th November.

Lest we ever ever forget.

An incident that will remain with me forever

Saturday, 22 March 2003


FAA, 849 Squadron A Flight, collision of two Sea King Mk 7 AEW helicopters over northern Arabian Gulf

ADAMS, Thomas M, Lieutenant, USN (on attachment)

GREEN, Philip D, Lieutenant (P), C038295L

KING, Antony R, Lieutenant (O), C034301E

LAWRENCE, Marc A, Lieutenant, C039442G

WEST, Philip J, Lieutenant, C037055K

WILLIAMS, James R, Lieutenant (P), C039324L

WILSON, Andrew S, Lieutenant, C037064L

Eva

Jeremy Isaacs, B. Glasgow 1932, mistaken for Jeremy Irons and asked to produce a docu about the war.He did and got Laurence Olivier to narrate-three and a half decades ago.
IMHO,it should be included in every curriculae academia.
Lest we forget



Carl Davis did the music.

BangleMan

As should the brilliant book by Sebastian Faulks...."Birdsong"........beautifully written and extremely moving and made one realise the horror that our service men went through and the sacrifices they made so that we could have our freedom today...

BangleMan

An traditional song from the 1800's covered last year by Bruce Springsteen, about the futility of war, even back in those days...

"Mrs McGrath," the sergeant said,
"Would you like a soldier out of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Mrs McGrath will you like that?"

With your too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Now Mrs McGrath lived on the shore
And after seven years or more
She spied a ship come into the bay
With her son from far away

"O captain dear, where have ye been?
You been sailing the Mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?"

With your too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Then came Ted without any legs
And in their place two wooden pegs
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said, "my God, Ted, is it you?

Now were ye drunk or were ye blind
When ye left your two fine legs behind?
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?"

With your too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

"Now I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannonball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away"

"My, Teddy boy," the widow cried
"Your two fine legs were yer mother's pride
Stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't ye run from the cannonball?"

With your too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With your too-ri-aa fol-ded-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Too-ri-aa fol-did-dle-di-aa too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

"All foreign wars I do proclaim
Live on blood of a mothers pain
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America and his whole Navy"

Eva

Indeed.That book makes me feel very humble...........
Tis strange that people now think the Author a hero cos his script has been recognised as worthy,what about his subjects ????
Taking nothing away from the author,its as if he was there.....

Eva

Napoleonic Wars,the origin of this.
The Dubliners sing it so well

Eva

Another adaptation...fromFlodden this time but it suits the images so well

Nineteen years old and their lives were over. God(whoever he is) bless them

The Dean

I hereby forgive Bangleman all his anti-Luton Town poisoned bigotry.

Birdsong is the finest novel I have ever read (even if the love scene did win him the 'Bad Sex Prize').

Utterly moving, and compulsory reading for anyone who thinks war is a bit of a jingoistic foray to sort out some uppity natives...........