Remembrance 2024

Remembrance Sunday parade, Bristol 2023
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

11th November is Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in the UK, so the Dragon Folk Club session on 15th was our annual Remembrance theme. Traditionally we include anything to do with war, anti-war sentiment and wartime songs. We stayed reasonably well on topic though there are a few songs where you might struggle to find the link.

This Friday we have a break from themes with an entirely themeless session, so anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

The following week (Friday 29th) will be our St Andrews Day theme, where anything relevant to Scotland or St Andrew will be ideal. It has been suggested that since Lancashire Day is on 27th we should have that as a second theme, and that's fine. Remember that the traditional county of Lancashire also includes Manchester, Salford and Liverpool, so that gives plenty of scope! Remember also that all our themes are optional, so ultimately anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

Let's get back to last week's session. It was started by Colin, our MC, with Robert Garioch's Kriegie Ballad (*). I've marked it with an asterisk as being new to the Dragon database though it has previously been mentioned there. In 2019 our good friend Derek sang a song he called The Kriegie Ballad which somewhat resembled Garioch's song, but instead of starting "Yes this is the place we were took Sir", its first line was "We sailed on the good ship Rapallo". While Garioch's song is easier to find on the web than the one Derek sang I still haven't found it on YouTube and it is therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Denny sang Cicely Fox Smith's Half past eleven square recalling the destruction of French towns in the First World War. Paul followed with the non-wartime destruction of Close the coalhouse door (Alex Glasgow).

Simon completed the first rotation with The Accrington Pals, the first of three Mike Harding songs which he sang together with one other which Harding recorded but didn't write:

• Bombers' moon (Mike Harding)
• Jimmy Spoons (Mike Harding)
• The band played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle)

Colin added two more new entries to the Dragon database:

• Mademoiselle from Armentières (* roud 4703 -  a clean version of course)
• We haven't got a hope in the morning (A song from a book of songs used by 54th Wing of the RFC - not included in the YouTube playlist)

This last song started the final rotation of the evening which continued with Denny singing White cockade (roud 709) and Paul with Lowlands (roud 681). Simon finished off the evening with the junior school version of Boney was a warrior (roud 485).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 4 of whom 4 performed)

Roll, roll, row and blow

Kaskelot (Photo: Simon Meeds)

It was another fun session for the Dragon Folk Club last Friday. There was nothing spectacular to report, but certainly a good range of songs was sung.

Colin, the regular MC, started things off with Mary Ann (roud 4438), which Denny followed up with Down where the drunkards roll (Richard Thompson). Simon started a bit of a personal Mike Harding theme with his Accrington Pals. Paul completed the first rotation with Hard times of old England (roud 1206).

There were just two songs from the evening which are not available on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. They were Colin's singing of The Kipper Family's Wraggle-taggle travellers-o (Chris Sugden), and also from Colin, As long as someone sings a song (George Papavgeris).

The following songs (or versions) were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily new to the club:

• Colin - Row bullies row (a version of Liverpool Judies using instead the line "Liverpool girls" - roud 928)
• Simon - Roll Down (Peter Bellamy)
• Colin - Darby Kelly (roud 21859)
• Denny - Watford Gap (Roy Harper)

I also managed to find a recording very similar to the extra-bawdy version of Blow the man down (roud 2624) that Colin sang. We're not afraid of a bit of bawd or controversy at the Dragon Folk Club as long as it does no one any harm.

With a total of forty-one songs, it was Colin who presented the last of those: Rescue me (Dougie McLean). For the record, since it was mentioned, Dougie is 69 years of age at the time of writing.

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 4 of whom 4 performed)

Remembrance 2022

Yes, we were back down to two singers at the Dragon Folk Club session last week, but those who were there stuck pretty well to the Remembrance theme throughout and an interesting variety of songs were sung. If you can be there this Friday that would be great and to make things easier there will be no theme.

Colin was MC as usual and started of proceedings with Jim Woodland's Ghost Story, from the singing of Roy Bailey.

Simon gave a first outing to his rendition of Mike Harding's The Accrington Pals. This was the first of four songs Simon gave us from Mike's singing, three of which he wrote. The others were: Jimmy Spoons (Mike Harding), Bomber's Moon (Mike Harding) and And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle).

In the absence of Derek who sometimes sings it, Colin performed The 51st Highland Division's Farewell To Sicily by Hamish Henderson (roud 10501), set to the first, third and fourth parts of the pipe tune 'Farewell to the Creeks' by Pipe Major James Robertson of Banff.

Colin sang the Vera Lynn version of Lili Marlene (roud 15403, German words by Hans Leip, tune Norbert Schultze, variously translated into English by Norman Baillie-Stewart, Tommie Connor, and Theodore Stephanides). After this Simon had to sing The D-Day Dodgers (roud 10499, Lance-Sergeant Harry Pynn) to the same tune.

I was unable to find a YouTube recording of The Kriegie Ballad (roud 10516, Robert Garioch) which Colin sang so you won't find it in the playlist linked from "a selection below". 

Colin sang a couple of Steve Knightley (Show of Hands) songs: Battlefield dance floor and The Gamekeeper.

Simon finished the evening, probably slightly off-topic with Claudy Banks (roud 266, laws N40).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)