We few, we happy few, we band of brothers

photo by Hamish McConnochie

Many of us were afraid that the above words, famously used by Henry V on his last visit to the club (in those days still at Iron Acton) would be needed to describe this week's meeting, given that regulars Mike, Maggie S, Colin, Simon and Martin Carthy were all away on jaunts.

But happily a respectable 8 (7 singers) appeared and when Roger appropriately for the time of year sang Kurt Weill's September Song it was merely the days, not the audience, which had 'dwindled down to a precious few.'

Even more happily, Alan was again able to appear and perform. And if he needed to be trundled in by Maggie L, his voice and sense of humour at least were plenty strong enough to amuse us with some of Marriott Edgar's monologues, including Brahn Boots (requested by Roger) and the much less well known Goalkeeper Joe.

However, that tale of West Wigan Whippets v Todmorden Swifts was not the main sporting focus of the evening. Richard and Leslie, confident of a Welsh victory over Uruguay, (after all, they could no more lose than South Africa could lose to Japan!) both raided the Max Boyce songbook for songs like Ten Thousand Instant Christians and The Day the Pubs Ran Dry, which records the day in 1972 when Llanelli beat the All Blacks. Betting is open on which of them next week sings Asso Asso Yogoshi.

Incidentally, Ten Thousand did indeed win the competition for the night's biggest numeral in a song title, but Roger put up stiff opposition with Don McLean's 1967 – sometimes known as My Pal Joe.

We were again lucky that Terry had been excused dancing, and armed not only with songs like Eric Bogle's Leaving Nancy (supposedly written about his leaving his mother, not his girlfriend) but also with his 'music', as squeeze-boxes of all kinds are still referred to in the more remote parts of Suffolk, he gave a spirited instrumental rendition of the minstrel tune Nellie Bly, causing Derek to rattle his bones. 

Terry also censured Chris for coming guitarless; but she instead contributed unaccompanied items such as Eriskay Love Lilt and The Lark in the Clear Air.

Derek was asked to finish. He had already, given the absence of both Mike and any certainty as to whether there would be a Harvest this year, marked his territory by singing Fred Jordan's version of John Barleycorn, and now finished with a version of Sally Racket – of which we could all hear the voice of Mike, far away as he was, saying “I learnt a ruder version than that from my Sunday School teacher!”

(Number of people present - 8, of which 7 performed)