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)

Remembrance 2018

Photo: Simon Meeds

Last week's session was our Remembrance special. It was good for the regular crew to be joined by Steve C. Having been absent at our last session, Derek hadn't prepared songs to the theme but as usual he provided plenty of topical material.

This week's session will have no theme but be prepared for the following one on 30 November, which will have a St Andrew's Day theme. As well as being patron Saint of Scotland, which is of course the main target of the evening, it may be useful to know that he is patron of: Barbados, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Sicily, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Patras, Burgundy, San Andrés (Tenerife), Diocese of Parañaque, Telhado (Portugal), Amalfi, Luqa (Malta) and Prussia; Diocese of Victoria; fishermen, fishmongers and rope-makers, textile workers, singers, miners, pregnant women, butchers, farm workers, protection against sore throats, protection against convulsions, protection against fever, and protection against whooping cough. You should find something there to sing about.

And so, back to last week, Colin was MC and started off the theme with a good WWI sing-along to Bless 'Em All (Fred Godfrey, Robert Kewley - Roud 8402).

Centenary of Passchendaele

Australian gunners on a duckboard track in
Château Wood near Hooge, 29 October 1917
(Photo: Frank Hurley)

We were about to start with only three of us at last week's session when Mike came through the door with his canine companion, Indy. As he left for the bar I think it was Colin who suggested we start and Derek who insisted we wait for Mike to return. And so we started with four, plus dog. But before we were through a song or two Chris and Roger arrived to make us properly quorate.

Colin was MC and started the singing with Lamorna (Roud 16636), a song from Cornwall; a version of a song from Manchester called Pomona.

Simon was next to sing with No Sir No (Roud 146). Derek noted this week's centenary of Passchendaele, the Third Battle of Ypres and sang what he claimed was the Copper Family's version of Two Young Brethren (Roud 202). Well the linked version by Folly Bridge appears to be faithful to the Copper's but isn't particularly close to what Derek sang. In any case, Mike commented in relation to Derek's version that his friend Dave Marshall sang very similar words but had two further verses, I believe making more of the brewing of the harvest to make beer.