The Green fields of France-The Fureys (lyrics)

"No Man's Land" (also known as "The Green Fields of France" or "Willie McBride") is a song written in 1976 by Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, reflecting on the grave of a young man who died in World War I. Its chorus refers to two famous pieces of military music, "The Last Post" and "The Flowers of the Forest". Its melody, its refrain ("did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly"), and elements of its subject matter (a young man cut down in his prime) are similar to those of "Streets of Laredo", a North American cowboy ballad whose origins can be traced back to an 18th century British ballad called "The Unfortunate Rake" and the Irish Ballad Lock Hospital. In 2009 Eric told an audience in Weymouth that he'd read about a girl who had been presented with a copy of the song by then prime minister Tony Blair, who called it "his favourite anti-war poem". According to Eric, the framed copy of the poem was credited to him, but stated that he had been killed in World War I

According to the song, the gravestone of the soldier, Willie McBride, says he was 19 years old when he died in 1916. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there were eight soldiers named "William McBride", and a further six listed as "W. McBride", who died in France or Belgium during World War I but none matches the soldier in the song. Two "William McBrides" and one "W. McBride" died in 1916 but one is commemorated in the Thiepval Memorial and has no gravestone. The other two are buried in the Authuile Military Cemetery but one was aged 21 and the age of the other is unknown. All three were from Irish regiments.

Piet Chielens, coordinator of the In Flanders Fields War Museum in Ypres, Belgium, and organizer of yearly peace concerts in Flanders, once checked all 1,700,000 names that are registered with the Commonwealth War Commission. He found no fewer than ten Privates William McBride. Three of these William McBrides fell in 1916; two were members of an Irish Regiment, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and died more or less in the same spot during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. One was 21, the other 19 years old. The 19-year-old Private William McBride is buried in Authuille British Cemetery, near Albert and Beaumont-Hamel, where the Inniskilling Fusilliers were deployed as part of the 29th Division

Category:

Music

Tags:

• eric
• bogle
• davey
• arthur
• the
• fureys
• willie
• mcbride
• no
• mans
• land
• WW1

[psydreas]

sometimes i feel so much shame to be a German ...

[BlackMountainScar]

@psydreas The Germans are Great people my friend, you should never be ashamed of your nationality. We are all only Human. There is bad in every nationality Worldwide. It happened in the past, it is happening now and it will always happen.. We can only hope it happens less often. Greetings from Ireland.

kümmern sich mein Freund.

[laboheme26]

For the 11th hour of 11/11/11 and for my grandmother's first husband who died at the Somme aged 21.

RIP to all the fallen of all wars.

[seaneire]

I think it's blinded difference message me.

[gaconnochie]

@BlackMountainScar "Have a look at the description above" If you do actually look then you'll see that the info in Bogle's song is filled with poetic license (ie the details are made up for the song) or if it was then this wasn't the Willie McBride who's name was used! There is no hint on this grave as to the soldier's age - but Bogle says "I can see by your gravestone that you were only 19"

[slapshot37GNR]

@MrSwill97 May he rest in peace. He's up there w/ all the legends now ;)

[MrSwill97]

This was my grandads favourite song, It makes me cry everytime, we were sat in the car outside the shops the first time he sang to me, he died last year, and I never really recovered from it, it's a brilliant song..

[slapshot37GNR]

@liambirch I know he was. But do you know how many more civilians Stalin killed? Mmm...I wonder why that's a less popular subject, eh?

[liambirch]

@slapshot37GNR What a load of codswallop to say the Nazis were only perceived to be the bad guys because they lost the war. Hitler was an insane tyrant who brought bloodshed to millions. The Allies had no choice but to defend themselves.

[RonpaMr]

Private Thomas William Sexton. (My grandfather) Somme 1st July 1916

[1969tucker]

never be ashamed of who you are or your heritage, you can't be blamed for the things that went on in your country,, i'm irish and proud and would never say i'm ashamed of my country,, when your dead and gone and pushing up daisy's there'll be people who will do bad things that no one forgets,, but everyone will forget the ones that do your country and mine good!!