The Songs We Sang
Have fun with this post and please remember these anniversaries:
30 January – 75th anniversary of the 6th Ranger Battalion at Cabanatuan, P.I.
AND:
30-31 January – 75th anniversary of the 188th Regiment + elements/ 11th Airborne Division amphibious assault on Nasugbu Beach, P.I. in 1945
Thanks for the reminder of the proud anniversaries from my friend Matt Underwood, past Editor of “The Voice of the Angels”, 11th Airborne Division Association.
Released in 1959 and based on his book The songs we sang, musician Les Cleveland accompanied by his group the D Day Dodgers released this collection of often very irreverent songs that were sung by New Zealand Servicemen during the Second World War.
In World War Two, New Zealand sent two infantry divisions overseas and supplied a great many sailors and airmen for the Allied Forces. Though the war has been over for fifteen years, the songs are still with us. Many of us have half-forgotten them; others will have heard only a few of them and these in a variety of versions – but all will listen to them with new interest, conscious that the songs speak with unfading humour and sentiment of difficult days, conscious too that they occupy a unique place in New Zealand music and folk-lore. they are sings that deserve to live again.
One of the…
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Posted on January 31, 2020, in Home Front, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, Military, Military History, music, New Zealand, Pacific, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 77 Comments.
Greetings gp, back from my self imposed isolation after the last two months, life has been rather hectic over our way. An excellent reintroduction to your posts, and a great re post, one song particularly stands out that I recall being sung in my early days was The Good ship Venus, will not desecrate your post by posting my version, cheers mate.
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haha, I can use my imagination I’m sure! I’m glad you liked it – I thought it a fun post!
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Music can be such a huge part of keeping your sanity! Thanks for sharing another great post!
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This one was an easy choice!!
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Great post! I’d love to see a version irreverent with U.S. World War II songs!
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I’ll see what I can come up with. Why irreverent?
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Just using the term used in the original post. They certainly don’t have to be irreverent.
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Even in such a harsh war time, songs and laughter helped to survive. Nice songs and post!
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Most definitely!! Thanks for dropping by, Alexander
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Thanks for sharing. The songs were great!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the post!! We all need a break now and then!!
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And raise a glass to the All Blacks!
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I have read the original post and just listened to the first song at the moment. This is clearly and important collection. Will listen more tomorrow
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Thank you, Derrick!
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All of that New Zealand history is very, very, important, but I do hope that it is preserved in a more permanent way elsewhere, in some media more solid than the internet.
How much wonderful research are we losing because it exists only in digital form?
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That is very difficult to answer, because so much of our Archives are constantly being declassified – is it all on the internet? That’s why I am constantly acquiring books on the subject. I have 3 more en-route as we speak. My “Library YTD” post is always being up-dated.
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I really enjoyed the songs and, as Michael mentioned, the vintage artwork.
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So glad, Liz!! I thought it was a terrific break from the routine of war and politics – no one can take that day in and day out!!
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You’re right. And those songs were part of the soldiers’ experience.
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It’s good Les Cleveland collected these songs and published them, GP! I will come back and have a listen to them this Sunday. My father never mentioned any war songs from his time in the Marines, though I am sure they had them.
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I especially want your opinion of these songs, you know the musical side. (if you have time that is).
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I can’t leave comments over there because of glitches with WP, but they are an interesting collection of songs, especially “Africa Star ” which sounds like it is to the melody of “Home on the Range” I am not sure which of those songs came first. 🙂 Nice to see a bit of history preserved!
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Thank you, Lavinia. Sorry about the glitches, my desk computer is having a major problem with emails – uh-oh!!
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Fun stuff, GP. Thanks for the reblog
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A nice break in the routine, right?! 🙂
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Yes it is. But let me add your routine in not routine to your readers. 😊
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I think that’s because our school systems are really lacking these days. Even you and I only received the ‘skimmed-down’ version of history.
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A friend of mine enlisted in the Navy during Vietnam, and somehow got stationed on New Zealand– for 2 tours ! Saw no action, and met his wife there. Lucky so & so ! It’s a beautiful country
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He should sure thank his lucky stars for that assignment!! He by-passed hell and ended up in paradise.
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This is no admission, but had I ever been pissed, I might have looked like any of those guys on the book cover. 🙂
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hahaha, no one would blame you either!!
Have you ever heard these songs?
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First I’ve heard them – loved it! As did my British bride who has family down under. Thanks for posting!
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My pleasure!! Thank your wife for me as well! I loved this post as soon as I saw it!
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Wonderful, thanks! I enjoyed every one!
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Thank you so much for listening!
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Wonderful and entertaining posts! I played all of them and love the MY A.25 the best. Sounds like a biergarten song or an Irish jig. I remember the 11th Airbornne landing in Nasugbu as told by my father. My townpeople, my parents and I were evacuated by those soldiers to Taal.
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I’ve been waiting for you to find this post – I had a funny feeling you’d enjoy the music and remember the anniversaries (being that they are part of the Philippine history!!). Did you play the songs for Matt?
Have a great weekend, Rose!
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Not yet. I was looking for your post yesterday. What happened?
He’s been sleeping more lately and I’ve been so busy rearranging the house on my off hours. We got a new garage and I’m moving stuffs and I’m aching all over.
Enjoy your weekend. It’s kind of yucky today. It’s raining!
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Things have been hectic and my Thursday post wasn’t ready. I wanted to reblog this post anyway – so …..
There might be more reblogs as we progress further.
Sorry to hear you have been doing so much manual labor moving things, perhaps there is a high school nearby and you could hire some students to help out?
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Enjoyable reblog, GP. Thanks.
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I thought it was a fun diversion!!
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What fun. Music speaks volumes.
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Pictures and music speak better than I write – that’s for sure!! hahah But then again you know that with all the stupid questions I hand you on your site!!
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Thanks for sharing the music that kept the forces going. Again those New Zealand folks show the role they played in the war.
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And I saw your comment on his site – Thanks, Bev!!
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What a great post. I listened to a few of the songs, and left a comment for him. Thanks for linking to his post!
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I typed in ‘Pacific’ into his Search bar and this was one that popped up – I HAD to link up with it!!
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Songs are a witness to history and tell us the stories! 🎶 🎼
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Right you are!!
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Reminded that music serves many purposes, G. –Curt
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Doesn’t it though?! I hear a song and I know immediately where I was and who it reminds me of too.
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And who you were dancing with? Grin. –Curt
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I don’t kiss and tell!!
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🙂
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This is the comment I left on the Kiwi site. I figured you might enjoy it too I loved this post.
Reminds me of the songs they used to play in the piano bars of the officers’ clubs my parents used to attend. One was the Datum, a bar close to the piers in Newport, RI. I never got to visit the Datum, only the main officer’s club for dinner. My parents bought home a Datum songbook and I memorized many of the songs. Not sure how I learned the melodies. Some of the songs were PG, not quite R. I think most of the piano bars petered out in the 1970s or early 1980s as the piano players and their followers went on that final Recon. I would love to find a copy of that songbook. Thanks for sharing this entertaining and informative post. Go Kiwis!
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Fantastic, Pat. I wonder if any of those song books still exist.
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I haven’t found the Datum songbook yet, but while I was searching, I found something about another famous Officer’s Club piano bar player, Pappy Walsh who used to play piano at the O’ Club at the Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, Virginia. My husband and I heard him when we moved to Virginia Beach in1980. Bob said his father used to also mention listening to Pappy when he was in Norfolk as Marine.
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=143852
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Isn’t it great the things we find when start to research!!
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Thank you, GP! I will save. I love these vintage art too. Have a beautiful weekend! Michael
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Thank you very much, Michael. Enjoy your weekend as well!!
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Thank you, GP! Now in a few hours, we will have to sing here. The UK is pulling up the drawbridge, and Germany will have to take over 13% – the UK part of the EU budget- in the future.
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Does that mean higher taxes for the citizens or how does it affect you?
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Maybe higher taxes. Here we have to deal anyway with the civil servants’ pensions. For just over three years, the state has had to spend around EUR 800 billion a year on this. the trend is increasing.
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Thank you, Michael.
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Nice reblog, GP, and a fitting tribute to the brave Kiwis too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I thought it did just that, Pete. Thanks for joining us!!
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We have listened to the songs on Matts blog, that worked very well, but at the moment we are unable to like and comment his work coming directly from your blog. Sometimes WP can be terribly frustrating! Please say hell and how much we appreciate his work. x
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I’m sorry things aren’t working properly, I will relay your message.
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Thank you, dear GP Cox! I think my first comment is still in orbit – or in spam?
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I’m showing your comment is online along with my answer. I do not currently have anything in the Span file. I relayed your message as well.
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Trust you to put a big smile on our faces, GP Cox! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks to Matt Underwood for this entertaining piece and to you for sharing this with us!
Warm greetings from North Norfolk to our dear friend in Florida,
The Fab Four xxxx
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Thank you so much for dropping by and commenting.
PS. The Norfolk Island Pines I bought are doing great so far! (I haven’t killed them yet!) 🙂
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Different,mood this time 🙂🙂
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We have to have a variety – no one wants to read WAR every time, eh?!
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Yes sir👮♂️
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Thank you!
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