In recent times, children have been encouraged to attend the Anzac Day dawn parade at one of New Zealand's 460 World War One memorials.
Guitar capo on 3rd fret, play these chord shapes
Em
Fires burned in Europe,
D Em
Our young men gathered round,
C
They emptied out our cities
G D
And our farms and country towns:
C
We gave them 3 months training
G D
And a farewell hometown dance
Em
Then we sent them off to battle
D Em
in Gallipoli, and France.
C D
And the man from Naseby saw the Angel of Mons
Em D Em
The boys from Mosgiel bled into the Somme
C G
"We'll fight for home and freedom" was their cry
Em D Em
As they sailed away to battle, and to die.
Another generation,
Another bloody war
The sons of the survivors
Came from Oamaru and Gore
They fought across the ocean
On land and air and sea,
They fought with muscle, bone, and blood
To keep our country free.
Now as you go from town to town
In our lovely, empty land
See proudly in the heart of town
A soldier's statue stands.
Memorial in granite stone
It tears against the sky.
Around its base the names of sons
And brothers who have died
The man from Naseby saw the Angel of Mons
The boys from Mosgiel bled into the Somme
"We'll fight for home and freedom" was their cry
As they sailed away to battle, and to die.
We have no unknown soldier
These are not forgotten men
But cousins, uncles, neighbours
Who will never laugh again.
But they'll not be forgotten
For the price they had to pay.
For their children's children's children
Will still march on Anzac Day
No, they'll not be forgotten
For the price they had to pay.
For their children's children's children
Will still march on Anzac Day.
|
 Santha Holland, at the Dawn Parade on Anzac Day, Henderson 2003 |
The Tune of In Memoriam
Here is the first verse in a 170k MP3 of Vic McDonald singing this song.
And here is the full length 650k MP3
It will take about 2 minutes to download with a 56k modem.
Vic McDonald
Vic McDonald is a Dunedin school teacher. He is member of the pub band Shiner.
Other members of the band are Steve Barkman, Adrian Higgins and Kevin McLaughlin. In the year 2000 they released the CD Kiss the Kilkenny. They have just relased a new CD. For more information phone Kevin at 03 476 335.
Soldier War Memorials
| Now as you go from town to town
In our lovely, empty land See proudly in the heart of town A soldier's statue stands |
In 1914, at the beginning of the Great War,
there were one million people living in New Zealand. Then
100,000 of them, mostly young men, went away to war, at the
other end of the earth. Of these, 18,000 died and failed to
return home, and 40,000 returned home wounded.
This gave great impetus to the building of memorials. They were
a tangible sign of the dead whose graves were so remote or
non-existent. Communities of all sizes, from large cities to
remote settlements, built memorials to those young men who
haddied in the war. Over 450 memorials were put up during the
1920s. About 35 of these were statutes of soldiers, mostly
carved in Italy, from marble.
Memorial in granite stone
It tears against the sky.
Many more can be seen at NZHistory.net.nz and at Greatwar.org.nz
Promises to keep
Brendan Connor 2002
New Zealand's largest World War I training camp was in Featherston.
30,000 men were trained there during World War I.
Play a short 170k MP3 sample of Brendan and Wild Geese singing this song.
Or listen to the full length 790k MP3 from their CD Promises to Keep.
| Rain
on the wind Norwester on the break Snow-clad distant mountains Shadows on the lake Safe haven Safe haven for young men You are all gone And the flags no longer crack amid the cheers It's been so long And the memories are dulled by passing years But here amongst these stony fields Winter's weary shadow steals And your voices linger on the breeze March on march on March on march on Promises to keep But miles to go before you sleep March on march on Gallant heroes all good men Drilled and honed in Featherston March stoic ripe and eager for their fate Brothers cousins husbands sons Wagons horses bugles drums Trooping to the summit like a snake Rain on the wind Norwester on the break Snow clad distant mountains Shadows on the lake Safe haven Safe haven for young men You are all gone And your tents and wooden barracks stand no more It's been so long Each passing day a closing door But here beneath this sallow sky Now and ever sanctified Your voices will linger on the breeze March on march on March on march on Promises to keep But miles to go before you sleep March on march March on march on March on march on |
But here amongst these stony fields...
Soldiers parading on one
of the stony fields at Featherston Military Camp, 1918
(Turnbull Library)
Trooping to the summit like a snake...
The 9th Reinforcements
marching over the Rimutaka Ranges Dec 1915
(Turnbull Library)
But I have promises to keep . . .
| Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.... The
woods are lovely, dark and deep. Robert Frost, 1923 |
Goodnight Ruby
Dave Jordan 1974
Dave has been a professional songwriter for 30 years. He has written vivid ballads (Hills of Coromandal, Gutboard Blues). But now he is no longer able to sing his own songs, due to a chronic illness. So here are his lyrics, and his computer-generated tune. It is up to you to do them justice.
Play Dave's 740k MP3 and sing his lyrics to bring this song alive for him.
C F G C
Heading home on remembrance day
Am D G
Slowing down in the autumn cold
C G C F G Am
In your scarf and your green beret
Em F Dm G C
And you can't help but wonder how you've grown so old
F G C
Called away by a waking dream
C/c C/b Am/a C/g D G
Brave old soldier running out of steam
F G Am
Blows a kiss to the evening skies
F C D G C
Good night Ruby with the stars in her eyes
There's a face in a photograph
That you've treasured the long years through
Just a trace of her distant laugh
And you pray there's a heaven and she waits for you
Called away by a waking dream
Brave old soldier running out of steam
Blows a kiss to the evening skies
Good night Ruby with the stars in her eyes
(And then an instrumental interlue here ??)
Set 'em up for the whole damn crew
Raise a glass to your absent friends
Just a ghost of the gang you knew
And you can't help but wonder will you meet again
Called away by a waking dream
Brave old soldier running out of steam
Blows a kiss to the evening skies
Good night Ruby with the stars in her eyes
(Repeat chorus at end, as indicated in melody of mp3
with final lines
'Goodnight Ruby, Goodnight Ruby,
Goodnight Ruby with the stars........in her eyes')
|
| Brave old soldier running out of steam... Alec Campbell of Hobart, Australia,was the last Anzac. He was aged 16 when he landed at Gallipoli in 1915, Here he is on Anzac Day in 2001. More details |
 |
Mr Turnbull wrote this after visiting his uncle's grave at Monte Cassino in 2005.
For That Tomorrow
Nigel Turnbull � 2006
|
I
stand here alone with loved ones to hand A
son kneels to touch his father's cold stone |
Cassino War Cemetery,
Italy
"Dedicated to my uncle, Private James Cram Turnbull, who was killed in action in 1942 at the age of 22 years"
Nigel
J.C. Turnbull ..............
remembrancedaysong.com
.
Main Song List - Home
Published on web April 2004. Page layout modified
and Cassino photo improved Aug 2024.