MARCHING TUNES.

Southland Times, Issue 24184, 22 July 1940, Page 9

MARCHING TUNES.

Old And New Songs Sung By Soldiers (Specially written for The Southland Times) By 6253 EGYPT., What are the songs New Zealand s soldiers of today are singing? Like those of 25 years ago, they are not tire “do-or-die” efforts of enthusiastic civilians. Romance and sentiment are as unashamedly popular as ever. After “Tipperary” probably you’ll hear “South of the Border,” or “Mexicali Rose.” Amateur composers in the ranks have improvised or revised some of the older tunes and words, and are not backward in giving their opinion of those at the head of things. This, for example, is sung to the tune of “A Wee Doch an’ Dorris.” “Goodbye Gen’ral Duigan, “Fare thee well Irish stew, “Since we’ve been in Trentham, “We’ve had enough of you. “Your sick parades and gargles, “Are all a blooming farce, “We’ll forget the stew and gargle, “On the way to Khyber Pass.” To admit that anything in army life is satisfactory is contrary to the spirit of any soldier. So there is this song, popular on route marches. “I know a happy camp “Far, far away. “Where we have bread and jam "Three times a day. “Ham and eggs we never see, “They put health salts in our tea, “And we are gradually, “Fading away.” CORPORAL AND SERGEANT N.C.O.’s are not spared, and one refrain that the leave trains of Trentham resounded to is: “We’ve got a corporal and oh what a man, “He mucks up the orders whenever he can. “And when we go sailing far over the sea, “He’ll do his swimming to one stop two three. “I know a sergeant—liis name I won’t tell, “You’re certain to meet him when you go to hell. “There on the front seat he’s certain to be. “Rocking alone, shouting, one stop two three.” - It should be explained that in recruit training the men are taught to do the various movements to numbers and stops. Slope arms, for instance, is done to the time of ONE two three, ONE two three, ONE. Southland boys sing the old favourite: “Southland boys are happy, “Southland boys are free. “Southland boys are happy, “When they are on the spree. “We never, never quarrel, “We never disagree, “And the motto of the Southland boys is, “Come and have a drink with me.” WELL-KNOWN TUNE On a route march some improviser in each platoon will start the ball rolling. Anti-aircrafters will jibe at the signal platoon in front of them to the tune of “Mademoiselle from Armentieres”: “Anti-aircraft on parade, “Put the signals in the shade.” Then from number three platoon the tune is carried on. “Anti-aircraft think they’re smart, “But wait until the mortars start.” With a new tune the Bren gun carrier platoon will break into song. “Give me a Bren, a great big Bren, “And give me a carrier too, “And let me wahoo, WAHOO.” From the back will come the revised (and here abridged) words of a song of 1914-18. “A lady said to a man in civvy clothes, “ ‘Why you’re not doing your bit “God only knows. “ ‘Why you’re not in khaki or navy blue “ ‘Fighting for the country that’s done damn all for you.’ “He answered her in quite a soldier style, “ ‘Last year I thought I had done all that was worthwhile, “ ‘Last year I took a chance, “ ‘Left my left ear in France, “ ‘And now I’m one of Fraser’s broken dolls.’ ” MAORI BATTALION Very popular with the Ist Echelon and appropriate for the 2nd is "Maori Battalion.” Although a little “jingo,” its tune is so good that many countries are likely to hear it before the war is over. The words are:— ' “Maori Battalion march to victory, “Maori Battalion staunch and true, “Maori Battalion march to glory, “Take the honour of your people with you. “For we’ll march, march, march thru the enemy, “And we’ll fight right to the end, “For God, for King and for country, “Awe, ake ake kia kaha ae.”

Number one with the 2nd Echelon is a song credited to the machine-gun battalion in which the swinging tune again makes up for the thunder of the words. “We are the 'boys from way down under, “Marching to victory. “We’re not afraid of Hitler’s thunder, “We’ll put him where he should be, “The Poles, the Czechs and Germany itself, “Will find we’ll put the Nazis on the shelf. “For we are the boys from way down under, “Sons of the Anzacs are we.” “From the land of the Long White Cloud we come, “Sons of the Empire every one, “Answering the Motherland’s anxious call, “As our fathers the Anzacs did before.” So now you know the words of some of the songs your sons and brothers of the 2nd Echelon'will sing as they march along dusty roads on the other side of the world.