As this week started on November 11th, Rememberance Day here in the UK, we have chosen, as Iona’s Song of the Week, a song written in 1976 by Scottish-born Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle. The poignant lyrics tell the tale of young, fictitious Willie McBride, who fought and died in WWI.
I first heard the song soon after its release whilst visiting a Folk Club on Sauchiehall St, near the junction with Derby St, and I have liked it ever since. There have been more than 50 odd cover versions and one of my early favourites was by June Tabor from her album Ashes and Diamonds. However, the version I have chosen is by the British Folk Punk group, formed in Campden Town in 1984 The Men They Couldn't Hang, and appeared on their debut album Night of a Thousand Candles released in 1985. The song goes by two names, No Man’s Land and The Green Fields of France, although I have always called it the latter!
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