I’m Irish and I lost my grandfather at Gallipoli. I told this story to my kids over the year. My daughter now lives in Australia, and is married to an Australian. My grandson is called Conly, which is short For my grandfather’s name Connolly. They remember the fallen every April.
@@CanadianReacts You want to do another anti-war written song by an Aussie...Do the Willie McBride/Fields of France/among other titles of that song that I can't think of right off the top of my head right now...Do the Stiff Little Fingers/Jake Burns version. As a fellow Canadian I am willing to bet you'll love it. I played that version for my east coast, veteran father, who thought it was John Allan Cameron. that is one of the greatest compliments that an old east coast Canadian could ever give a rendition of a song. Don't know if you know who John Allan Cameron is...check him out...
@@dmac8949 Eric's own rendition of The Green Fields Of France (or No Man's Land as it is sometimes also called) is by far the best I've heard. The Fureys also covered it. And just for your information, Eric Bogle may have an Aussie accent, but he is in fact a Glaswegian Scot, who emigrated and lived for about 30-40 years in Australia before returning home.
Hi mate, thanks so much to listening to this song. It really does mean a lot to us Australians (and to the Kiwis as well, of course). We Aussies will always see you Canadians not just as friends, we see you as family. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to learn about our culture. It's humbling for someone on the other side of the planet to go out of their way to listen to what is probably our saddest song.
Eric Bogel wrote it, Liam Clancy made it famous and do an incredible version but Shane McGowan’s version tops everything, so raw, so real so memorable.
@@CanadianReacts Every veteran I've spoken to (and that includes Battle of Britain fighter pilot Sir Douglas Bader and Major Pat Reid who was the Senior British Escape Officer in Colditz and one of the handful of British POWs who managed to make a "Home Run" to freedom) don't think of themselves as "heroes": every one of them to a man will tell you, the real heroes are those men who didn't come home.
I am from UK but my Grandfather fought at Gallipoli. He had left England before the outbreak of war and joined the Anzacs when war broke out. He was mentioned in dispatches and we still have it signed by Winston Churchill. He survived and came back to England, hence I am here today writing this. I never knew him he was dead before I was born. I wish I had met him. This song brings a tear to my eyes every time I hear it. The Pogues do it proud.
@@CanadianReacts cannot please everyone maybe I'm biased as I'm Irish but to me when listening to Shane he is telling a story as he sings you should listen to one of his songs The Old Main Drag
Of course the soldiers of New Foundland (now part of Canada) fought at Gallipoli. When I visited St John's my taxi driver immediately identified us as Aussies and took us past the Galipolli memorial on the way to our hotel. Still the most friendly place I have ever been. 🇦🇺🇦🇺
A extremely powerful song. It chokes me up every time I hear it. Shane McGowan does a brilliant job. The Gallipoli Campaign was sheer slaughter, one of the most ill-conceived campaigns ever. I lost 2 Grand Uncles in France in WW1 and an uncle in Singapore in WW2 and my father died as a result of serving in WW2. Myfamily paid heavily for war, but still we fight them.
@@CanadianReacts My paternal grandmother lost a brother on the Somme in 1916, and my father's brother was an officer serving in the Royal Signals in Normandy in 1944. His unit was seconded to the US forces who landed on Utah Beach because my uncle had found a way of doubling the number of communication channels and the idea was taken up by the War Office in London. However not all the invasion forces had been supplied with the new sets by the time D-Day came along so his unit went into Normandy via Utah Beach. He found that his Lieutenant's pips on his uniform made him look like a 2-Star US General to those who didn't look too closely and he was able to get a lot of co-operation. He had no doubt about the courage of the US soldiers, but he was not impressed by their rank and file discipline. He remembered the carnage of fighting in the Bocage where he was particularly vulnerable because he often had to climb trees to get a signal and that made him a sitting duck for enemy snipers. He also remembered the carnage and hell of the fighting around Bastogne. He did manage to survive the war and ended up being awarded the US Bronze Star for his services. I have an old photo of my uncle pictured in Hamburg after the German surrender alongside Kingsley Amis, the famous writer, who was in the same unit. War is a hellish business and we have to find a better way of settling our differences. I have another friend who was a member of the British forces that liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and he was still living with nightmares about what he saw there 60 years before!
@@CanadianReacts I've been to the Western Front & visited the perfectly maintained & still highly respected Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries. Many Canadians lie alongside our ANZACs, their headstones carved with the distinctive maple leaf, but there is also The Courcelette Memorial which is a Canadian Cemetery. I went there too with my guide & historian. It depends where he fell. 😢 Your grandfather may be buried with ours or at the Canadian one. If he has no known grave, he will be commemorated on a remembrance wall probably at the Courcelette Cemetery. If you want to try to find where he is, Sylvestre at Terres de Memoires out of Amiens, France can possibly help you. He found family members for me. He was my guide on both tours of the Somme & Flandres, Fromelles, Pheasant Wood. He's a WWI history expert mainly specialising in ANZAC history, but he knows his stuff about all the allies. Lest we forget. 🇦🇺 🇦🇺
Hi man, always brings a tear. My great grandfather fought at Gallipoli, he survived that campaign to then be sent to the western front where he was eventually gased. They sent him back to Australia but died two years later from his injuries. So that song has a lot of resonance for me. Its a pity that we have not learnt. Peace.
this song was written by the scottish singer / song writer eric bogle who has lived in australia since the 1970s ... a brilliant individual and a gift to the world ... thanks for posting this ... i adore the pogues rendition
Superb version as noted In earlier comment my grandfather British Army Survived but it haunted him till his last breath. To really feel the raw emotion you need to be in an Australian Pub in London, on ANZAC Day and when this plays EVERYONE jumps up sings this with SUCH Gusto and Emotion there is not a dry eye in the Puband after they sang they applauded as a tribute to the fallen..
I love sad songs and this is probably my favourite. "I never knew there were worse things than dying". What a line! For many people there are times (and even just moments) in their lives where this line is applicable. I know I've experienced it but things like great music and great lyrics help you through it. What a song!
The bit that gets me is when he looks where his legs used to be and is glad there is no-one waiting for him when he returns home to Australia so he doesn't have to face their reaction to his injury. Not sure how you go fronting up to mums or dads or siblings or girlfriends without arms, or legs, or eyes. I honestly don't know how you would cope with that
For Australia, the First World War remains the costliest conflict in terms of deaths and casualties (also one of the highest per capita losses). Only Federated in 1901, and from a population of fewer than FIVE MILLION people, 416,809 men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Commander of the Turkish Forces was quoted to say in 1932: "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." Our last ANZAC, a veteran of Gallipoli, Private Alec Campbell, passed away 16 May 2002, aged 106.
Yeah Scott Buckby ... what would you know? I have been to Gallipoli and have spent 4 years in Turkey where I have seen those words memorialised and attributed to Mustufa Kumal - all over the country. Try to tell me, again, how this is not so.
One thing I always think about when I hear this song is the quote by the Turkish politician Ataturk on the ANZAC forces lost in Gallipoli after the war. “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore Rest In Peace. There is no difference between the johnnies and the mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom, and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well.” I only wish more modern leaders had the humanity and decency to make statements like this.
M grandmother had her father's diary that he kept everyday whilst fighting in France. A small little journal that over the years had faded very badly, she'd never read it and couldn't in latter years, One vacation when I returned from university my mum said gran had asked if I could type it out for her so she could finally read it, She was in her 80's by this time, some day's entries were only a few words describing the fact they had to move, where they were going, other day's entries described how he was feeling. I only remember 1 entry clearly,I cant remember the date but it just said "finally arrived at______,bodies everywhere". I was 20, at university, living in some carefree bubble that those years 18-21 allow. Mainly due to the effort and sacrifice of all our great grandfathers. God bless them all. "They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn At the going down of the sun and in the morning We shall remember them".
@@CanadianReacts Hey, if you havent covered it already, you open to a recomendation? "The Bay of Suvla" by one of your local bands "The Dreadnoughts". A good shanty akin to this.
I'm 65yo man, blessed to never have had to go to war, and it breaks my heart that boys at 18 are sent to kill and be killed by criminals in suits and ties. I could say so much more, but there's no need, anyone with a heart knows already. God bless them.
I think the only version I like better than this one here by the Pogues is Liam Clancy singing this live. Overall, a heartbreaking song, and one of my all time favorites.
thanks Charles, I've had some people say they prefer Eric Bogle over the pogues but there's a resounding preference for this version. I appreciate you writing to me.
Absolutely agree. Liam's version is sung with so much emotion and heatfelt pain, you can see the shells and bullets flying, as you close your eyes and listen.
Powerful, tragic, haunting rendition of this song to salute those brave soldiers. It's impossible to truly imagine what they went through, not least because many of the survivors chose not to relive the horror by talking about it. The visible scars were there for all to see, but the emotional and psychological scars were carried deep inside to the grave. RIP to these selfless heroes, we must never forget them 🙏
The first time I heard this song it was the June Tabor version which is superb. I found it haunting, the words are just so powerful. This is another great version of the song so thank you for introducing me to it. This song describes perfectly what those brave brave people had to endure. My Grandmothers brother died in Gallipoli at the age of 20 in 1915. Perhaps one day I may be able to visit the Helles Memorial and pay my respects to him and all the other people who lost their lives there.
My grandfather served in Gallipoli he was from London Essex Rifles East Anglian Regiment He survived but it haunted him for the rest of his life he lived till 80 and after Gallipoli he served in Iraq and Pestine with General Allenby .. He ran up the beach with a Cricket as their Rifles were in a landing ship.. In ww2 he was a Air Raid Warden so did his bit ww2 and my Nan ran the food wagons fir the air raid diggers and victims. My grandfather never spoke to my Nan about Gallipoli. My nan worked Royal smallarms factory in ww1 so they both DID THEIR PART, in ww1 and vww2 they were so supportive and caring for us grandchildren and I am justly proud of them both.. I was in a Pub in London full of Aussies with a work colleague who was Aussie And on ANZAC Day when this song came on and everyone stood up solemnly and sung this song with Gusto and Real Feeling... It is burnt into Aussie and NZ Physce as it was the first sent as a country with huge losses for a country with a small population so everyone knew someone who had lost someone..
Dublin's Danny Doyle also did a powerful version of this Eric Bogle song. As an aside to a fellow Canadian - The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American army to fight at Gallipoli. Last year the 6th "trail of the Caribou" Memorial Park was unveiled there and joined the British, Australian and Turkish memorials. I have been told in some of the April 25th memorial ceremonies in Australia one occasionally sees someone carrying a Newfoundland & Labrador flag.... The main NL memorial Park is at Beaumont / Hamel in France, 3 of the other 4 are also in France ant he last one is in Belgium. Australia's Memorial Day is April 25th. Newfoundland & Labrador's is on July 1st, That day in 1916 801 men left the trenches and fought across no-man's-land. The next morning only 68 were able to answer the roll call. It is ironic that our Memorial Day coincides with Canada Day. We mourn in the morning and early afternoon and then party till the wee hours. We are nothing if not pragmatic.
At the age of 17 my beloved grandfather left Australia to fight at Gallipoli and in France. He was wounded three times before being sent home, but was never really the same. This song always reduces me to tears. The song Waltzing Matilda is the unofficial national anthem of Australia
This is a song about a song 😂 Waltzing Matilda is considered the unofficial Australian anthem and many Australians relate to it more than the official national anthem! Other classic Aussie songs about war include Khe Sanh (Cold Chisel- about the Vietnam War) and one that really will tear at your heartstring is “I was only 19” by Redgum. Very sad song! Thank you for doing this reaction! Very heartfelt and genuine x
It's worth reading a speech attributed to Mustafa Attaturk (the father of modern Turkey) and probably delivered by a representative at Gallipoli in 1934. "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
@@CanadianReacts thanks for your reply I just watched it again and I teared up again I remember the last WW1 veterans marching it's incredible how many really young men, teenagers faked their age to go to basically end up as cannon foder now this April we're seeing the last of the WW2 men and women 😢 it's so important that we never forget these amazing brave souls Cheers mate 🇦🇺🇨🇦🇬🇧 🇺🇦
A usual, I'm in tears after hearing this. All these courageous young men doing what they were ordered to do. The whole campaign was a disaster and should never have been undertaken - its aim could never have been achieved. But Churchill ordered it and so these men were killed. As if Churchill had not done enough harm at Gallipoli, he ordered the same at Dieppe in WW II. That campaign had Canadian troops landing then lining up in formation (!!!!) to march across German occupied France, carry out acts oƒ sabotage, and be picked up from an airfield which the men were to have captured. Bravely though the Canadians fought, they could never have done what their orders required.
Thanks for showing this poignant video (lest we forget) in memory to all those brave soldiers who perishes in both world wars. The first was supposed to be the war to end all wars.
@@CanadianReacts Just listening to it now. I haven't heard it as often as the pogues version - I think the bitterness in Shane McGowan's voice is what really gets me.
Understanding what the poem/song 'Waltzing Matilda' means to Aussies makes this song is even more poignant that the 'band is playing Waltzing Matilda' as they go off to and engage in war.
I was only 19, by redgum, it's a must mate, ......it will touch your heart, a classic and loved song here, bring a tear to your eyes, ....🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺👍👍👍mate loved your reaction,🇦🇺👍🇨🇦
@@CanadianReacts cool, .....thanks mate, ...nothing in your uploads though of redgum,.....special ones, by George is a good Aussie one,.....alot lighter too bud, 👍
Good one. The notes above don't mention the composing artist. It was Eric Bogle, a Scottish musician who emigrated to AS. He wrote many sets of excellent lyrics. Two of them were two of the most powerful war protest lyrics ever written. This one and William McBride/The Green Fields of France.
It is very interesting that during the 70's there was intense anti-war reaction following Vietnam, as there should be. Songs like this and Red Gum's. "I was only 19," caused people to recognise that remembering war is not about glorifying violence but heralding the bravery of many that had no choice. Crowds began to return to the April marches. Today April 25th sees more people gathering to remember that horrible day, to hang their heads in silence at 4:28, and to cheer the parades throughout the day then ever before. It is a revered day in Australia and New Zealand.
I think it should be a day of righteous anger. Anger of the mothers who have lost sons; anger of the young men cruelly used by power-hungry politicians; anger of invaded countries for the trauma and turmoil visited on their peoples and property; anger for the waste of monumental resources. Every single person should stand, raise a fist, turn towards those that call for war, and let out a long scream. War no more.
Thanks for reacting to this song. ANZAC Day means so much to Aussies, and I couldn't help but notice it affected you too. You would 'enjoy' the original Eric Bogle version, as the clip includes Canadians too in the more modern era. Aussies would certainly fight side by side with Canadians - we would prefer you than the Americans for sure, you are more like us. Cheers mate.
+Murray Ball thanks Murray, Eric Bogle has been mentioned a few times and I’ve got quite a few songs in the cue as I’m not doing many lately it may take a while
As a Scotsman, who's grandafther served in the ASC (he was a farm labourer who worked with horses - Transport) I feel i can convey some feelings to a certain extent. My father was youngest of 5 in WW2 .....all his older siblings served in WW2 Apparently one of his older brothers, navy, had come home drunk and became aggressive .....Grandad (1st War) said "you might think you're a hard man ....BUT YOU NEVER SEEN A MAD TURK" Says it all really. Grandad went on to be bombed in WW2 while working as a carter at the docks i Aberdeen and according to local stories at his funeral, he had dismounted from his horse and cart and threatened the ARP with relocation of warning whistle .... as it was spooking his horses :-) I will addto this that he was challenged at the age of 82, to a bare back pony race around the Munies Club in Lasaka Zambia He won !.... He was 96 when he died and I was 16. Good on you pal !
This song was written by a wonderful Scotsman who emmigrated to Australia. His name is Eric Bogle and I strongly suggest you view a video of his rendition. It commorates not only Australia’s involvement but also our Kiwi cousins across the Ditch. It’s a sad song about the ANZACs trials and tribulations on Gallipoli. Those men were for their time. Greetings from Australia.
damn you for playing that ! you had me in tears, my grandfater fought in gallipoli he was in the lighthorse, and he fought "Johnny Turk" all the way to Damascus and partook in the last cavalry (mounted infantry) charge at Beer Sheba, he came back and lived to a ripe old age, unlike so many of his mates, i also had an uncle who fought the japanese on the Kokoda Track handing the Japanese their arses for the first time Lest We Forget!
Yo .... I decided to subscribe as I like the range of material you choose to react to. Both Kirsty and Shane have passed but their duet on Shane's composition will live forever. Shane is an Irish songwriting icon. I Would love to hear your reaction to another Irish icon: Imelda May. She is an amazing songwriter, singer, arranger, and producer. Her original material ranges from Rock-a- Billy (Johnny got a boom boom) to torch ballads (black tears) and fantastic covers like Kermit's "it ain't easy being green", U2s "still haven't found what I am looking for", or Les Paul and Mary Ford's "how high the moon" with the late, great Jeff Beck. Fair winds and Happy New Year.
As a Kiwi (New Zealander) some of us grew up with great bitterness over this fight. The call to arms , as it were here in NZ was 'where England goes we go.' England ordered several ships of mostly New Zealanders and Australians (ANZACs) to land in this small cove and take a ridge. Of course the Turkish soldier's were at the top so it was a literal and planned slaughter (in our opinion). One brave Australian army captain refused to let his men disembark as it was his job to look after them and there was little hope they would survive the landing let alone the battle. This was brave because he was threatened with court-martial by the British. He declined to accept that offer. Out of interest Matilda was the swag and the walking pole, men would carry as they wandered about getting work and/or charity all over Australia. I expect there were a lot more after the war.
My great grandfather, an Aussie digger lost his leg in Europe in WWI and spent the rest of his life in and out of the padded cells at the Repat (Veteran's) hospital, my grandfather served in New Guinea and I believe the Western Desert. I briefkly served in teh peace time army. This song nearly always makes me tear up if I am alone. I try not to listen to it when I am with people. This rendition by the Pogues is by far my favourite and I definately the most emotive I have heard. If you have not heard it there is another song about the Australian experience in conflict called "A walk in the light green" or "I was only 19", by and Australia band called Redgum, which you might also find moving - in Australia it is probably the song most people think of first if you asked them to think about a song about the Australian experience in conflict. It is also quite sad, but maybe less emotive. It's very personel for the generations of post WWII diggers as it talks about the military experience in Austrlia - the cadets, the locations, the modern units. I think the And Band Played Waltzing Matilda is probalby more universal, but A Walk in the Light Green is just as disturbing and provides a very similar commentary on the treatment of service people, post conflict, especially the modern conflicts where the battlefield and the enemy are not clearly defined.
Great anti-war song by Eric Bogle who emigrated to Australia from Scotland as a young man. It is annoying though to hear the lyrics changed from the original. They’re great words so sing them as they are!
Great Grandfather was wounded in WW2 fighting at the Bulge near Wiltz. MG42 round to the shoulder. Great great grandfather fought with the French Cavalry in WW1 where he survived the war. Its tragic who lives and dies. War is chaos and without meaning. But the men who fought are heroes for their bravery. Those battered flawed men will always be remembered
My father fought in the Bastogne and lived because here I am. He sang Waltzing Mathilda and I knew they marched to it. We are American. Imwish I knew where he had been during that campaign.
Go visit Gallipoli. Visited there in 2015 with grandson's high school. Looked at ages on gravestones and looked at the boys and girls from the school. Too many the same age. Visit the Turkish memorial and museum too. Their dead should be honoured equally. Lovely people, the Turks and a lovely country . Maternal grandfather served in France. Never said much about his experiences. Dad served with RN as a DEMS gunner. Told me a little about his service in the Med.
Always found this a very moving song. My mum lost her uncle Dick at the "Lancashire Landing" on April 25th. He was with of the 1st Bn Lancashire Fusiliers, 600 men killed out the 1000 strong battalion - of the first 200 to land, only 21 survived it. 6 VC's awarded that horrific day. 21,255 British and Irish dead to add to 8,790 Australians; 2,779 New Zealanders; 1,358 Indians and 49 Newfoundland dead. 86,692 Ottoman Turks also lost their lives. Horrible piece of history from a particularly tragic part of that war.
Such a beautiful reaction, thank you for your personal story, 20 is just a child, so sorry about your Grandfather 😢 And thank you for reacting to a song about the ANZACs, I love Canada, it seems so much like Australia…except the climate! 🇦🇺❤🇨🇦
Not sure if you know this but Bob Kerry, who was a Navy Seal in Vietnam, was elected to the US Senate in 1988 & for his victory speech he chose to sing this song (Unaccompanied) as a tribute to his fallen Comrades. It's on TH-cam and is worth checking out in your own time mate. Just search - The Last Word: Bob Kerry Sings "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (1988) very moving... Thanks for this reaction & just so you know, The ANZAC Day parade is bigger than ever here in Australia, we haven't forgotten them. The Descendants of both World wars now wear the Medals for the past generations & we now have new Generations of Veterans from the Modern era Conflicts as well as the Vietnam Veterans who were denied the respect they deserved when they returned home. It's a very moving day, full of respect, thanks & most of all remembrance (And a good amount of drinking with all the different generations coming together in mutual admiration) I'm A Modern Aussie Infantry Vet and look forward to ANZAC Day every year. G'day from Australia Mate!
I'm an Australian with an Italian (very much identifies as Australian) father who saw war battered/damaged soldiers during ww2. As a 5 year old he knew what the reality of war is. He mentioned that one of the things that stood out to him that made him feel that Australia was a good place is that our major military celebration is of a DEFEAT, and emphasised that the sacrifice that the soldiers made is the important thing to honour and NOT the outcome. As far as I know it's the only example of this in the world.
I knew a delightful guy who did not return from Vietnam, his body did, but it was some other person that was walking around in it ever after, he was gone, never to return.
More people are attending the ANZAC ceremonies than ever. The dawn services throughout the country on the 25th April are well attended by young and old.
He didn't do it better than Eric Bogle, he did it differently. RIP Shane 😢 We love both versions. It's a song that still makes me tear-up everytime I hear it. I haven't been to Gallipoli, I just can't 😢 but i have toured the Western Front with a French guy who specialises in ANZAC history. I have family who remain forever in the green fields of France & Belgium, some with no known grave. They are commemorated among so many other names on walls of remembrance at the pristine, so well cared for & respected Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries. Gallipoli was a blood bath & our young men were sacrificed & sent to the wrong place. Churchill, as Minister for War, was responsible for that monumental stuff-up.. Our boys were disposable to him. But on The Western Front, ANZACs made a difference, a huge difference. People have mentioned it is an anti-war song. Its not so much anti-war, it's about the futility of war. I recommend Australians go at least to the Western Front...the Somme including Villers-Bretonneux, Flandres, Fromelles, Pheasant Wood to appreciate what our predecessors sacrificed for Europe & the UK. ( it wasn't even our war). Lest we forget. 🇦🇺 🇦🇺 🇦🇺
Well, that was good. This song is obscure but pops up in the strangest places. For example, Bob Kerry (who won the Medal of Honour in the Vietnam war) in 1988, when he was elected to the US senate, sang this entire song a Capella at the press conference celebrating his election. Fuck knows why. Its on you tube. My grandfather was one of the ambulance guys collecting the wounded at Gallipoli. He then went through Egypt and France doing the same thing. Didnt get scratched. But he never spoke of it and refused to attend the Anzac Marches and the RSL (Returned Service League club)
Thanks for sharing, yeap I ball my eyes out each and every time I hear this , no matter the artist , maybe a family full of service history past and present, maybe the public school education, maybe just know how lucky we are,
He was not the only one not to attend, there were quite a few who had the same attitude. The dawn services were initiated by the vets for vets only and some were insulted when they went public along with the marches also.
Some years ago, by coincidence I happened to listen to this song when I read a news article about the last of the veterans from WW1 had died. That hit like punch in the gut.
It is truly stunning that of the 420000 men that went to that filthy war Australia lost one in seven. Is it any wonder that ANZAC Day remains one of the most reverently observed Memorial days in Australia and New Zealand, In fact each year that passes sees ANZAC Day as more and more important to the Australian psyche. Australia and New Zealand will forever be sibling countries because of this shared history.
Within some of the local communities, it was worse than one in 7... The area that I grew up in sent 14 young men overseas in this war. 7 made it back! More than 14, would have joined up, but a lot in the area were of Danish heritage ( the powers that be at the time couldn't distinguish between Denmark and Germany) and so were not acceptable in the army. Of the 14 that left, 3 were my great uncles and one of them survived Beersheba & Gallipoli only to play 'catch' with an artillery shell in Flanders on the 23rd of October 1914, one month before the armistice was signed! He's buried in a war grave cemetery in the north of France.
Australian losses were not "stunning" but simply a result of what the British warlords thought of our use to them. Ataturk in WW1, and indeed Rommel in WW2 had a completely different assessment of the "colonials". Though neither could comprehend our willingness to die for a regime that thought to waste our lives as they did!
Australia's total population at the time was about 4 million, and the 416,809 who enlisted for service represent 38.7 per cent of the total male population aged between 18 and 44. Of these, an estimated 58,961 died, 166,811 were wounded, 4098 went missing or were made prisoners of war, and 87,865 suffered sickness.
@@CanadianReacts Poor Mans Pig was the name of my band. small time drinking folk group back in the 90s. the response was for the guy that said he never heard a poor version, lol. this is the best version that hits home, all others( other than Eric Bogle, the author of the song) is a bit too sweet and you dont get the anguish in the voice such as with the pogues version. hint, listen to the cd or vinyl versions to get the full impact of the sound, the mp3s lose a lot in conversion. this applies to absolutely every song released.
www.buymeacoffee.com/itsedbrumE
RIP Shane. Love you.
RIP Shane! Bogel to Makem and Clancy to the Pogues -- I can listen to this song and cry all day.
In my opinion the most powerful version of the most powerful anti-war song ever. Written by Aussie folksinger Eric Bogle.
Someone else sid the very same thing recently.
Totally agree.
Think He is scottish........who lived in Australia......
@@CanadianReacts i'm glad someone else sid the very same thing aboot it.
@@mickeywill2888 He was born in Scotland but he is Australian.
I’m Irish and I lost my grandfather at Gallipoli. I told this story to my kids over the year. My daughter now lives in Australia, and is married to an Australian. My grandson is called Conly, which is short For my grandfather’s name Connolly. They remember the fallen every April.
Yes, I’ve had many Aussies tell me about the ANZAC parade
@@CanadianReacts You want to do another anti-war written song by an Aussie...Do the Willie McBride/Fields of France/among other titles of that song that I can't think of right off the top of my head right now...Do the Stiff Little Fingers/Jake Burns version. As a fellow Canadian I am willing to bet you'll love it. I played that version for my east coast, veteran father, who thought it was John Allan Cameron. that is one of the greatest compliments that an old east coast Canadian could ever give a rendition of a song. Don't know if you know who John Allan Cameron is...check him out...
@@dmac8949 thanks for the suggestion, I’m behind in my recommendation list.
@@dmac8949 Eric's own rendition of The Green Fields Of France (or No Man's Land as it is sometimes also called) is by far the best I've heard. The Fureys also covered it. And just for your information, Eric Bogle may have an Aussie accent, but he is in fact a Glaswegian Scot, who emigrated and lived for about 30-40 years in Australia before returning home.
@@CanadianReacts scotsman eric bogle wrote this sang. i believe he also wrote one for canada...bringing buddy home...
Hi mate, thanks so much to listening to this song. It really does mean a lot to us Australians (and to the Kiwis as well, of course). We Aussies will always see you Canadians not just as friends, we see you as family. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to learn about our culture. It's humbling for someone on the other side of the planet to go out of their way to listen to what is probably our saddest song.
Thanks I really enjoyed doing redgum too & the Eric Bogle version of this
Definitely our saddest song.
RIP Shane nobody does it better...
Absolutely brilliant Rest in Peace Shane,🙏🙏☘️🇮🇪
Eric Bogel wrote it, Liam Clancy made it famous and do an incredible version but Shane McGowan’s version tops everything, so raw, so real so memorable.
I agree, each artist made it a part of them.
Well said my friend,that's exactly it.
As a Veteran of a different war, the song darn near brought me to tears. The glory of war is shared by those who weren't there.
I admire anyone who has been to war realizing they see things I never will. Nor do I want to see.
@@CanadianReacts Every veteran I've spoken to (and that includes Battle of Britain fighter pilot Sir Douglas Bader and Major Pat Reid who was the Senior British Escape Officer in Colditz and one of the handful of British POWs who managed to make a "Home Run" to freedom) don't think of themselves as "heroes": every one of them to a man will tell you, the real heroes are those men who didn't come home.
😢😢😢
Glory???? In War????
I am from UK but my Grandfather fought at Gallipoli. He had left England before the outbreak of war and joined the Anzacs when war broke out. He was mentioned in dispatches and we still have it signed by Winston Churchill. He survived and came back to England, hence I am here today writing this. I never knew him he was dead before I was born. I wish I had met him. This song brings a tear to my eyes every time I hear it. The Pogues do it proud.
Thanks John
Irish legend Shane doing what I think is the best version of this song god bless you Shane
Thank you. I’ve had many responses to Shane version from positive to absolute hate.
@@CanadianReacts cannot please everyone maybe I'm biased as I'm Irish but to me when listening to Shane he is telling a story as he sings you should listen to one of his songs The Old Main Drag
@@ahabog someone told me Shane’s version makes it sound more real not polished like a pure musician
Of course the soldiers of New Foundland (now part of Canada) fought at Gallipoli. When I visited St John's my taxi driver immediately identified us as Aussies and took us past the Galipolli memorial on the way to our hotel. Still the most friendly place I have ever been. 🇦🇺🇦🇺
Thanks for that Brian
A Newfoundland regiment was all but obliterated at the Battle of the Somme, at Beaumont Hamel.
A extremely powerful song. It chokes me up every time I hear it. Shane McGowan does a brilliant job. The Gallipoli Campaign was sheer slaughter, one of the most ill-conceived campaigns ever. I lost 2 Grand Uncles in France in WW1 and an uncle in Singapore in WW2 and my father died as a result of serving in WW2. Myfamily paid heavily for war, but still we fight them.
I think my great grandad is actually buried ( if not memorialized) in France.
@@CanadianReacts My paternal grandmother lost a brother on the Somme in 1916, and my father's brother was an officer serving in the Royal Signals in Normandy in 1944. His unit was seconded to the US forces who landed on Utah Beach because my uncle had found a way of doubling the number of communication channels and the idea was taken up by the War Office in London. However not all the invasion forces had been supplied with the new sets by the time D-Day came along so his unit went into Normandy via Utah Beach. He found that his Lieutenant's pips on his uniform made him look like a 2-Star US General to those who didn't look too closely and he was able to get a lot of co-operation. He had no doubt about the courage of the US soldiers, but he was not impressed by their rank and file discipline. He remembered the carnage of fighting in the Bocage where he was particularly vulnerable because he often had to climb trees to get a signal and that made him a sitting duck for enemy snipers. He also remembered the carnage and hell of the fighting around Bastogne. He did manage to survive the war and ended up being awarded the US Bronze Star for his services. I have an old photo of my uncle pictured in Hamburg after the German surrender alongside Kingsley Amis, the famous writer, who was in the same unit.
War is a hellish business and we have to find a better way of settling our differences. I have another friend who was a member of the British forces that liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and he was still living with nightmares about what he saw there 60 years before!
@@colindouglas7769 I can’t even imagine the horrors that probably still haunt your friend.
@@CanadianReacts
I've been to the Western Front & visited the perfectly maintained & still highly respected Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries.
Many Canadians lie alongside our ANZACs, their headstones carved with the distinctive maple leaf, but there is also The Courcelette Memorial which is a Canadian Cemetery. I went there too with my guide & historian.
It depends where he fell. 😢 Your grandfather may be buried with ours or at the Canadian one.
If he has no known grave, he will be commemorated on a remembrance wall probably at the Courcelette Cemetery.
If you want to try to find where he is, Sylvestre at Terres de Memoires out of Amiens, France can possibly help you. He found family members for me. He was my guide on both tours of the Somme & Flandres, Fromelles, Pheasant Wood.
He's a WWI history expert mainly specialising in ANZAC history, but he knows his stuff about all the allies.
Lest we forget.
🇦🇺 🇦🇺
The Aussies , New Zealanders and Canadians have so much in common
Thank you. I'm drenched in tears. That was incredibly moving
Thanks for writing Rosaleen. I had never heard the song before but also did the Eric Bogle version recently.
Hi man, always brings a tear. My great grandfather fought at Gallipoli, he survived that campaign to then be sent to the western front where he was eventually gased. They sent him back to Australia but died two years later from his injuries. So that song has a lot of resonance for me.
Its a pity that we have not learnt.
Peace.
Thanks for sharing your story
this song was written by the scottish singer / song writer eric bogle who has lived in australia since the 1970s ... a brilliant individual and a gift to the world ... thanks for posting this ... i adore the pogues rendition
I reviewed the Eric Bogle version 4 months ago
Superb version as noted In earlier comment my grandfather British Army Survived but it haunted him till his last breath.
To really feel the raw emotion you need to be in an Australian Pub in London, on ANZAC Day and when this plays EVERYONE jumps up sings this with SUCH Gusto and Emotion there is not a dry eye in the Puband after they sang they applauded as a tribute to the fallen..
Thanks Chris
Shane sings this song with the respect and sencerty it deserves. Rip to all who lost there life in wars
Thanks Trevor many others can't stand it, lol
Thay don't know what there missing lol
I love sad songs and this is probably my favourite.
"I never knew there were worse things than dying". What a line!
For many people there are times (and even just moments) in their lives where this line is applicable. I know I've experienced it but things like great music and great lyrics help you through it.
What a song!
That line got me too. Thanks for writing.
"They gathered us up, the armless, legless, the blind, the insane and they shipped us all back to Australia.
The proud heroes of Suvla"
A similar theme runs through
“I was only 19” - Redgum.
The bit that gets me is when he looks where his legs used to be and is glad there is no-one waiting for him when he returns home to Australia so he doesn't have to face their reaction to his injury. Not sure how you go fronting up to mums or dads or siblings or girlfriends without arms, or legs, or eyes. I honestly don't know how you would cope with that
For Australia, the First World War remains the costliest conflict in terms of deaths and casualties (also one of the highest per capita losses). Only Federated in 1901, and from a population of fewer than FIVE MILLION people, 416,809 men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Commander of the Turkish Forces was quoted to say in 1932:
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
Our last ANZAC, a veteran of Gallipoli, Private Alec Campbell, passed away 16 May 2002, aged 106.
War is always horrible but worse for the families
There's no such speech.
@@sajbuckby what would you know
@@oisinduggan8944 Cengiz Ozakinci would probably know. Butun Dunya April 2015.
Yeah Scott Buckby ... what would you know? I have been to Gallipoli and have spent 4 years in Turkey where I have seen those words memorialised and attributed to Mustufa Kumal - all over the country. Try to tell me, again, how this is not so.
Your a lovely man, from Ireland 🇮🇪 May your great grandfather rest in eternal peace 🙏
Thanks Kevin
A powerful song and sung brilliantly by Shane MacGowan
RIP Shane ❤❤
One thing I always think about when I hear this song is the quote by the Turkish politician Ataturk on the ANZAC forces lost in Gallipoli after the war. “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore Rest In Peace. There is no difference between the johnnies and the mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom, and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well.”
I only wish more modern leaders had the humanity and decency to make statements like this.
Wiser words were never spoken. Thanks for sharing this
Fantastic. So sorry for the loss of your Great Grandfather. 👌💕
Of course I never met him. Thank you
@@CanadianReacts 💕
M grandmother had her father's diary that he kept everyday whilst fighting in France. A small little journal that over the years had faded very badly, she'd never read it and couldn't in latter years, One vacation when I returned from university my mum said gran had asked if I could type it out for her so she could finally read it, She was in her 80's by this time, some day's entries were only a few words describing the fact they had to move, where they were going, other day's entries described how he was feeling. I only remember 1 entry clearly,I cant remember the date but it just said "finally arrived at______,bodies everywhere". I was 20, at university, living in some carefree bubble that those years 18-21 allow. Mainly due to the effort and sacrifice of all our great grandfathers. God bless them all.
"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them".
Thanks for sharing
Good to see someone else getting emotional about the beauty, and tradgety of this version of a great song
It was a while back & I learned a lot. Thanks for writing
I play this every veterans day.
It just salutes the fellas and gals who didnt get a good homecoming over the years. Or at least I feel like it does.
Well done. Cheers
@@CanadianReacts Hey, if you havent covered it already, you open to a recomendation?
"The Bay of Suvla" by one of your local bands "The Dreadnoughts".
A good shanty akin to this.
+Corpse Light I love recommendations, thanks
I have heard the writer, Eric Bogles, version more than a dozen times live. The Pogues do a great version. Great personal reaction.
I did Eric Bogle 3 months ago too
A beautiful song A lovely feel to the song, Thank you
Excellent delivery from Shane
Thank U Best wishes from Australia ✌️🍷🖤💛❤️
Cheers
I'm 65yo man, blessed to never have had to go to war, and it breaks my heart that boys at 18 are sent to kill and be killed by criminals in suits and ties.
I could say so much more, but there's no need, anyone with a heart knows already.
God bless them.
I’m 57 and never went to war either. The whole reasoning behind it escapes me. Thanks for writing.
I think the only version I like better than this one here by the Pogues is Liam Clancy singing this live. Overall, a heartbreaking song, and one of my all time favorites.
thanks Charles, I've had some people say they prefer Eric Bogle over the pogues but there's a resounding preference for this version. I appreciate you writing to me.
Absolutely agree. Liam's version is sung with so much emotion and heatfelt pain, you can see the shells and bullets flying, as you close your eyes and listen.
Liam Clancy for me too.
Agreed two great versions but Liam's is something special.
Powerful, tragic, haunting rendition of this song to salute those brave soldiers. It's impossible to truly imagine what they went through, not least because many of the survivors chose not to relive the horror by talking about it. The visible scars were there for all to see, but the emotional and psychological scars were carried deep inside to the grave. RIP to these selfless heroes, we must never forget them 🙏
Shane’s ‘every man’ voice makes it that much more authentic I think
The first time I heard this song it was the June Tabor version which is superb. I found it haunting, the words are just so powerful. This is another great version of the song so thank you for introducing me to it. This song describes perfectly what those brave brave people had to endure. My Grandmothers brother died in Gallipoli at the age of 20 in 1915. Perhaps one day I may be able to visit the Helles Memorial and pay my respects to him and all the other people who lost their lives there.
Thanks Bob.
As with her Willie McBride.
My grandfather served in Gallipoli he was from London Essex Rifles East Anglian Regiment
He survived but it haunted him for the rest of his life he lived till 80 and after Gallipoli he served in Iraq and Pestine with General Allenby ..
He ran up the beach with a Cricket as their Rifles were in a landing ship..
In ww2 he was a Air Raid Warden so did his bit ww2 and my Nan ran the food wagons fir the air raid diggers and victims.
My grandfather never spoke to my Nan about Gallipoli. My nan worked Royal smallarms factory in ww1 so they both DID THEIR PART, in ww1 and vww2 they were so supportive and caring for us grandchildren and I am justly proud of them both..
I was in a Pub in London full of Aussies with a work colleague who was Aussie
And on ANZAC Day when this song came on and everyone stood up solemnly and sung this song with Gusto and Real Feeling...
It is burnt into Aussie and NZ Physce as it was the first sent as a country with huge losses for a country with a small population so everyone knew someone who had lost someone..
I would say your grandparents did more than their part. Thanks for writing
Good song. Thanks
Appreciate your encouragement. Thanks
Dublin's Danny Doyle also did a powerful version of this Eric Bogle song. As an aside to a fellow Canadian - The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American army to fight at Gallipoli. Last year the 6th "trail of the Caribou" Memorial Park was unveiled there and joined the British, Australian and Turkish memorials. I have been told in some of the April 25th memorial ceremonies in Australia one occasionally sees someone carrying a Newfoundland & Labrador flag.... The main NL memorial Park is at Beaumont / Hamel in France, 3 of the other 4 are also in France ant he last one is in Belgium. Australia's Memorial Day is April 25th. Newfoundland & Labrador's is on July 1st, That day in 1916 801 men left the trenches and fought across no-man's-land. The next morning only 68 were able to answer the roll call. It is ironic that our Memorial Day coincides with Canada Day. We mourn in the morning and early afternoon and then party till the wee hours. We are nothing if not pragmatic.
At the age of 17 my beloved grandfather left Australia to fight at Gallipoli and in France. He was wounded three times before being sent home, but was never really the same. This song always reduces me to tears.
The song Waltzing Matilda is the unofficial national anthem of Australia
I have heard many horrible stories about this event. Thanks for sharing
+sharyn scott thanks for writing sharyn. I’m hearing all kinds of stories like this.
A very powerful song. It's been a favorite of of mine for many years.
Thanks for writing Steven
great to see you react to this song, and I hope that many people read up on this chapter in history and remember
Thanks Ben
"Ask me what are they marching for, and I ask myself the same question" a question many have forgotten.
Very poignant line
This is a song about a song 😂 Waltzing Matilda is considered the unofficial Australian anthem and many Australians relate to it more than the official national anthem! Other classic Aussie songs about war include Khe Sanh (Cold Chisel- about the Vietnam War) and one that really will tear at your heartstring is “I was only 19” by Redgum. Very sad song! Thank you for doing this reaction! Very heartfelt and genuine x
Thanks Dr Kap, you note is the exact opposite of the one I received from Anthony Franken today, lol
It's worth reading a speech attributed to Mustafa Attaturk (the father of modern Turkey) and probably delivered by a representative at Gallipoli in 1934.
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
Incredible version of the song no wonder you got so emotional.. Remember Australia on April 25 our Remembrance Day 🌹🍁🇦🇺
Thanks for writing Jon. I’d never heard the song. I was told about an Eric Bogle version & did it 4 months ago but I do love this video
@@CanadianReacts thanks for your reply I just watched it again and I teared up again I remember the last WW1 veterans marching it's incredible how many really young men, teenagers faked their age to go to basically end up as cannon foder now this April we're seeing the last of the WW2 men and women 😢 it's so important that we never forget these amazing brave souls
Cheers mate 🇦🇺🇨🇦🇬🇧 🇺🇦
Oh fuck, I'm crying! Damn you Shane! Rest in Peace buddy
A usual, I'm in tears after hearing this. All these courageous young men doing what they were ordered to do. The whole campaign was a disaster and should never have been undertaken - its aim could never have been achieved. But Churchill ordered it and so these men were killed.
As if Churchill had not done enough harm at Gallipoli, he ordered the same at Dieppe in WW II. That campaign had Canadian troops landing then lining up in formation (!!!!) to march across German occupied France, carry out acts oƒ sabotage, and be picked up from an airfield which the men were to have captured. Bravely though the Canadians fought, they could never have done what their orders required.
Thanks for your engagement
Thanks for showing this poignant video (lest we forget) in memory to all those brave soldiers who perishes in both world wars. The first was supposed to be the war to end all wars.
A shame we can’t learn.
The greatest song about war and the troops that I've every heard. Moving, and bitter - and the Pogues version is the best version I've heard.
+Michael Webster I did Eric Bogle version today as well
@@CanadianReacts Just listening to it now. I haven't heard it as often as the pogues version - I think the bitterness in Shane McGowan's voice is what really gets me.
The best version is by June Tabor
This is such a great song, I don't think it matters who the vocalist is but I would like to thank Steve Selby for introducing me to June Tabor.
@@petermcculloch4933 You are welcome. She is definitely in my top 5 although no one will ever replace Sandy Denny as my number one.
Love it . Johhny turk was waiting
Understanding what the poem/song 'Waltzing Matilda' means to Aussies makes this song is even more poignant that the 'band is playing Waltzing Matilda' as they go off to and engage in war.
I’ve learned so much from the comments on this video. Thank you.
Yup. We know. Yet we still keep doing it.
Is it part of who we are, now, that we do it-even though we know? Yep, sounds fucked up enough to be us.
@Uhavenoright toask that’s the first time in hundreds of comments anyone wrote that
@Toask.
Um, no it isn't...
@@CanadianReacts.
That's because he's talking shit.
I haven't heard that in a long time, still brings me to tears like the first time I heard it
Powerful song. Thanks for writing Shane
I was only 19, by redgum, it's a must mate, ......it will touch your heart, a classic and loved song here, bring a tear to your eyes, ....🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺👍👍👍mate loved your reaction,🇦🇺👍🇨🇦
Elias, I tried that one by redgum before a while back I'll have to look again soon, need some lighter stuff again, thanks for writing
@@CanadianReacts cool, .....thanks mate, ...nothing in your uploads though of redgum,.....special ones, by George is a good Aussie one,.....alot lighter too bud, 👍
Along with Zombie by The Cranberries (another Irish band) this is the most powerful and important protest song. Thanks for the excellent review.
Awesome Reaction! The Cranberries Zombie ,Dolores Oriordan
th-cam.com/video/afmDU-NSXLg/w-d-xo.html
Good one. The notes above don't mention the composing artist. It was Eric Bogle, a Scottish musician who emigrated to AS. He wrote many sets of excellent lyrics. Two of them were two of the most powerful war protest lyrics ever written. This one and William McBride/The Green Fields of France.
I did Eric Bogle version 4 months ago but not green fields. Thanks for writing
It is very interesting that during the 70's there was intense anti-war reaction following Vietnam, as there should be. Songs like this and Red Gum's. "I was only 19," caused people to recognise that remembering war is not about glorifying violence but heralding the bravery of many that had no choice. Crowds began to return to the April marches. Today April 25th sees more people gathering to remember that horrible day, to hang their heads in silence at 4:28, and to cheer the parades throughout the day then ever before. It is a revered day in Australia and New Zealand.
Thanks Roland, I tried red gum a while back and it was blocked
I think it should be a day of righteous anger. Anger of the mothers who have lost sons; anger of the young men cruelly used by power-hungry politicians; anger of invaded countries for the trauma and turmoil visited on their peoples and property; anger for the waste of monumental resources. Every single person should stand, raise a fist, turn towards those that call for war, and let out a long scream. War no more.
Red gums song is an absolute diamond of a song...
@@kodi1969 I was planning to do that closer to Anzac Day
@@kodi1969 I really hope to do that in March before ANZAC day
I'm 36 and my father used to sing this song, it's devastating that the generation below me know nothing and care less about this
Its a great song. This entire generation knows little if anything about any wars
I have always liked this version of this song by the Pogues.
I agree
Thanks for reacting to this song. ANZAC Day means so much to Aussies, and I couldn't help but notice it affected you too. You would 'enjoy' the original Eric Bogle version, as the clip includes Canadians too in the more modern era. Aussies would certainly fight side by side with Canadians - we would prefer you than the Americans for sure, you are more like us. Cheers mate.
+Murray Ball thanks Murray, Eric Bogle has been mentioned a few times and I’ve got quite a few songs in the cue as I’m not doing many lately it may take a while
Thinking more just for you to watch just because of the Canadian involvement in the clip - and it's a great song, emotional, but great. Cheers.
@@muzzaball thanks Murray
Cherri did Eric Bogle finally
As a Scotsman, who's grandafther served in the ASC (he was a farm labourer who worked with horses - Transport) I feel i can convey some feelings to a certain extent.
My father was youngest of 5 in WW2 .....all his older siblings served in WW2
Apparently one of his older brothers, navy, had come home drunk and became aggressive .....Grandad (1st War) said "you might think you're a hard man ....BUT YOU NEVER SEEN A MAD TURK" Says it all really. Grandad went on to be bombed in WW2 while working as a carter at the docks i Aberdeen and according to local stories at his funeral, he had dismounted from his horse and cart and threatened the ARP with relocation of warning whistle .... as it was spooking his horses :-)
I will addto this that he was challenged at the age of 82, to a bare back pony race around the Munies Club in Lasaka Zambia He won !.... He was 96 when he died and I was 16. Good on you pal !
I had the pleasure of reviewing Eric Bogles version today
What a great memory to hold on to of your Grandad, he sounds incredible
This song was written by a wonderful Scotsman who emmigrated to Australia. His name is Eric Bogle and I strongly suggest you view a video of his rendition. It commorates not only Australia’s involvement but also our Kiwi cousins across the Ditch. It’s a sad song about the ANZACs trials and tribulations on Gallipoli. Those men were for their time. Greetings from Australia.
+Peter from GW I’ve had many people saw good things about Bogles version. I think I’ll do that.
Hey Peter, I did Bogles version today!
I like how he sings Waltzing Matilda at the end as well. Eric Bogle really hit the nail on the head with this tune.
damn you for playing that ! you had me in tears, my grandfater fought in gallipoli he was in the lighthorse, and he fought "Johnny Turk" all the way to Damascus and partook in the last cavalry (mounted infantry) charge at Beer Sheba, he came back and lived to a ripe old age, unlike so many of his mates, i also had an uncle who fought the japanese on the Kokoda Track handing the Japanese their arses for the first time
Lest We Forget!
It was a tough listen too
Dave please don't damn the man for playing this song, he's playing a great song mate, please don't damn the man
Yo .... I decided to subscribe as I like the range of material you choose to react to. Both Kirsty and Shane have passed but their duet on Shane's composition will live forever. Shane is an Irish songwriting icon. I Would love to hear your reaction to another Irish icon: Imelda May. She is an amazing songwriter, singer, arranger, and producer. Her original material ranges from Rock-a- Billy (Johnny got a boom boom) to torch ballads (black tears) and fantastic covers like Kermit's "it ain't easy being green", U2s "still haven't found what I am looking for", or Les Paul and Mary Ford's "how high the moon" with the late, great Jeff Beck. Fair winds and Happy New Year.
Thanks for writing. I’m on a holiday break right now
As a Kiwi (New Zealander) some of us grew up with great bitterness over this fight. The call to arms , as it were here in NZ was 'where England goes we go.' England ordered several ships of mostly New Zealanders and Australians (ANZACs) to land in this small cove and take a ridge. Of course the Turkish soldier's were at the top so it was a literal and planned slaughter (in our opinion). One brave Australian army captain refused to let his men disembark as it was his job to look after them and there was little hope they would survive the landing let alone the battle. This was brave because he was threatened with court-martial by the British. He declined to accept that offer. Out of interest Matilda was the swag and the walking pole, men would carry as they wandered about getting work and/or charity all over Australia. I expect there were a lot more after the war.
ANZAC day is late April correct?
Just fyi, this song was written by Eric Bogle, a scotsman who emigrated to Australia. This is a cover of that original song.
Yes, I did the Eric Bogle version about 4 months ago
My great grandfather, an Aussie digger lost his leg in Europe in WWI and spent the rest of his life in and out of the padded cells at the Repat (Veteran's) hospital, my grandfather served in New Guinea and I believe the Western Desert. I briefkly served in teh peace time army.
This song nearly always makes me tear up if I am alone. I try not to listen to it when I am with people.
This rendition by the Pogues is by far my favourite and I definately the most emotive I have heard.
If you have not heard it there is another song about the Australian experience in conflict called "A walk in the light green" or "I was only 19", by and Australia band called Redgum, which you might also find moving - in Australia it is probably the song most people think of first if you asked them to think about a song about the Australian experience in conflict.
It is also quite sad, but maybe less emotive.
It's very personel for the generations of post WWII diggers as it talks about the military experience in Austrlia - the cadets, the locations, the modern units.
I think the And Band Played Waltzing Matilda is probalby more universal, but A Walk in the Light Green is just as disturbing and provides a very similar commentary on the treatment of service people, post conflict, especially the modern conflicts where the battlefield and the enemy are not clearly defined.
These stories are heartbreaking but informative. Thanks for sharing your personal story.
Great anti-war song by Eric Bogle who emigrated to Australia from Scotland as a young man. It is annoying though to hear the lyrics changed from the original. They’re great words so sing them as they are!
thanks for writing andrew. I've heard people say they love it or prefer Bogle's original but no one goes away unaffected for sure.
I did Bogles version recently
Great Grandfather was wounded in WW2 fighting at the Bulge near Wiltz. MG42 round to the shoulder. Great great grandfather fought with the French Cavalry in WW1 where he survived the war. Its tragic who lives and dies. War is chaos and without meaning. But the men who fought are heroes for their bravery. Those battered flawed men will always be remembered
+Liam O'Brien amen Liam, thanks
My father fought in the Bastogne and lived because here I am. He sang Waltzing Mathilda and I knew they marched to it. We are American. Imwish I knew where he had been during that campaign.
Thank you. Been waiting so long for someone to do this version.
I appreciate that Mike
Go visit Gallipoli. Visited there in 2015 with grandson's high school. Looked at ages on gravestones and looked at the boys and girls from the school. Too many the same age.
Visit the Turkish memorial and museum too. Their dead should be honoured equally. Lovely people, the Turks and a lovely country
. Maternal grandfather served in France. Never said much about his experiences.
Dad served with RN as a DEMS gunner. Told me a little about his service in the Med.
Thanks for sharing Janis. I hope to go to Somewhere associated with the great heroes
Always found this a very moving song. My mum lost her uncle Dick at the "Lancashire Landing" on April 25th. He was with of the 1st Bn Lancashire Fusiliers, 600 men killed out the 1000 strong battalion - of the first 200 to land, only 21 survived it. 6 VC's awarded that horrific day. 21,255 British and Irish dead to add to 8,790 Australians; 2,779 New Zealanders; 1,358 Indians and 49 Newfoundland dead. 86,692 Ottoman Turks also lost their lives. Horrible piece of history from a particularly tragic part of that war.
Thanks Ian I’ve heard many sad stories since posting this.
Prekrásne ,ale veľmi smutné 🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
please don't cry...........🌹
Such a beautiful reaction, thank you for your personal story, 20 is just a child, so sorry about your Grandfather 😢
And thank you for reacting to a song about the ANZACs, I love Canada, it seems so much like Australia…except the climate! 🇦🇺❤🇨🇦
Thank you for your encouragement
Not sure if you know this but Bob Kerry, who was a Navy Seal in Vietnam, was elected to the US Senate in 1988 & for his victory speech he chose to sing this song (Unaccompanied) as a tribute to his fallen Comrades. It's on TH-cam and is worth checking out in your own time mate. Just search - The Last Word: Bob Kerry Sings "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (1988) very moving... Thanks for this reaction & just so you know, The ANZAC Day parade is bigger than ever here in Australia, we haven't forgotten them. The Descendants of both World wars now wear the Medals for the past generations & we now have new Generations of Veterans from the Modern era Conflicts as well as the Vietnam Veterans who were denied the respect they deserved when they returned home. It's a very moving day, full of respect, thanks & most of all remembrance (And a good amount of drinking with all the different generations coming together in mutual admiration) I'm A Modern Aussie Infantry Vet and look forward to ANZAC Day every year. G'day from Australia Mate!
Thanks David. I gotten a lot of good information from viewers & I appreciate your response. Cheers
Wars started by old men and fought by young ones nothing changes it's still going on
Shane does a grand job there's no question about that but maybe listen to John McDermott who delivers another poignant performance
Thanks Pauline
i like the john williamson one & that guy that song it at the bar !!!
Thanks Terry. I did Eric Bogle too
I'm an Australian with an Italian (very much identifies as Australian) father who saw war battered/damaged soldiers during ww2. As a 5 year old he knew what the reality of war is. He mentioned that one of the things that stood out to him that made him feel that Australia was a good place is that our major military celebration is of a DEFEAT, and emphasised that the sacrifice that the soldiers made is the important thing to honour and NOT the outcome. As far as I know it's the only example of this in the world.
Well said.
I knew a delightful guy who did not return from Vietnam, his body did, but it was some other person that was walking around in it ever after, he was gone, never to return.
I can’t even imagine the horrors soldiers see.
That's a tough one. Tanks!
I appreciate the encouragement
There isn't a town in Australia without a memorial to those who died in WWI.
Good to know. Thanks
Alas, the monuments cover the world
Great song, I looked up the historical information because of the song.
Thanks, it was an eye opener for me too
Respect mate, great song
Yes and a tough one to listen to.
More people are attending the ANZAC ceremonies than ever. The dawn services throughout the country on the 25th April are well attended by young and old.
That’s amazing!!
He didn't do it better than Eric Bogle, he did it differently.
RIP Shane 😢
We love both versions.
It's a song that still makes me tear-up everytime I hear it.
I haven't been to Gallipoli, I just can't 😢 but i have toured the Western Front with a French guy who specialises in ANZAC history. I have family who remain forever in the green fields of France & Belgium, some with no known grave. They are commemorated among so many other names on walls of remembrance at the pristine, so well cared for & respected Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries.
Gallipoli was a blood bath & our young men were sacrificed & sent to the wrong place. Churchill, as Minister for War, was responsible for that monumental stuff-up.. Our boys were disposable to him.
But on The Western Front, ANZACs made a difference, a huge difference.
People have mentioned it is an anti-war song. Its not so much anti-war, it's about the futility of war.
I recommend Australians go at least to the Western Front...the Somme including
Villers-Bretonneux, Flandres, Fromelles, Pheasant Wood to appreciate what our predecessors sacrificed for Europe & the UK. ( it wasn't even our war).
Lest we forget.
🇦🇺 🇦🇺 🇦🇺
Thank you for sharing this.
This is a wonderful version of waltzing Matilda - where did you get the photos? Very moving.
❤R.I.P. Shane
The video is actually on TH-cam
Well said Mate.👍
Thanks for writing Zebedee
I'm Shane's biggest fan, but i've never heard a better version that that of Ronnie Drew and The Dubliners.
I did do Pogues & Dubliners Irish Rover a while back
Such a great song. June Tabor's version always chokes me up.
I did Eric Bogle too
R.I.P Shane Macgowan ❤
Well, that was good. This song is obscure but pops up in the strangest places. For example, Bob Kerry (who won the Medal of Honour in the Vietnam war) in 1988, when he was elected to the US senate, sang this entire song a Capella at the press conference celebrating his election. Fuck knows why. Its on you tube.
My grandfather was one of the ambulance guys collecting the wounded at Gallipoli. He then went through Egypt and France doing the same thing. Didnt get scratched. But he never spoke of it and refused to attend the Anzac Marches and the RSL (Returned Service League club)
Eye opening song for me.
Thanks for sharing, yeap I ball my eyes out each and every time I hear this , no matter the artist , maybe a family full of service history past and present, maybe the public school education, maybe just know how lucky we are,
He was not the only one not to attend, there were quite a few who had the same attitude. The dawn services were initiated by the vets for vets only and some were insulted when they went public along with the marches also.
Some years ago, by coincidence I happened to listen to this song when I read a news article about the last of the veterans from WW1 had died. That hit like punch in the gut.
Wow, that’s a tough one Anders
It is truly stunning that of the 420000 men that went to that filthy war Australia lost one in seven. Is it any wonder that ANZAC Day remains one of the most reverently observed Memorial days in Australia and New Zealand, In fact each year that passes sees ANZAC Day as more and more important to the Australian psyche.
Australia and New Zealand will forever be sibling countries because of this shared history.
Thanks Edward, I’ve received many similar messages
Within some of the local communities, it was worse than one in 7... The area that I grew up in sent 14 young men overseas in this war. 7 made it back!
More than 14, would have joined up, but a lot in the area were of Danish heritage ( the powers that be at the time couldn't distinguish between Denmark and Germany) and so were not acceptable in the army.
Of the 14 that left, 3 were my great uncles and one of them survived Beersheba & Gallipoli only to play 'catch' with an artillery shell in Flanders on the 23rd of October 1914, one month before the armistice was signed! He's buried in a war grave cemetery in the north of France.
And we keep doing it! We allow old men to send our young men to war. For profit.
Australian losses were not "stunning" but simply a result of what the British warlords thought of our use to them. Ataturk in WW1, and indeed Rommel in WW2 had a completely different assessment of the "colonials". Though neither could comprehend our willingness to die for a regime that thought to waste our lives as they did!
Have a look at Redgum - I was only 19 for a similar song but on Vietnam.
I tried once it got blocked. I’ll try again soon.
Australia's total population at the time was about 4 million, and the 416,809 who enlisted for service represent 38.7 per cent of the total male population aged between 18 and 44. Of these, an estimated 58,961 died, 166,811 were wounded, 4098 went missing or were made prisoners of war, and 87,865 suffered sickness.
Horrific
Good review, 👍. The Great War was 1914 to 1918.
Thanks Satsuma
I have never heard a version of this song I don't like.
Respect.
Thanks Freddy, i appreciate you writing.
you obviously never heard my old bands version then.
@@twiggystelly5599 I'm sorry this was the first version I'd heard I knew nothing about it actually. Which band did you play in?
@@CanadianReacts Poor Mans Pig was the name of my band. small time drinking folk group back in the 90s. the response was for the guy that said he never heard a poor version, lol. this is the best version that hits home, all others( other than Eric Bogle, the author of the song) is a bit too sweet and you dont get the anguish in the voice such as with the pogues version. hint, listen to the cd or vinyl versions to get the full impact of the sound, the mp3s lose a lot in conversion. this applies to absolutely every song released.
Approximately 4,000 Irish soldiers died from a total of 15,000 who served during the campaign.
May they rest in peace.
Thanks for writing Busta
I still love the original version.😢
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Eric Bogle, Canadian Reaction
th-cam.com/video/LtZxMQBXn-E/w-d-xo.html this one?
Another brilliant song is The Green fields of France..The Fureys or the version of christy Dignam & finbarr furey.
Green Fields of France,Finbar Furey &Chrissy Dignam,Reaction by a Canadian
th-cam.com/video/8ZEsTb-YtDE/w-d-xo.html