- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Frontline Books (16 Feb 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1844157105
- ISBN-13: 978-1844157105
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 393,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
During the First World War the British soldiers were renowned for their chirpy songs and plucky sayings. Indeed nothing would lift the spirits of the often exhausted and demoralized troops more than a hearty singalong. These cheery and at times ribald and satiric songs and sayings have been collected together to give a fascinating insight into the more light-hearted side of trench life. The songs include marching tunes, songs for billets and rude chants for when no commanding officer was present. Each song is accompanied by a short passage that traces the origins of the melody and accounts for lyrical alternatives. There is also a large glossary of soldiers' slang words and phrases, revealing the Tommies' vocabulary in all its bawdiness. "The Daily Telegraph - Dictionary of Tommies' Song and Slang" reveals the courage, gaiety and astringent cynicism with which men armed themselves against the horrors of trench warfare.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a jewel
I remember when I was at primary school in the mid fifties that I heard and knew Mademoiselle from Armentiers. It is interesting because it is a first world war song not even from the second world war which had only finished ten years before. I knew it was rude but did not know why.It was the Inky Pinky Parley Vous bit that fascinated me
This book according to the foreword was first published in 1930 and again in 1965.
It is broken down into soldiers' songs,soldiers' slang and music from the music hall,chants and sayings
I first went to the battlefields in1990 but I had wanted to go for a long time before that. Visited Ypres, Poperinge the Somme etc. I then understood the first world war as it was a very static war.
The literature and songs of the first world war is very varied and the book describes it as a literary war with all the poets and writers. I have followed the life of Edmund Blunden buried in Long Melford churchyard in Suffolk and a good friend of Siegfried Sassoon.
The more I study it the more I understand about the language my mother and father used as they were using snatches of music hall songs and sayings that went back to the first world war. My mother for instance would use expressions like He would be better of in a home which comes from the words of a song.
My father was in the RAF so lot of military expressions were used in our house and a lot are still in the English language.
If you are interested in language, British history or the first world war this book is must.
If there is a criticism and I keep repeating this one. There is no index. Every serious non fiction book should have an index so you can look things up quickly. They are very easy to produce these days with a dictating machine and software that puts lists in alphabetical order. It is used to be a specialised art but not any more.
I am a great fan of Of what a lovely war which contains a great slew of first world war songs.
I will finish with the opening words and also the title of this review. This book is a jewel
I remember when I was at primary school in the mid fifties that I heard and knew Mademoiselle from Armentiers. It is interesting because it is a first world war song not even from the second world war which had only finished ten years before. I knew it was rude but did not know why.It was the Inky Pinky Parley Vous bit that fascinated me
This book according to the foreword was first published in 1930 and again in 1965.
It is broken down into soldiers' songs,soldiers' slang and music from the music hall,chants and sayings
I first went to the battlefields in1990 but I had wanted to go for a long time before that. Visited Ypres, Poperinge the Somme etc. I then understood the first world war as it was a very static war.
The literature and songs of the first world war is very varied and the book describes it as a literary war with all the poets and writers. I have followed the life of Edmund Blunden buried in Long Melford churchyard in Suffolk and a good friend of Siegfried Sassoon.
The more I study it the more I understand about the language my mother and father used as they were using snatches of music hall songs and sayings that went back to the first world war. My mother for instance would use expressions like He would be better of in a home which comes from the words of a song.
My father was in the RAF so lot of military expressions were used in our house and a lot are still in the English language.
If you are interested in language, British history or the first world war this book is must.
If there is a criticism and I keep repeating this one. There is no index. Every serious non fiction book should have an index so you can look things up quickly. They are very easy to produce these days with a dictating machine and software that puts lists in alphabetical order. It is used to be a specialised art but not any more.
I am a great fan of Of what a lovely war which contains a great slew of first world war songs.
I will finish with the opening words and also the title of this review. This book is a jewel
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Since my husband plays a lot of world war songs when he plays in the remembrance day parade I am hoping that he will find this very interesting.
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