In Honour…

 

This week, on Monday Music Moves Me, it is all about remembering the fallen heroes in the wars of WW1, WW2 and beyond. To me, the heroes are all the men, women, civilians and animals that served and endured the wars that shaped our countries and our future. It would be a much grimmer world if the Allies did not win over the Nazi Regime. My dad fought in WW2, was part of the Liberation of Holland before being wounded in one of the last skirmishes in April 1945 in the Reischwald Forest. My Uncle Joachim was only 1 yr old when he died in his mother’s arms (my Oma) and my Uncle Kurt was wounded in the Russian Front recuperating in the hospital, near Wittenberg when the Russians came in, June 30, 1945, and shot and killed all the German soldiers, 178, including my Uncle. They were thrown into a pit and buried stating that they all died of their wounds. My mom was only 12 when she saw her brother, dead, in her mom’s arms and was devastated when her big brother, Kurt, was killed. They were very close and the last time she saw her brother, he bought her a 3 strand pearl necklace. She survived both the bombings of Hamburg and Dresden and was part of the German Resistance movement who set the dynamite under the bridges because she was small enough to get under the steel girders. She was the enemy, so, too, my Uncles, obviously, more my Uncle Kurt who fought at the front, but, in the end, he was just a scared 19 yr old kid facing down the barrel of a rifle. In honour of my family, I am showcasing 3 songs…there are so many…

1. THE GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE SUNG BY JOHN MCDERMOTT-2023

This sad song was written in 1977 by Eric Bogle about a fallen soldier in WW1. It’s such a beautiful song and sung by the great John McDermott, a proud Canadian singer who dedicates a lot of his time and money to the veterans of the wars. I am so proud to say the My ex and I took my mom and his parents to see John McDermott  around this time, back in the 1990s. My mom was crying and dad, my in law, was visibly moved since he, too, was in  WW2, as a medic who saw many horrors including a concentration camp where he was shocked to see a huge pile of shoes that went way, way above his head. It was something he would never forget. At the end of the concert, we met McDermott who was glad to take a picture with my mom and my in laws.

2. WE’ll MEET AGAIN SUNG BY VERA LYNN-1939

Vera Lynn is a British Institution who sang this song, written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, in 1939 and became an instant hit. Many servicemen thought of leaving their home not knowing if they will meet again so this was a song close to everyone’s hearts. In 2009, Vera Lynn, had a record of her hits which became a best seller at the age of 92!

3. AULD LANG SYNE DONE BY GUY LOMBARDO AND HIS ROYAL CANADIANS-1939

My dad loved Guy Lombardo and daddy would turn on the TV on New Year’s Eve, to watch Guy and his Royal Canadians, much to my chagrin. I was a bratty kid who thought this guy and his music was old and did not appreciate the music and how much Lombardo meant to the Canadians during WW2. This song became his signature tune which he played at the end of each concert. 

Bonus…

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLICAN SUNG BY JOHN MCDERMOTT-1999

Both my parents loved this song but, especially, my mom who took the lyrics to heart since she lived under Hitler and then, the Russians. She escaped, more than once, many skirmishes and, in 1950, got my grandfather out and into the West before the Russians had a chance to take my Opa, again, to the Gulags. We, are very, very lucky to be born in a free country with the wealth that we take for granted ( look at what we ll have in the grocery stores) and we have the freedom to speak our mind. We are blessed.

Which song come to your mind?