The VC Music Annual
- View
Music Annual
- PDF Document – 11 pages – 1.9 MB
- To view the document gallery, you will need Adobe Reader
On the front cover of this piece of Australian sheet music from the World War I period are the portraits of nine men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for outstanding bravery in the British Empire and Dominion forces. Five are men of the Australian Imperial Force who gained their medals during the Gallipoli campaign – Lieutenant Hugo Throssel, Captain Alfred Shout, Lance-Corporal Albert Jacka, Lieutenant William Symons and Private John Hamilton. This music is of a patriotic nature with titles such as ‘Boys of the Ninth Battalion’, ‘What Do You Think of Australia Now – Heroes of the Dardanelles’, and ‘Jacka VC – Patriotic March Song’. The 9th Battalion, Queensland, was among the battalions of the 3rd Brigade which landed first at Gallipoli at 4.30 am on 25 April 1915. The words of ‘What Do You Think …’ reflects the uncertainty that many in Australia and New Zealand felt about how their untried troops would behave in battle before they went into action at Gallipoli:
They have shown what they can do,
In freedom’s name they fought and died,
Brave deeds that led the way –
Heroes of the Dardanelles
We’re proud of you today!
Another feature of the Annual is a series of short piano pieces - ‘The Battle for Gallipoli’ - which attempt to capture in music the sense of the dawn landing at Gallipoli and its supposedly victorious aftermath. These pieces have the following titles:
- Break of day;
- The last prayer;
- Leaving the ships;
- Turks open fire – machine guns in action;
- England expects that every man will do his duty;
- Bugle call;
- Gallant bayonet charge;
- Taking the enemy’s trenches;
- The Turks retreat;
- Advance Australia;
- General rejoicing;
- When Johnny comes marching home;
- God Save the King.
‘England expects that every man will do his duty’ was the signal sent by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson to his warships from his flagship HMS Victory just before the Battle of Trafalgar against the French fleet on 21 October 1805. The English were victorious but Nelson died of wounds. This was the most significant naval action during the war against France as it assured that Britain ruled the seas between England and France and that the French Emperor, Napoleon, was unable to invade. Nelson’s message that day went into history and was well known to those Australians brought up in the years before World War I on stories of the military achievements of the British Empire. ‘When Johhny comes marching home’ is a song from the American Civil war of 1860-1865 and has become perhaps one of the best known marching songs ever. Australians of the World War I period would have been very familiar with the music.
More information on ‘England expects’
More information on ‘When Johnny comes marching home’