The Daily Telegraph Dictionary of Tommies' Songs and Slang, 1914 - 1918

by John Brophy, Eric Partridge, Malcolm Brown (Introduction)

During the First World War, British soldiers were renowned for their chirpy songs and plucky sayings. Indeed, nothing would lift the spirits of the often exhausted and weary troops more than a hearty sing-a-long. These cheery, and at times ribald and satiric, songs and sayings have been collected together to give a fascinating insight into the life of the average ‘Tommy’ in the Great War.

The songs that feature in this collection 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 provides an insight into the courage, gaiety and astringent cynicism with which men armed themselves against the horrors of trench warfare.

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2019

About the author

John Brophy has worked for more than 20 years as a senior sub-editor with the Irish Press, where he was also music and opera critic. He has been involved in Journalism education for more than 20 years. For the past 10 years he has been involved in the magazine sector. He is currently secretary of the Dublin Freelance Branch of the National Union of Journalists, and a member of it's National Executive.

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anonymous songs sung by British soldiers during the Great War were compiled and edited by John Brophy (1899-1965) and Eric Partridge (1894-1979), two private soldiers who actively served in the war. This tome provides "...a record-by-record glimpse of the British soldiers' spirit and life in the years 1914-1918."" ...in the following pages...the voice of the underclass, of those thought of as occupying the lowest rungs of a nation in conflict, and therefore, almost by definition, without a name. These are the true forgotten voices of the First World War...the unsung, the uncelebrated...who made their own contribution to the literature of that conflict...

Soldier Songs

1- Songs Sung While Marching

"I took my girl
For a ramble, a ramble
Adown a shady lane.
She caught her foot
In a bramble, a bramble,
And arse over ballocks she came."

2-Songs Most Often Sung in Billets

"Glorious! Glorious!
One Bottle of beer among the four of us.
Thank Heaven there are no more of us,
Or one of us would have to go dry."

Soldiers' Slang

1-Anti-Frostbite (Whale Oil)- before going on patrol, each man was rubbed down with whale oil by a N.C.O.

2-Beef Hearts-Beans. With a rhyming pun on farts

3-Blanket Drill- the afternoon siesta

4-Body Snatchers-stretcher bearers

"Singing, with intervals of silence or of whistling or humming provided a distraction from the long, slow count of the heavy laden miles..." "The Daily Telegraph Dictionary of Tommies' Songs and Slang, 1914-1918" is comprised of songs that "were universally sung in British Expeditionary Forces at one time or another during 1914-1918." Editors Brophy and Partridge have presented an impressive collection of these songs. Included are songs of longing such as "Keep The Home Fires Burning", sarcastic ditties "On,Oh,Oh It's a Lovely War! and an end of conflict song "The Bells are Ringing For Me and My Girl". In this reader's opinion, World War I literature has been greatly enhanced by the feelings emoted by the common soldier, be they words of determination, jest, sarcasm, weariness or exasperation. An excellent literary read.

Thank you Pen & Sword, Frontline Books and Net Galley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book researched and first published nearly 50 years ago, by those who actually fought in the first world war, which ended, now, over 100 years ago.

The introductions have been revised, but nothing else in side has been. And how could it not be that way.

There is a section on the songs the soldiers sang, as well as a section on the slang. What is odd, is that some of the slang, and some of the songs, are gone from every day use. Others are still in use such as Booby trap, the song, often sung at summer camp or on long bus rides "We're here because we're here."

Others, such as Cockney rhyming slang, used, as is explained in the book, because it allowed you to discuss things that were not supposed to be discussed in polite society, or in front of officers. So saying "bottle and glass" was another way to say "ass".

It is more a reference, and a wealth of songs, sayings, and thoughts and feelings it contains. It may not have a lot of pictures, but it has a lot of information.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the fact this was a book on the war for the common man, most Great War books focus on the poetry, the wonderful illustrations from the artists and that is absolutely beautiful but it’s important that it’s remembered from every walk of life, every experience and this book helps do that. I wasn’t keen on the censorship, I think books like this should be uncensored but it’s a great look at the working class experience via the language and songs.

[Phil Curme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the 1930s the cultural legacy of British involvement in the First World War has been dominated by a cadre of individuals who are often acknowledged as the greatest of all war poets. The exquisitely crafted words of men like Sassoon, Owen, Thomas and Brooke have come to epitomise the regular soldiers’ experience of war and have served as laments to a ‘lost generation’. Clearly the work of such incredibly gifted poets articulate feelings and experiences which continue to resonate through the generations. However, for most of those who served, real connection and meaning came via the memory of popular songs and through a vocabulary that was unique to life in the armed forces.

This remarkable book – or at least an earlier, shorter version – was first published in the 1930s with the avowed purpose of recording, for posterity, the soldiers’ songs of the Great War. The editors, Eric Partridge and John Brophy had both served in the conflict and therefore had an acute awareness of the importance of the contents. Interestingly the publication of the first edition generated a great deal of correspondence from veterans and in subsequent editions new pages were added to accommodate the wealth of material which had flowed in. This latest edition, which has expanded to three sections – ‘Soldiers’ Songs’, ‘Soldiers’ Slang’ and ‘Other Kinds of Words & Music’- is complemented by John Brophy’s recollections ‘After Fifty Years’ and a foreword by Malcom Brown. The result is a complete and definitive collection.

This compendium of songs, slang-words and music hall references articulates the humour, stoicism, bravery and sheer bloody- mindedness of those who served in the Great War in a way that allows later generations to understand and appreciate the magnitude of what they endured and achieved. The veterans have now passed on but, happily, the songs that they sang and the language that they used have been recorded for posterity. Hence this thoroughly entertaining book goes beyond being a source of pleasure to stand as a very comprehensive archive of First World War popular culture.

[Jennifer Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Daily Telegraph - Dictionary of Tommies' Songs and Slang, 1914–1918 by John Trophy and Eric Partridge is a fascinating piece of material. Okay, it wasn’t exactly in the format I was expecting but it was none the worse for that.

The book, I learn, was first published in 1930. It comes in three sections — an updated introduction, the introduction to the original, and the song themselves (subdivided into categories such as Chants and Songs Rarely, if ever, Sung on the March and including a glossary of soldiers’ slang).

It’s a browsable book, or it ought to be. The fact that much of it comprises a reproduction of the original makes it hard to navigate around but that isn’t really a problem. It just means you have to scroll through rather than jump about via links or the Go To function. It didn’t matter. It was a book I got lost in, and in the best possible way.

Both the original and the modern introduction are enlightening, but the real value comes from the words the soldiers themselves use — a combination of knowingness and naivety and a view of life from both male and female perspectives and most definitely one from the trenches rather than the ocean wave. (“Never trust a sailor/an inch above your knee” runs one song.)

I was left both informed and moved by this book, and it’s one I shall definitely keep going back to.

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a writer this is an invaluable resource