Anthony Pigott Posted 24 March , 2004 Share Posted 24 March , 2004 I've seen references to a song sung by the retreating BEF after Le Cateau, to the tune of 'The Girl I Left Behind Me' which starts: Oh we don't give a f*** for old Von Kluck, Or his f***ing german army, Does anyone know the rest of the words? Regards Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 24 March , 2004 Share Posted 24 March , 2004 Would Kluck have been pronounced with a soft "U" thereby making it easier for Northeners to complete that irresitible rhyme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 24 March , 2004 Share Posted 24 March , 2004 Would Kluck have been pronounced with a soft "U" thereby making it easier for Northeners to complete that irresitible rhyme. No. It's pronounced "A" so that southerners can! Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 25 March , 2004 Share Posted 25 March , 2004 Excellent Dave, I can hear those Cockneys singing it now ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Pigott Posted 12 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2004 ... and those Suffolk boys would have pronounced it yet another way. But does anyone know the rest of the words, or know of where they might be found? Presumably they didn't just repeat the first two lines, satisfying though that may have been! Thanks Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted 12 April , 2004 Share Posted 12 April , 2004 ... and those Suffolk boys would have pronounced it yet another way. Sadly, there were not that many of them left to sing it. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Pigott Posted 12 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2004 ... and those Suffolk boys would have pronounced it yet another way. Sadly, there were not that many of them left to sing it. Andy Sad indeed. According to the regimental history, they had 720 casualties in the battalion that day. When they arrived at St. Quentin the next morning there were 111 of them under the command of a lieutentant(!). Their numbers rose to 229 by the end of the next day as stragglers found their way through. As they say in Suffolk - might have been worse! I don't suppose it stopped them singing and they had more justification to the words than most. Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Pigott Posted 20 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 20 July , 2007 I've seen references to a song sung by the retreating BEF after Le Cateau, to the tune of 'The Girl I Left Behind Me' which starts: Oh we don't give a f*** for old Von Kluck, Or his f***ing german army, Does anyone know the rest of the words? Regards Anthony I was reminded of this recently when I acquired a songbook of army tunes from 14/15 which included 'The Girl I Left Behind Me'. I never did come across the rest of the words. Regards Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 24 July , 2007 Share Posted 24 July , 2007 In the version I remember hearing it was added to 'Frank Karno's Army,' but I suspect that it could have been added to any song they liked! We are Fred Karno's army, we are the ragtime infantry. We cannot fight, we cannot shoot, what bleeding use are we? And when we get to Berlin we'll hear the Kaiser say, 'Hoch, hoch! Mein Gott, what a bloody rotten lot, are the ragtime infantry' http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/projects/jtap...ench/songs.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alliekiwi Posted 24 July , 2007 Share Posted 24 July , 2007 I lurk on a music forum, and saw this on a thread Oh I don't give a f*** for Donald Duck Or the killick of the working party; You can suck my knob for a couple of bob And me name is Mike M'Harty Apparently sung to 'The Girl I Left Behind Me'. Obviously not Great War, but it seems the lyrics (in part) survived. Allie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Pigott Posted 26 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 26 July , 2007 I lurk on a music forum, and saw this on a thread Oh I don't give a f*** for Donald Duck Or the killick of the working party; You can suck my knob for a couple of bob And me name is Mike M'Harty Apparently sung to 'The Girl I Left Behind Me'. Obviously not Great War, but it seems the lyrics (in part) survived. Allie Many thanks for that. It certainly sounds like a descendant of the GW version. By the way, I've worked out what (who) a killick is but who's Mike M'Harty? Regards Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas tiger Posted 18 February , 2023 Share Posted 18 February , 2023 I’m a little bit late to this thread but my grandfather was in the British army, volunteered in 1914 and he used to sing this song with slightly altered words, of course. I only realized that my grandfather’s generation used the word **** later on when I couldn’t remember the word that he used and nothing else really fits. Kaiser Bill is feeling ill, the Crown Prince has gone barmy, We don't give a **** for old von Kluck and all his bleedin' army Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sueburden Posted 18 February , 2023 Share Posted 18 February , 2023 😊 Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geraint Posted 26 February , 2023 Share Posted 26 February , 2023 Isn't it fantastic! A thread lies dormant for 16 years, then comes back to life without any sense of a break. Thomas Tiger certainly seems to have done it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sueburden Posted 26 February , 2023 Share Posted 26 February , 2023 It made me laugh anyway. Perhaps Mike McHarty just happened to rhyme with party. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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