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The Banks of Sicily

Date 1960
Track ID 82867
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1960.256.B2

Original Tape ID

SA1960.256

Summary

This soldier song describes the desparture of the Scots soldiers from Sicily during the Second World War. They are weary from their long campaign, but will miss the affection of the local women.

Item Notes

Hamish Henderson's own composition, set to the first, third and fourth parts of the pipe tune 'Farewell to the Creeks' by Pipe Major James Robertson of Banff (see tape SA1952.23). Henderson composed the song after hearing it played in Linguaglossa by the massed bands of 153 Brigade shortly before the Highland Division left Sicily in 1943.

See:
'What A Loverly War' (R. Palmer, 1990) pp. 174-175
'Alias MacAlias' (H. Henderson ed. A. Finlay, 1992, 2004) pp. 333-334
'Collected Poems and Songs' (H. Henderson, ed. R. J. Ross, 2000)
'The Edinburgh Book of Twentieth-Century Poetry' (ed. M. Lindsay & L. Duncan, 2006) pp. 137-138

Language

Scots

Genre

Song

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R10501

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good