The
Great Canadian Tunebook by Barry Taylor
The
Great Canadian Tunebook by Barry Taylor
Richardson's Pipes
In a trench at the front in the war to end wars
Young men readied for battle like thousands before
A last note to sweethearts, a last chance to pray
They'd be 'over the top' at the first light of day.
And when the time came, they advanced into hell
Torn by bullets and shrapnel, in dozens lads fell
So deadly the fury of enemy fire
That even the bravest could not breach the wire.
They tried to find cover on wide open
plain
Where machine gun and rifle sang deadly
refrain
A resolute foe had repelled their
attack
They couldn't go forward... they wouldn't
go back.
Then from the top of a trench came a sound
That made even 'most fearful of lads look around
A piper, in full view of enemy fire
Marching, defiant, the length of the wire.
So renewed was their spirit, the fight to sustain
That they sprang to their feet and advanced once again
They cut through the wire, 'charged across no man's land
The field was theirs and the victory at hand!
But later 'mid shell hole and carnage
they found
His pipes, now silent, on death-laden
ground
The people at home, of his bravery they'd
learn
But the gallant young piper would never
return.
Today in a museum's glass case display
The mud-crusted pipes that he played on that day
And at night when the great hall is empty, they say
You can still hear the sound of the young piper play.
Tune: Pibroch o' Donald Dhu (Traditional)
Lyrics by Barry
Taylor, 2003
Consigned to the Public Domain
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This is the true story of Piper James Richardson of the 16th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in World War I. For his bravery under fire at the Regina Trench on October 8, 1916, he was awarded posthumously the Victoria Cross. The lyrics to this song were inspired by the investigative research lead by Pipe Major Roger McGuire of the Canadian Scottish Regiment, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. With the support of The Canadian Club and a group of patriotic citizens, Roger travelled to Scotland in January 2003 to help identify a set of mud-covered pipes recovered from that very battlefield by Major Edward Yeld Bate, a British Chaplain. The pipes had been displayed at Ardvreck School in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland, for over seven decades. Tomas Christie, a parent of students there and also a piper, initiated the search for the origin of the pipes. The distinctive Lennox tartan ribbons on the pipes confirm that they belonged to a piper of the 16th Battalion. Though the investigative research is not yet complete, the probability is growing that these are indeed Richardson's pipes. Forgive me if I have drawn a premature conclusion in order to pen these lyrics. Read more about Piper Richardson at these fine sites...
Barry Penner, Member BC Legislative
Assembly |