Burns' Night Before Jarama

Subject: Burn's Night Before Jarama
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 24 Jan 17 - 06:51 PM

Burn's Night Before Jarama

On 25th January 1937, just before the Battle of Jarama, the newly formed British Battalion of the International Brigades was stationed at Madrigueras and Burn's night was celebrated. William Rust (1) says " The scene of the festivities was the Republican Cafe and the feast consisted of sardines , potatoes, wine and a pot of alleged tea. William Rust and James K Hopkins(2) both say that there was singing at the celebration but no song titles are given. Has anyone any information about which particular songs were sung that night, or about any other publications which describe the event?

(1)Britons In Spain: The History Of The British Battalion Of The XVth International Battalion by William Rust ,Warren & Pell Publishing, 2003 Pages 35 and 36

(2)In Into the Heart of the Fire, The British in the Spanish Civil War by James K Hopkins, Stamford U.P.ISBN 0-8047-3127-6.
Pages 182-184

Subject: RE: Burn's Night Before Jarama
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 24 Jan 19 - 07:15 PM

Still Looking on this one. Any ideas?

Subject: RE: Burn's Night Before Jarama
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 27 Jan 19 - 07:27 PM

from pge 183 of " In Into the Heart of the Fire, The British in the Spanish Civil War" by James K Hopkins, Stamford U.P.ISBN 0-8047-3127-6

"… Peter Kerrigan remembered that Burn’s lovely haunting love songs and folk ballads were sung."
but no titles are given Anyone know?

Subject: RE: Burn's Night Before Jarama
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 28 Jan 19 - 07:12 PM

Sorry to deviate from the point, but the man's name is Burns. No apostrophe, unless it is something belonging to him, in which case it is is Burns' or Burns's. You are not Lawe's, I guess?

Subject: RE: Burn's Night Before Jarama
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jan 19 - 01:31 PM

Dead right Tattie B- let's get it right!

Subject: RE: Burns' Night Before Jarama
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 30 Jan 19 - 06:27 PM

AND
they finally got it right!
Well, better than it was, anyhow.

Subject: RE: Burns' Night Before Jarama
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 05:45 AM

No idea. I'd like to know though. They sang the songs they already knew, which for the Scots Brigaders, would include a lot of Burns. His reputation as a 'People's Poet' meant his songs were well known on across Europe. 'My luve is like a red red rose' was certainly popular in the ex-brigaders families I knew. Which proves nothing. Then as now the Scots and the Irish had more songs, and more of a singing tradition. There are accounts, with specific songs, of various other impromptu concerts in Spain. The songs the British sang came from schools, scout camps, music Halls, Woolworths song sheets, rugby clubs, not all, or mostly, overtly political. John Cornford,John Sommerfield & Bernard Knox obliged with 'She was Poor but she was Honest' when asked for a British Worker's song in the University City during the defence of Madrid, and an there's an account, can't put my finger on it now of a Christmas concert that included, 'How Can a Guinea Pig Show he's Pleased when he doesn't have a Tail to Wag?'