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31 May 19 - 04:38 AM (#3994620) Subject: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Dave the Gnome This sog and singer has been mentioned many times before but I think this deserves its own thread. D-Day veteran, 90, beats Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber to No. 1 Well done Jim! I have just bought my copy. Let's keep it there for a while :-) |
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31 May 19 - 05:07 AM (#3994625) Subject: ADD: Shores of Normandy (Jim Radford) From: GUEST,Bradfordian The Shores of Normandy by Jim Redford. THE SHORES OF NORMANDY (Jim Radford) In the cold grey light of the sixth of June, in the year of forty-four, The Empire Larch sailed out from Poole to join with thousands more. The largest fleet the world had seen, we sailed in close array, And we set our course for Normandy at the dawning of the day. There was not one man in all our crew but knew what lay in store, For we had waited for that day through five long years of war. We knew that many would not return, yet all our hearts were true, For we were bound for Normandy, where we had a job to do. Now the Empire Larch was a deep-sea tug with a crew of thirty-three, And I was just the galley-boy on my first trip to sea. I little thought when I left home of the dreadful sights I'd see, But I came to manhood on the day that I first saw Normandy. At the Beach of Gold off Arromanches, 'neath the rockets' deadly glare, We towed our blockships into place and we built a harbour there. 'Mid shot and shell we built it well, as history does agree, While brave men died in the swirling tide on the shores of Normandy. Like the Rodney and the Nelson, there were ships of great renown, But rescue tugs all did their share as many a ship went down. We ran our pontoons to the shore within the Mulberry's lee, And we made safe berth for the tanks and guns that would set all Europe free. For every hero's name that's known, a thousand died as well. On stakes and wire their bodies hung, rocked in the ocean swell; And many a mother wept that day for the sons they loved so well, Men who cracked a joke and cadged a smoke as they stormed the gates of hell. As the years pass by, I can still recall the men I saw that day Who died upon that blood-soaked sand where now sweet children play; And those of you who were unborn, who've live in liberty, Remember those who made it so on the shores of Normandy. D-day is 6 June ____________ |
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31 May 19 - 05:18 AM (#3994626) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Dave the Gnome Tune is (I think) 'Dawning of the Day/Raglan Road'. Please correct me if I am wrong. |
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31 May 19 - 10:57 AM (#3994673) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Steve Gardham Looks good to me, Dave. My favourite song. Jim is an absolute national treasure. Jim is not the force he once was and I'm sure he'd agree we need to keep his wonderful songs alive by singing 'em. I feel a tribute album coming on. |
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31 May 19 - 11:10 AM (#3994676) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Steve Gardham Dave, I've heard The Battle of Otterbourne, Child 161, sung to this same tune. I'll check Bronson to see if it's the traditional tune. |
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31 May 19 - 11:12 AM (#3994677) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: GeoffLawes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Radford |
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31 May 19 - 11:19 AM (#3994678) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Steve Gardham Thanks, Geoff I've looked at the 2 tunes in Bronson but my sight reading is not fast enough to say whether they relate to the tune I've heard it sung to. It might be one of the Lloyd/MacColl tunes put to it. |
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31 May 19 - 01:09 PM (#3994691) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: r.padgett The Dawning of the day ~ Irish song on youtube by John McCormack Ray |
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31 May 19 - 01:16 PM (#3994692) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Steve Gardham Bang on, Ray, that's the tune Jim put to it. I've a sneaky suspicion somebody did the same with Battle of Otterbourne, but it would be good to be wrong. |
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31 May 19 - 01:31 PM (#3994694) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Steve Gardham Okay I know this should be on the 'Battle of Otterbourne' thread but I'm now trying to trace the tunes. Tony Cuffe's trad tune for BoO is the one I use for 'Derwentwater's Farewell'. Figures. 'Dawning of the Day' is the tune the Corries use. Did the Corries set it to this tune or was it somebody else before them? it is obviously not the trad tune for BoO. Both great tunes BTW. |
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01 Jun 19 - 01:49 AM (#3994748) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Dave the Gnome Just out of interest, my late mother-in-law's first husband died in Normandy. When MIL passed away we placed her ashes in his grave at her request. It was very moving and, looking at the war graves in and around Bayeux, I was in awe at the magnitude. We have been back since and driven the route he took to the fateful spot where they had to take a gun emplacement manned by a team who had been told to hold at all costs. They took it but at the cost of his and many other lives. Funny old world. If that had not happened my wife may not have been born. Had my Dad not have left Poland because of the war I may not have been born. Getting away from the awesome, deep and meanigful, I had a funny moment at Arromances. There are a couple of very large houses at the seafront in the town in which I imagine the German command resided. I could picture a senior officer getting up on the 6th of June, drawing the curtains and his jaw dropping as he discovered someone had built a harbour while he slept:-) Yes, I know it didn't happen like that but it was fun to imagine! |
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01 Jun 19 - 01:21 PM (#3994810) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: punkfolkrocker Is this the singer/song that was the highlight of a BBC Albert hall military memorial concert a few years ago..??? ..funnily enough, if my blood grandad's family hadn't emigrated/escaped Poland / Russian border area some time in the late 19th Cent.. I wouldn't be here to annoy mudcatters... I don't think any of that East Euro Jewish bloodline survived WW2, but a branch of that family tree has become established all over other relatively safer parts of the world... But that was a family secret kept from me until I was about 18 or 21... |
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02 Jun 19 - 02:56 AM (#3994865) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Dave the Gnome It was the very same PFR. And, yes, it is amazing that any Jews from that area survived at all. Yet here we are, talking about events in the living memory of people like Jim, witnessing the rise of racist scapegoating by right wing politicians all over again:-( Sorry to get political above the line but when we have people like Jim on the one hand and the Farages of the world on the other, I have to say something. |
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02 Jun 19 - 03:45 AM (#3994867) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Acorn4 I believe that Jim was the youngest serviceman involved in D-Day. He was 15 at the time which would make him 80 now. |
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02 Jun 19 - 04:05 AM (#3994870) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Dave the Gnome He's 90. Which works out as him being 15 in 1944. Looks and sounds exceptionally good for his age. |
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02 Jun 19 - 05:16 PM (#3994973) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: severed-head Jim Radford will be giving a talk on his experiences, and singing a few songs, at the HogEye Men shanty session near London Bridge on Sunday 16th June (Lunchtime). Free entry. All welcome. Garry |
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02 Jun 19 - 07:58 PM (#3994996) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Tattie Bogle As per the Wikipedia link provided by Geoff Lawes above: Radford performed his song, "The Shores of Normandy", three times at the Royal Albert Hall in London in the 70th anniversary year of the invasion (2014) and two of these concerts were televised by the BBC (the BBC's own 70th anniversary commemoration event in June, and the British Legion Remembrance Day concert in November). |
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03 Jun 19 - 03:54 AM (#3995028) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: GeoffLawes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOolfjkLoJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsjeIW0I46Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X6WxLbTmok |
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07 Jun 19 - 12:16 PM (#3995535) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: GUEST,SB Live with background images from Ammouse 06-06-2019 Download link https://we.tl/t-BNlRF4XdS6 File: 152 MB ==== |
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07 Jun 19 - 02:09 PM (#3995554) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Eric the Viking Haunting words. What causes me concern is the fact that it has received thumbs down from a small minority on youtube. |
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07 Jun 19 - 02:29 PM (#3995556) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: Steve Gardham Find that hard to believe. On what grounds? |
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07 Jun 19 - 02:49 PM (#3995559) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: punkfolkrocker on the grounds that out of the millions of folks using youtube eevery minute a very large percentage are complete @@@@s... |
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09 Jun 19 - 01:04 PM (#3995727) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: GUEST,Jo-Jo Folkagogo Yes, he is 90 now and still bonnie !! I know Jim quite well - and I went to his "80 Not Out" birthday bash ten years ago when I still lived in London. Sadly his wife Jenny had died a little while before that birthday party, but I am sure she was there in spirit. Love the song, Jim. And if you are at Whitby this year 2019 I hope to hear you sing it once again. Jo |
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09 Jun 19 - 03:47 PM (#3995752) Subject: RE: Jim Radford - Shores of Normandy From: The Sandman well done, Jim Radford |