This is a traditional Scots farewell song. It sounds a bit like "The Minstrel Boy" (don't say that to the Scots or the Welsh). George MacDonald Fraser says that Scottish soldiers sing the song on any occasion; he mentions Hogmanay and that the remnants of his fictional regiment sang it as they waited to be rounded up by the German army at St Valery in 1940. He was commissioned in the Gordon Highlanders after serving as a ranker with the Border Regiment in the Burma Campaign, 1943-45.
@@FoxfirePoet Fraser's WikiP page has the essentials, describing his military life, his books and his screenwriting career. His memoir, "Quartered Safe Out Here", describes his wartime service, 1943-7; the book has been described (I've forgotten by whom) as one of the best pictures of life at the sharp end in a British regiment. His later memoir, "The Light's On At Signpost", describes his literary career. He served as a trooper in the Border Regiment, fought with them in the Burma Campaign, went to Officer Selection and was commissioned in the Gordon Highlanders at the end of the war. His experiences in that regiment went into his "MacAuslan" stories; I've forgotten what the fictional regiment is called in those stories but it's modelled on the Gordons and his post-war service in N Africa and Scotland. He was a very fine writer and a wonderful storyteller.
Royal Marines Band..... there is no one better. Not even the Guards Bands are as good as the RM Band. Fact. And the RM Band don't wear the words "Royal Band" on their uniforms for nothing.
![Scotland The Brave & We Are No Awa' Tae Bide Awa' [4K/UHD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jrxpc-1Zjd4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Scotland The Brave & We Are No Awa' Tae Bide Awa' [4K/UHD]](/img/tr.png)
This is a traditional Scots farewell song. It sounds a bit like "The Minstrel Boy" (don't say that to the Scots or the Welsh).
George MacDonald Fraser says that Scottish soldiers sing the song on any occasion; he mentions Hogmanay and that the remnants of his fictional regiment sang it as they waited to be rounded up by the German army at St Valery in 1940. He was commissioned in the Gordon Highlanders after serving as a ranker with the Border Regiment in the Burma Campaign, 1943-45.
When you say "his fictional regiment", what do you mean exactly? I'm interested to hear the story.
@@FoxfirePoet Fraser's WikiP page has the essentials, describing his military life, his books and his screenwriting career. His memoir, "Quartered Safe Out Here", describes his wartime service, 1943-7; the book has been described (I've forgotten by whom) as one of the best pictures of life at the sharp end in a British regiment. His later memoir, "The Light's On At Signpost", describes his literary career.
He served as a trooper in the Border Regiment, fought with them in the Burma Campaign, went to Officer Selection and was commissioned in the Gordon Highlanders at the end of the war. His experiences in that regiment went into his "MacAuslan" stories; I've forgotten what the fictional regiment is called in those stories but it's modelled on the Gordons and his post-war service in N Africa and Scotland.
He was a very fine writer and a wonderful storyteller.
The salute was neat
Royal Marines Band..... there is no one better. Not even the Guards Bands are as good as the RM Band. Fact. And the RM Band don't wear the words "Royal Band" on their uniforms for nothing.