Delville Wood by Greg Harper



In July 1916 Delville Wood became an objective for the allied army, trying to dislodge the Germans from the village of Longueval, as part of the battle of the Somme.

The wood formed an area of 156 acres of trees, with dense undergrowth, and seamed grassy rides running through it. Its western border laid on a ridge, on the edge of the village.

At 5am on 15th July, 3153 officers and men of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade penetrated the wood, and secured a bridgehead, forming most of the wood. The soldiers named the grassy rides and bridleways running through the wood after well known streets in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Thus, Princes Street, Regent Street, Rotten Row, to name but a few.

For four days they fought heroically to hold the wood, whilst under heavy artillery bombardment, and fought off many German counter attacks. However on 20th July... (continua)

Unspoken features on Greg Harper's album 'In It Together' released in 2019.

Veterans from many wars, over time, have rarely spoken about their war time ordeals and experiences. Many kept everything hidden from their families until they themselves passed away.
How could you explain what you had endured, or done, to someone with no concept of the reality of war.
It remained Unspoken.

WW1 slang meanings.

White Feather:
Given by ladies to men who hadn’t signed up to fight, as a symbol of cowardice.

Pear Drops:
Clouds of Poison gas.

Goodnight Kiss:
The last shot of the day by a waiting sniper, looking for a careless victim at dusk.

For King & For Country features on Greg Harper's album 'Bricks & Dust' released in 2015.

Capel-le-Ferne features on Greg Harper's album 'Well Spun Lies' released in 2011.

"At the beginning of July 2010 I visited the Battle of Britain memorial site, on the cliffs, at Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkstone, in Kent

It was just a couple of days before the annual ceremony, which was held to mark, and remember, the start of that battle in 1940.
As I stood there on the cliff edge looking out towards France, I tried to imagine what the remaining members of the' Few' might have been thinking, each time that they attended the event over the years. What thoughts did they have as the dignitaries spoke, as the band played, and the flypast went over their heads?
My song Capel-le-Ferne is what I imagine they might have been thinking, on that day, and maybe every other day, for the preceding 70 years.

Now in February 2024, 14 years after I wrote Capel-le-Ferne, Group Captain John Hemingway (aged 104) is the last remaining living member of the Few ."
Greg Harper