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Warwickshire Boys

from When England Calls - (26 tracks) by Bill Bates

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I met a soldier who had fought in the trenches of WWI. He had joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and became part of the Birmingham Grammar schoolboys battalion. This Battalion of young men was made up of those working class boys who had been to the Grammar schools in and around the Warwickshire area. They were described to me as "The Pride of the Working Class".

On the 1st June, 1916 these man (boys) went "over the top". It was the first day of the battle of the Somme.

Out of 1000 men only 33 survived the first days of the battle. Afterwards a spotter aircraft flew over the battle and it was reported than the men fell in their lines.

lyrics

Warwickshire Boys

By Bill Bates

From Warwickshire's Grammar schools.
Came a thousand brave young men
All volunteers for the war
that turned children into men
They took the Kings shilling as
they donned their uniform
And marched out onto foreign fields.
From peace into a storm
I never knew, I never knew, I never knew you at all

The pride of all the working class
stood before the guns
A thousand men all in a line
a thousand mothers sons
They crossed the fields through smoke & gas
They watched their class mates fall
Just thirty three survived the day
from Warwickshire all
I never knew, I never knew, I never knew you at all

Middle 8
And as they crossed their lines.
They prayed to God a thousand times
They all fell in their lines.
All in a line, In a line, in a line, All in a line

From Warwickshire's Grammar schools
came a thousand brave young men
All volunteers for the war
that turned children into men
They took the Kings shilling as
they donned his uniform
And marched out onto foreign fields
from peace into a storm

credits

from When England Calls - (26 tracks), track released January 3, 2012

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Bill Bates Royal Leamington Spa, UK

I am a Warwickshire based singer songwriter and I perform my songs in folk clubs and festivals. My songs are (almost) autobiographical and often about the ordinary things in life, such as caravan holidays, recycling and a song about a Mars Bar party (where people are supposed to have took their clothes off!) Some of my songs are funny, other songs are serious; either way I hope you like them! ... more

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