The British Grenadiers
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"The British Grenadiers" is a traditional
marching song A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's ...
of British, Australian and Canadian military units whose badge of identification features a grenade, the tune of which dates from the 17th century. It is the Regimental Quick March of the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
(since 1716),
Corps of Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
(since 1787), the
Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...
(since 1716),
Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...
'The First (later 'Grenadier') Regiment of Foot Guards' (since 1763), and the
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part o ...
(since 1763). It is also an authorised march of the
Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...
, The Royal Gibraltar Regiment, The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery,
The Royal Regiment of Canada , battle_honours = See #Battle honours , website = , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Tactical recognition flash , nickname = Royals , battles ...
,
The Princess Louise Fusiliers The Princess Louise Fusiliers is a Primary Reserve light infantry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Lineage File:Regimental Colour of the Princess Louise Fusiliers.jpg, Regimental Colour of the Princess Louise Fusiliers File:Camp_Flag_ ...
, and The 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles. The standard orchestration for the military band was approved in 1762, when the
Royal Artillery Band The Royal Artillery Band was the first official, and permanent British military band (and former symphony orchestra) originating in 1557, but granted official status in 1762. Consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments (and until 2 ...
(initiated in 1557) became recognised officially, and for all other 'grenade' regiments in 1763, when the remaining unofficial bands gained official status.


History

The exact origins of the tune are disputed but generally date to the early 17th century. It appears in
John Playford John Playford (1623–1686/7) was a London bookseller, publisher, minor composer, and member of the Stationers' Company, who published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments, and psalters with tunes for singing in churc ...
's 1728 collection of dance tunes as "The New Bath", while Victorian musicologist William Chappell also suggested links to a 1622 work called "Sir Edward Nowell's Delight". The debate is best summarised by the composer Ernest Walker in 1907 who described the melody as "three centuries' evolution of an Elizabethan tune". The melody was introduced into Britain as a military march during the 1689–1702 reign of William III and has similarities with one written for Prince John William of Friesland (1687–1711). Henry Grattan Flood suggested as another candidate the 1672 Dutch march " Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", which in turn was a reworking of a French version from 1568. "The British Grenadiers" refers to grenadiers in general, not the Grenadier Guards Regiment, and all Fusilier units were entitled to use it. It allegedly commemorates an assault in August 1695 by 700 British grenadiers on the French-held fortress of Namur during the
Nine Years War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
. A tune known as 'The Granadeer's March' was mentioned in a London publication in 1706, although it is not clear that it was the same melody known today.
Francis Grose Francis Grose (born before 11 June 1731 – 12 May 1791) was an English antiquary, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He produced ''A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue'' (1785) and ''A Provincial Glossary, with a Collection of Local Pr ...
in his 1786 work ''Military Antiquities'' quoted two lines of the lyrics ('Come let us fill a bumper, and drink a health to those,/Who wear the caps and pouches, and eke the looped clothes') as part of a 'grenadier song' he already considered to be 'old'. It was a popular tune in both Britain and North America throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and remains so. It is most commonly heard today in the annual
Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed every year in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of the British Army. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. Trooping the Colour has been a tradition of British infantry regi ...
ceremony when the Colour Escort marches into position on
Horse Guards Parade Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and the Beating Retreat. H ...
.


Lyrics

The following text may date back to the
War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...
(1702–1713), since it refers to the grenadiers throwing grenades and the men wearing "caps and pouches" (i.e. the tall grenadier caps, worn by these elite troops, and the heavy satchel in which grenades were carried) and "loupèd clothes"- coats with broad bands of 'lace' across the chest that distinguished early grenadiers. Before the American Revolution, Joseph Warren wrote a parody song called "Free America" and has the same tune.


Historical terms

There are a number of words in the song not commonly used or whose meaning is obscure; * Fusee: shortened muskets carried by Grenadier officers, sometimes called fusils. This is accurately depicted in David Morier's painting of the Highland charge at the Battle of Culloden, the Government troops are grenadiers and their officer wields a fusil. * Glacis: a smooth sloping embankment usually in front of the walls of a fort; designed to deflect cannonballs, it also gave defenders a clear field of fire, making it a dangerous place to stand upright and throw grenades; * Bumper: any drinking container used in a toast, normally filled with beer or other alcohol; * Loupèd: 'looped' pronounced "loup-ed" to scan; it refers to the lace button-holes or 'loops' on grenadier uniforms. * Tow, row, row, row: mimics the rhythm and beat of the drums used to keep soldiers in step.


In popular culture

Like "
Rule, Britannia! "Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the 1740 poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in the same year. It is most strongly associated with the Royal Navy, but is also used by the ...
", the song is frequently used in film and television to introduce a British setting or character, or indicate stereotypical Britishness. *Alistair Ramson in the Sherlock Holmes film ''
The Scarlet Claw ''The Scarlet Claw'' is a 1944 American mystery thriller film based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Directed by Roy William Neill and starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, it is the eighth film of the Rathbone/ ...
'' sings this song when he is disguised as the character Postman Potts, delivering mail to Emile Journet. *The character Mr. Bucket in the Dickens novel ''
Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...
'' plays this song by fife in Chapter 49. *The tune is heard by the protagonist rifleman Dodd of the British Army in C. S. Forester's ''
Death to the French ''Death to the French'' is a 1932 novel of the Peninsular War during the Napoleonic Wars, written by C. S. Forester, the author of the Horatio Hornblower novels. It was also published in the United States under the title ''Rifleman Dodd''. Ove ...
'' when he rejoins his unit. *In the fourth series of '' Blackadder'' (''
Blackadder Goes Forth ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Blackadder, Bald ...
''), theme composer Howard Goodall incorporated the first two bars of the march into the series theme song, with the third and fourth being added into the full version of the theme. *During the episode " Merry Christmas Mr. Bean",
Mr. Bean ''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and R ...
hums the song whilst playing with
Queen's Guard The King's Guard and King's Life Guard (called the Queen's Guard and the Queen's Life Guard when the reigning monarch is female) are the contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in the U ...
figurines. This itself could be a reference to ''Blackadders usage of it; Rowan Atkinson played both Blackadder and Mr Bean. *The tune occurs as the main theme of the finale of the fourth piano concerto of
Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano at the Co ...
. *The "Gentleman Soldier", another traditional British song, uses the same tune. *"The British Grenadiers" is played in the films '' Listen to Britain'', ''
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' (1985), '' Horatio Hornblower'', '' The Miracle'' (1959), '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', ''
Empire of the Sun ''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology ...
'', '' Barry Lyndon'', '' Under Capricorn'', ''
The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, r ...
'', '' The Patriot'' (2000), '' 55 Days at Peking'', '' Pride & Prejudice'' (2005), ''
The Four Feathers ''The Four Feathers'' is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A. E. W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title. In December 1901, ''Cornhill Magazine'' announced the title as one of two new serial stories to be published in th ...
'', '' Diamonds Are Forever'', ''
Breaker Morant Harry "The Breaker" Harbord Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902), more popularly known as Breaker Morant, was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, bush poet, military officer, and war criminal who was co ...
'', ''
Young Winston ''Young Winston'' is a 1972 British biographical adventure drama war film covering the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, based in particular on his 1930 book, ''My Early Life''. The first part of the film covers Churchill' ...
'', and ''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'', and the television series '' Sharpe's Company''. It can also be heard at the end of ''
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' is a 1943 British romantic drama war film written, produced and directed by the Cinema of the United Kingdom, British film making team of Powell and Pressburger, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It s ...
''. *The tune – with a different trio section – was used as the Regimental March of the Hanoverian Grenadier Guards in Hannover, Germany, until 1866. It had also been taken into the Royal Prussian Army March Collection's Second Volume (Quick marches) earlier, as Army March AM II, 52, during 1821. *"Some people like a motorbike,/Some say, 'A tram for me',/Or for any bonnie lorry they'd lay them doon and dee" (alternatively, "Some talk of a Lagonda,/ Some like a smart MG/...") is the beginning of "A Transport of Delight" set to the same melody by
Flanders and Swann Flanders and Swann were a British comedy duo. Lyricist, actor and singer Michael Flanders (1922–1975) and composer and pianist Donald Swann (1923–1994) collaborated in writing and performing comic songs. They first worked together in a scho ...
. *A rather bawdy version exists about the grenadier suffering and spreading syphilis. This song is well known and popular as a drinking song amongst historical re-enactors. *The melody is used in a pro-labour song "The Eight Hour Day" which appears on the album '' American Industrial Ballads'' by
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
. *The tune was used as the startup theme for
Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...
, when they made the first British commercial television broadcast in September 1955. "The British Grenadiers" was used with the film ''Blithe Spirit'' by
Richard Addinsell Richard Stewart Addinsell (13 January 190414 November 1977) was an English composer, best known for film music, primarily his '' Warsaw Concerto'', composed for the 1941 film '' Dangerous Moonlight'' (also known under the later title ''Suicide S ...
for at least another year. * The character of Daniel Hagman (played by actor and musician
John Tams John Tams (born 16 February 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician born in Holbrook, Derbyshire, the son of a publican. He first worked as a reporter for the ''Ripley & Heanor News'' later working for BBC Radio ...
) in the TV movie '' Sharpe's Mission'' sings this song just prior to the climax of the film. *The melody is used as the basis for Hornet Squadron's song in ''Piece of Cake'', with new lyrics. *"The British Grenadiers" is also the Regimental Quick March of the Fort Henry Guard. It is also frequently used by the Drill Squad of the Guard as a
marching song A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's ...
. *The tune is used in the PC game ''
Sid Meier's Pirates! ''Sid Meier's Pirates!'' is a video game created by Sid Meier for the Commodore 64 and published by MicroProse in 1987. It was the first game to include the name "Sid Meier" in its title as an effort by MicroProse to attract fans of Meier's ear ...
'' to represent the English presence in the Caribbean. *For 20th-century Northern (US) Baptist and Disciples of Christ hymnals, the tune, called "Sheffield", or "Sheffield (English)" to distinguish it from other tunes named "Sheffield", is commonly set to the text "Hail to the Lord's Anointed" by James Montgomery. *It also appears on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
drama series '' Ashes to Ashes'', in the last two episodes of the series. *The 2012 anime series ''
Girls und Panzer , abbreviated as ''GuP'' or ''Garupan'' , is a Japanese anime franchise created by Actas which depicts a competition between girls' high schools practicing tank warfare as a sport. The series was directed by Tsutomu ...
'' features a version of the theme, as the leitmotif of St. Gloriana Girls' School. The song also appeared in ''
Girls und Panzer der Film , alternatively ''Girls und Panzer: The Movie'', is a 2015 Japanese animated film and a sequel to the 2012 anime series '' Girls und Panzer''. Produced by Actas and distributed by Showgate, the film is directed by Tsutomu Mizushima from a scri ...
''. * The Fall song "Gross Chapel-British Grenadiers" incorporates a section of the song. *In the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
series '' Turn: Washington's Spies'', Captain Simcoe of the British Army hums the tune during Episode 3, Season 1 ("Of Cabbages and Kings") to antagonize his American captors when he believes a Tory militia is on the way. *In the film
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
'' with
Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...
and Robert Young, set during the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, the tavern owner at the start of the film is singing the song. *Season 4, Episode 5 of ''
The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
'' ends with the tune playing while Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves at a victory parade following the Falklands War. *In Season 1, Episode 8 of ''Ghosts'', the British soldiers march in and out to fife accompaniment of this song.


Controversial use


Christchurch mosque shootings

Alongside " Remove Kebab" and
Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ak ...
's "
Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...
", this song was played on Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant's loudspeakers as he parked his car near Al Noor Mosque and walks outside before starting the massacre which killed 51 and injured 40.


See also

*
Grenadier Guards Band The Band of the Grenadier Guards is one of the bands in the British Army. History In 1685 Charles II of England, Charles II allowed the band to maintain 12 "hautbois" (oboe) players. His death in 1685 was so significant for the band that unti ...


Notes


References


External links


The Original 1750s Lyrics to The British Grenadiers
Shows how the lyrics evolved from a soldier's song to something more palatable to the educated classes of British society. There was no "bumper", "looped" or "tow row row row" in the original version of the song. The first words began: "Some boast of Alexander".

Marches, British Grenadiers (regimental march of the Canadian Grenadier Guards
ram
(RealPlayer)
The official site of the Grenadier Guards Band.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:British Grenadiers British military marches British patriotic songs 17th-century songs Grenadier Guards Songs of the American Revolutionary War Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Year of song unknown Canadian military marches Songs about soldiers Songs about the military