The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Sheet music for the song titled 'In Flanders Fields', with music written by J Deane Wells set to the poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae at Ypres. This copy of the music was published by the Frederick Harris company, London, and features a colour image of five Flanders poppies on the front cover.
Inside the front cover are the lyrics typed in full. These have been written from the perspective of the soldiers who fell during the First World War and talk about the birds and poppies that grow in the cemetery where they are buried with a request that others take up their 'quarrel with the foe'.
The back cover features a song with lyrics and music composed by Captain Charles Ferguson Nash Leahy who served with the Royal Engineers during the First World War titled 'Mourn not for those (a message to mothers)' which was published in 1914. F G Cooper, Commander, RNR, requested that the above song be played at Armistice Day concerts.
McCrae, a Canadian medical officer, stated in a letter to Sir Andrew Macphail that he wrote the poem to pass time between the arrival of wounded soldiers, and to experiment with different poetic metres. In 1917 J Deane Wells, an Australian living in Vancouver, set the poem to music, and the song soon became a local favourite.
Towards the bottom of this page is a sound recording of this sheet music, or a parody, that was created as part of the Music and the First World War project. More information about this recording, including names of the performers, can be found on the catalogue record for the sound recording. A link to the catalogue record for the sound recording can be found at the bottom of this page, under the heading ‘Related objects’ where it can be identified with the prefix [sound recording].
Recording of the song titled 'In Flanders Fields', created as part of the Music and the First World War project. Lyrics written by John McCrae with music composed by J Deane Wells. Produced by Chris L
Sheet music for the song titled 'Australia's Bonny Boys in Navy Blue', with lyrics written by Frank King and music composed by Ben J Fuller. The front cover shows an illustration of a Navy ship with a
Sheet music for the song titled 'Sunshine of your smile', with lyrics written by Leonard Cooke and music composed by Lilian Ray. This song was first published in 1913. Towards the bottom of this p
Sheet music for the song titled 'The Blue Dragoons', with lyrics written by Frederic Edward Weatherly and music composed by Kennedy Russell. This song was written in 1911, with this copy of the sheet
Sheet music for the song titled 'Wake Up! Australia (now awake)', with lyrics and music written by Alfred Mansfield. This is the second edition of the song which includes a verse that was added in hon
Sheet music for the song titled 'Yes! Let me like a soldier fall', with lyrics written by Edward Fitzball and music composed by Vincent Wallace. This song featured in the opera titled 'Maritana'.
