Land of Hope and Glory

LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY


The Great War created 21,000 new millionaires in America alone.


Land of hope and Glory

Mother of the free

Hooray for the greatest war the

World will ever see.


No, that doesn't seem quite right

Not if I'm the one that has to fight

But they say half of the world is coloured in red

Where there's hundreds and thousands,

Millions and millions,

Will flock to the flag

To do fighting instead

Of me.


For I was born British, in God's Own Country

And I'm thinking, my boy

What's in it for me?


And after it all

We'll all have a ball

Those who are left

Not those who might fall...


There'll be drinking and dancing,

American jazz,

And a dance called the Charleston

And Razzamataz !


So lucky old me in reserved occupation

Buying and selling, lifeblood of this nation

And then, when it's over

There's me, sitting in clover

Flogging the flags for the Great Celebration!



© nigel hallworth 2014


1 million five hundred and twenty-four thousand one hundred and eighty-seven soldiers, -  from the Indian Army and other ' coloured troops', served in the Great War.

There were also 96,000 Chinese, 100,000 Egyptians, 21,000 Black South Africans and 21,000 Indians, employed as labourers.