"Have you news of my boy Jack?" by Edward German
Have you news of my boy Jack? Performed by Louise Kirkby Lunn (contralto), Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Edward German (Recorded July 1917, Mat. Ho2748af., cat. HMV 03572)
The CD booklet notes, (written by Tonie and Valmai Holt), for the song are as follows:-
"The music for this melodramatic setting of Kipling's poignant poem was composed by
Sir Edward German (1862 - 1936) best known for operettas like Merrie England. Kipling's son John was killed in the battle of Loos in October 1915 and like that of half of those killed during the war his body was never identified. (He is commemorated on the Loos memorial in 'Dud Corner' British Cemetery). Kipling went out to France and covered many anguished miles trying to locate John's grave. His personal grief is expressed in this poem, written in 1916. From that period on his poems (such as the strange lament, The Children) express the bitterness of his loss and a fierce anti-German mood. Rudyard Kipling sat on the Committee of the Imperial War Graves Commission and actively threw himself into working for them - inspecting war cemeteries from Gallipoli to Mesopotamia, as well as on the Western Front. He chose the phrase to be inscribed on Sir Edwin Lutyens' commemorative war stone ("Their Name Liveth For Ever More" - from Ecclesiasticus) and on the simple white headstone that marked unidentified soldiers' graves "A soldier (or sailor, or airman) of the '14 - '18 War. Known unto God"."
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Issue History
Initial recording 1917, Mat. Ho2748af., cat. HMV 03572
1989 "The Great War", "Pearl" (Pavillion Records) GEMM 303/4, LP
cassette GEMM 7355
CD GEMM CD 9355
The album, Clara Butt: The Acoustic Years has a rendition of "Have You News of My Boy Jack?" The compilation is from 2000, but all the songs on the album were recorded prior to 1921, so I imagine her rendition is contemporary with Kirkby-Lunn's.
Label: Marston ASIN: B000053SLE
Another performance is given by Caroline Hatcham and the Beecham Symphony Orchestra. This one is available for download from the iTunes store. "Sir TB:A Musical Biography" may be of use when searching for the song. |
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