100 years ago this week, Britain declared war on Germany. My grandfather, Peter Joseph Barratt fought in The Great War along with several of his brothers. Although I never met him, he survived the war in which at least one of his brothers died. According to family lore, for three nights my grandfather and another soldier were ordered to leave the trenches to fetch supplies, and each night the soldier accompanying him, was killed by sniper fire. On the fourth night, he refused to go over the top. He was subsequently court marshaled, found guilty of disobeying orders and sentenced to die by firing squad. A medical examination, however, prior to his execution, found him unfit to be shot and suffering from malaria and he was reprieved. I often wondered about the veracity of this account until I read Adam Hochschilds book, To End All Wars that references similar stories. When the Soldiers Sang is my song about the spontaneous, unsanctioned Christmas truce that broke out during Christmas 1914 along parts of the Western Front during World War I. This version was recorded live at The Make Out Room, SF in December 2012 on an iPhone. Sean Silverman plays Upright Bass, Pat Bregant is on vocals/percussion and Steve Kallai on fiddle.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:10:48 +0000