From: Sinclair Hart (slobak@bcn.net)
Date: Sat Apr 10 1999 - 19:00:40 PDT
Dear Peter: Read your message with interest and am enjoying all the
correspondence about war songs. Naturally, your name piqued my interest. My
grandfather Sinclair
was a Scotch-Irishman who lived in Belfast and came to the States in the 1800s
with a cousin. There were two branches, one in Iowa and other in New York. My
first name was my mother's maiden name. Would love to hear from you again.
Sinclair Hart
Peter Sinclair wrote:
> I am 99pct certain that <Lili Marlene> was first sung by the 8th Army
> in Tripoli after defeating the Germans. Amongst the "booty" of the 8th
> army tank regiments was the original German version of <Lili Marlene>
> which was the precursor of "our" version.
>
> Another famous WWII song was <Where have all the flowers gone........?
> made very popular by Marlene Dietrich, a very famous German actress
> and singer who emigrated to the USA immediately before the war because
> she could not stomach Hitler. Unfortunately I cannot recall the full
> text. It had a beautiful and haunting melody.
>
> Regards=Peter S.
>
> ]
> .
>
> On Sun, 11 Apr 1999 04:53:29 +1000, you wrote:
>
> >Ron,
> >
> >Thanks for your message of 9 Apr 1999:
> >>If my memory serves me correctly LILI MARLENE was a WWI song that
> >>carried on into WWII as it was popular with soldiers from both sides
> >>sung in both english and german.
> >
> >I never realised that it went back as far as WWI! We live and learn.
> >Your having used the words, "...carried on into WWII..." jogged my
> >memory. The 'Carrier' I inherited in Normandy had the name LILI MARLENE
> >painted across the near side (left side). Carriers (which were miniature
> >3-man open-top 'tanks' you could say) were, in our mob, mainly occupied
> >by veterans from the Desert war of 1941-42, which is why I used the term
> >'inherited' - the original occupants having been wounded or having moved
> >on to a 'far, far better place', I imagine.
> >
> >Tim