Songs predominantly sung on the march
We’re Here Because
Tune:
‘Auld Lang Syne’
Lyrics:
We’re here
Because
We’re here
Because
We’re here
Because we’re here.
This sound recording was made in 1915, of British soldier Edward Dwyer VC, aged 19. He was a corporal in the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment – the same regiment as Frederick Horsnell. It begins with Cpl Dwyer describing the retreat from the Battle of Mons (1914) and ends with him singing 'We’re Here Because’. This marching song was sung with great gusto because – ninety-nine times out of a hundred – the men who sang it had no idea why they were ‘here’, or where ‘here’ was, or how long they would continue at it. Cpl Dwyer was killed in action in 1916, one year after this recording was made.
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