WW1 Remembered..

Listening to Classic FM on the radio this morning I heard again this beautiful piece of music.The Banks of Green Willow composed by George Butterworth.

I was reminded that this piece was composed in 1913 when Butterworth was on active service on the Western Front.,

George Butterworth joined the British Army as a private in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry but later accepted a commission as a subaltern in the 13th Battalion Durham Light Infantry where he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant. He was awarded the Military Cross in August 1916 but did not live to receive it. He was shot by a sniper at the Battle of the Somme on the 5 August 1916 and his body hastily buried where he fell, at the side of the trench. Tragically, his body was never recovered, but his name is inscribed on Thiepval Memorial.

Butterworth's music dates between 1910-1913 with this, The Banks of Green Willow, perhaps his most poignant work , which was composed in 1913.

You can listen to recordings of The Banks of Green Willow on You Tube.

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