Music

In 1897 Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee which the country marked with parades and music was composed amongst which was the march “The Soldiers of the Queen” by Leslie Stuart. This piece of music soon became a marching song in line with the patriotic sentiment of the time. Leslie started life as Leslie Barrett but when the music publishers Francis Day & Hunter invited him to London to become a professional composer, he changed his name to avoid a clash with his brother Lester, a music hall comedian. Leslie wrote music for both the religious sphere and the modern stage. Although very successful, he died a poor man in 1912.

Another very popular song of the time was “Goodbye Dolly Gray” and surprisingly it was written for the United States War with Spain. The song was written in New York by the songwriter Will D. Cobb to music composed by Paul Barnes but because the War was over within the week the sentiment “Goodbye” was no longer applicable so extra verses to welcome home the troops were added. Even then demand soon slumped as interest in the war subsided. During the Boer War the London music halls resurrected “Dolly” and it was not long before it became THE song and was sung by cheering crowds when Ladysmith, Kimberly and Makeking were relieved

Others songs were written after the war to commemorate the event, among them a march called “Siege of Ladysmith”.

The Boers had their own favourite song called “Sarie Marais” and like “Goodbye Dolly Gray” it was not written for the War but in America and carried the title of “Ellie Rhee”. The wife of one of Louis Botha’s Staff officers played the tune on a piano to entertain the Boers who added their own lyrics by changing the words “Tennesee” to “Transvaal” and “Ellie Rhee” to “Sarie Marais”. “Sarie Marais” was a farmer’s wife who had 11 children, one of whom served with Louis Botha’s Commando and told stories about his mother’s life. It was these stories that formed the lyrics for “Sarie Marais”.