"Men of Harlech" or "The March of the Men of Harlech" (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

: ) is a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

and

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...

which is traditionally saidFuld, James J., ''The Book of World-famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk'', Dover, 5th ed. 2000, p. 394 to describe events during the seven-year siege of

Harlech Castle Harlech Castle ( cy, Castell Harlech; ) in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a Grade I listed medieval fortification built onto a rocky knoll close to the Irish Sea. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales between 1282 and 1289 at t ...

between 1461 and 1468, when the castle was held by the Lancastrians against the Yorkists as part of the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

. Commanded by Constable Dafydd ap Ieuan, the garrison withstood the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles. ("Through Seven Years" is an alternative name for the song.) The song has also been associated with the earlier, briefer siege of

about 1408, which pitted the forces of

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

against the future

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

. "Men of Harlech" is important for

national culture. The song gained international recognition when it was featured in the 1941 movie ''

How Green Was My Valley ''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own persona ...

'' and the 1964 film '' Zulu''.

History

The music was first published without words during 1794 as "Gorhoffedd Gwŷr Harlech—March of the Men of Harlech" in the second edition of ''The Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards'', but it is said to be a much earlier folk song. The earliest version of the tune to appear with lyrics, found thus far, comes from a

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

printed c. 1830. Since then, many different versions of the English lyrics have been published. It was published first with Welsh lyrics in ''Gems of Welsh Melody'', edited by the Welsh poet, John Owen (Owain Alaw), published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England and

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, Wales, during 1860. An edition containing Welsh and English lyrics was published in

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas ...

, Wales, during 1862. The song was published in Volume II of the 1862 collection ''Welsh Melodies'' with the Welsh lyrics by the Welsh poet

John Jones (Talhaiarn) John Jones (19 January 1810 – October 1869), known by his bardic name of Talhaiarn, was a Welsh poet and architect. Life and reputation Jones was born at the ''Harp Inn'' (now known as ''Hafod y Gân'') in Llanfair Talhaearn, Denbighshir ...

and the English lyrics by

Thomas Oliphant Thomas Oliphant is an American journalist who was the Washington correspondent and a columnist for ''The Boston Globe''. Life and career Oliphant was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from La Jolla High School in California and in 196 ...

, President of the Madrigal Society. Another source attributes the Welsh words to the poet John Ceiriog Hughes, first published during 1890, and says that English words were first published during 1893, but this is clearly predated by the earlier publications.

Use and versions of the song

"Men of Harlech" is widely used as a regimental march, especially by

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

regiments historically associated with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Notably, it is the slow march of the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

, the quick march of the

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot). History The ...

, and the march of the

Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) (abbreviated as RCH) is an armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Primary Reserve in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is one of the oldest cavalry regiments in North America, tracing a direct history to the Mont ...

The Governor General's Horse Guards The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most sen ...

, and

The Ontario Regiment The Ontario Regiment ( RCAC) is a Primary Reserve armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Army. The unit is based in downtown Oshawa, Ontario, and is named after Ontario County (1852–1973). Formed in 1866, and more commonly known as t ...

, for which it is the slow march. It was first used for cinema during the titles of ''

'' (1941) and has featured in a number of other films. It is best known for its prominent role in the 1964 film '' Zulu'', although the version of lyrics sung in it were written specially for the film. It is sung twice (once completely) in the film (the British open fire on the charging

Zulus Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Na ...

before the start of the final couplet), in counterpoint to the Zulu war chants and the pounding of their shields. Film editor

John Jympson John Arthur Jympson (16 September 1930 – 3 June 2003) was a British film editor. He edited films such as '' Zulu'' (1964), '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964), ''Kaleidoscope'' (1966), ''Frenzy'' (1972) and ''A Fish Called Wanda'' (1988). Car ...

cut the scene to the song so that on either side of cuts where the British soldiers cannot be heard, the song is in the correct relative position. The song is also heard in the film ''

Zulu Dawn ''Zulu Dawn'' is a 1979 American adventure war film about the historical Battle of Isandlwana between British and Zulu forces in 1879 in South Africa. The screenplay was by Cy Endfield, from his book, and Anthony Storey. The film was directed ...

'', which is about the

Battle of Isandlwana The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zulul ...

Rick Rescorla Cyril Richard Rescorla (May 27, 1939 – September 11, 2001) was a British-American soldier, police officer, educator and private security specialist. He served as a British Army paratrooper during the Cyprus Emergency and a commissioned officer ...

, Chief of Security for

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

's World Trade Center office, sang a Cornish adaptation of "Men of Harlech" with a

bullhorn A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped acoustic horn used to amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. The sound is introduced into ...

, along with other anthems, to keep employee spirits high while they evacuated during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

. After helping save more than 2,700 employees he returned to the towers to evacuate others until the towers collapsed on him. "Men of Harlech" was used as part of the startup music for ITV television station

Teledu Cymru Wales (West and North) Television, known on screen as (, Welsh for "Wales Television") and often abbreviated to WWN, was the Welsh " Independent Television" (commercial television) contractor awarded the franchise area serving North and West W ...

during the early 1960s and, until April 2006, in

Fritz Spiegl Fritz Spiegl (27 January 1926 – 23 March 2003) was an Austrian-born English musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived and worked in Britain from 1939. His works include compiling the Radio 4 UK Theme in 1978. Early lif ...

's " BBC Radio 4 UK Theme". From 1996 to 1999, HTV Wales used part of the song for Wales Tonight. Adapted versions are sung by fans of several Welsh football clubs and as school or college songs around the world. There is a humorous parody known variously as " National Anthem of the Ancient Britons" and "Woad", written some time before 1914 by William Hope-Jones.Saga Magazine
: The Woad Song. Date? Accessed 2015-03-08

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and '' ...

recorded "Men of Harlech" for his 2000 album '' We'll Keep a Welcome''. An English version of the song is sung before every

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

home game.

Lyrics

There are many versions of "Men of Harlech", and there is no single accepted English version. The version below was published in 1873.

John Oxenford version (published 1873)

An earlier version is thus:-

Broadside version c. 1830, republished by Thomas Oliphant in 1862

''Zulu'' version by John Barry Prendergast (1964)

Regimental Band lyrics

Welsh lyrics

Wele goelcerth wen yn fflamio A thafodau tân yn bloeddio Ar i'r dewrion ddod i daro Unwaith eto'n un Gan fanllefau tywysogion Llais gelynion, trwst arfogion A charlamiad y marchogion Craig ar graig a gryn. Arfon byth ni orfydd Cenir yn dragywydd Cymru fydd fel Cymru fu Yn glodus ym mysg gwledydd. Yng ngwyn oleuni'r goelcerth acw Tros wefusau Cymro'n marw Annibyniaeth sydd yn galw Am ei dewraf ddyn. Ni chaiff gelyn ladd ac ymlid Harlech! Harlech! cwyd i'w herlid Y mae Rhoddwr mawr ein Rhyddid Yn rhoi nerth i ni. Wele Gymru a'i byddinoedd Yn ymdywallt o'r mynyddoedd! Rhuthrant fel rhaeadrau dyfroedd Llamant fel y lli! Llwyddiant i'n marchogion Rwystro gledd yr estron! Gwybod yn ei galon gaiff Fel bratha cleddyf Brython Y cledd yn erbyn cledd a chwery Dur yn erbyn dur a dery Wele faner Gwalia'i fyny Rhyddid aiff â hi!

Citations

General sources

"Men of Harlech"
at the ''Volkslieder, German & Other Folk Songs Homepage''

External links

*
Free typeset sheet music
��various arrangements from ''Cantorion.org''

��various versions of lyrics
English version of John Hughes (Ceiriog) lyrics

Royal Regiment of Wales' Band singing "Men of Harlech" (2.68MiB MP3)
��recording, using John Guard lyrics, in the church at Rorke's Drift, South Africa on the 120th anniversary of the Battle of Rorke's Drift. * {{Authority control 18th-century songs Cardiff City F.C. Association football songs and chants British military marches Royal Welsh Welsh Guards Welsh patriotic songs Wrexham A.F.C. Welsh regiments of the British Army