The Fringes of the Fleet
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''The Fringes of the Fleet'' is a booklet written in 1915 by
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...
(1865–1936). The booklet contains essays and poems about nautical subjects in World War I. It is also the title of a song-cycle written in 1917 with music by the English composer
Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
and lyrics from poems in Kipling's booklet.


Kipling's booklet

In 1915 Kipling was commissioned by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' to write a series of six articles on his view of life in less well-known aspects of the defence of the nation on its seas. These were given the general title "The Fringes of the Fleet", and had three sub-titles "The Auxiliaries", "Submarines" and "Patrols", and published between 20 November and 2 December. Each was prefaced by a short poem which did not have a title itself. Immediately afterwards the poems and essays were re-published in a booklet called "The Fringes of the Fleet". *1. The Auxiliaries – I :The text opens with a poem '' The Lowestoft Boat'' which starts with the words ''"In
Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
a boat was laid, / Mark well what I do say!"'', later given the title ''"The Lowestoft Boat"'' and a subtitle ''"(East Coast Patrols of the War)"''. *2. The Auxiliaries – II :The text opens with a poem which starts ''"Dawn off the Foreland – the young flood making / Jumbled and short and steep – "'', later titled ''"Mine Sweepers"''. *3. Submarines – I :The text opens with a poem which resembles the shanty ''"Farewell and adieu to you,
Spanish Ladies "Spanish Ladies" (Roud 687) is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the Royal Navy. Origins A ballad by the name "Spanish Ladies" was registered in the English Station ...
"''. The original and final title, ''"
Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...
Ladies"'', was for security reasons at the time changed to ''"
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
Ladies"''. *4. Submarines – II :The text opens with a very short poem (two verses of four lines) titled ''"
Tin Fish Tin is a chemical element with the Chemical symbol, symbol Sn (from la, :la:Stannum, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand wit ...
"''. The poem starts ''"The ships destroy us above / And ensnare us beneath."'' *5. Patrols – I :The text opens with a poem entitled ''" A Song in Storm"'', which starts with the words ''"Be well assured that on our side / Our challenged oceans fight.''" *6. Patrols – II :The final article begins with a poem later called ''"The North Sea Patrol"''.


Elgar's songs

In January 1916
Lord Charles Beresford Admiral Charles William de la Poer Beresford, 1st Baron Beresford, (10 February 1846 – 6 September 1919), styled Lord Charles Beresford between 1859 and 1916, was a British admiral and Member of Parliament. Beresford was the second son of J ...
requested Elgar to make songs of some of the verses in Kipling's booklet: Elgar chose four of them, and appropriately set them for four men's voices.Moore, pages 705–710 Elgar gave different titles to three of the four poems * The Lowestoft Boat used the words of the poem of the same name * Fate's Discourtesy – the poem ''"A Song in Storm"''. The words "Fate's discourtesy" appear in the refrain to all three verses.
Edward German Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of ...
set the same poem to music for voice and piano in 1916, giving it the title of the first phrase ''"Be well assured"''. *
Submarines A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...
– the poem ''"Tin Fish"''. * The Sweepers, – the poem ''" Mine Sweepers"''. The work was dedicated by the composer "...to my friend Admiral Lord Beresford". The first performance was, at Elgar's suggestion, part of a wartime variety show at the
London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...
on 11 June 1917, and the singers were baritones Charles Mott (following his performance in ''"
The Starlight Express ''The Starlight Express'' is a children's play by Violet Pearn, based on the imaginative novel ''A Prisoner in Fairyland'' by Algernon Blackwood, with songs and incidental music written by the English composer Sir Edward Elgar in 1915. Produc ...
"''),
Harry Barratt Harold Barratt (1918 – 1989) was an English football player and manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and scien ...
, Frederick Henry and Frederick Stewart. The show ran for four weeks with two performances a day and was a great success. In the production the curtain rose on a seaport scene, outside a public house, with the four singers in rough-and-ready merchant-seamen's clothes, seated around a table. *"
Inside the Bar ”Inside the Bar" is a song written in 1917 by the English composer Edward Elgar, with words by Sir Gilbert Parker. It was published by Enoch & Sons in 1917. In its original version it is a part-song for four baritones with a piano part marked ...
" The song ''
Inside the Bar ”Inside the Bar" is a song written in 1917 by the English composer Edward Elgar, with words by Sir Gilbert Parker. It was published by Enoch & Sons in 1917. In its original version it is a part-song for four baritones with a piano part marked ...
'', with words by Sir
Gilbert Parker Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker, 1st Baronet (23 November 1862 – 6 September 1932), known as Gilbert Parker, Canadian novelist and British politician, was born at Camden East, Addington, Ontario, the son of Captain Joseph Parker, R.A. Ed ...
, was subsequently added to the cycle and performed by the same singers at the same theatre exactly two weeks later. The songs were so popular that later that year Elgar conducted the songs around British provincial music-halls (
Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...
, Manchester,
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...
, and
Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
), with Charles Mott (who had been called up) replaced by George Parker. For reasons which Elgar did not understand at the time, when they returned to the Coliseum at the end of that year, Kipling appeared and objected to his songs being performed at music-halls. Kipling was upset by the report that his son John was missing. Elgar's singer, Charles Mott, was later killed in France in May 1918.


Recordings

* The first recording was made on 4 July 1917, with singers Charles Mott, Frederick Henry, Frederick Stewart and Harry Barratt, and Elgar conducting a 'Symphony Orchestra'. This acoustic recording was made for
The Gramophone Company The Gramophone Company Limited (The Gramophone Co. Ltd.), based in the United Kingdom and founded by Emil Berliner, was one of the early recording companies, the parent organisation for the ''His Master's Voice (HMV)'' label, and the European ...
and appeared under the H.M.V. label, on discs D453-4.
Songs and Piano Music by Edward Elgar
"The Fringes of the Fleet" performed by Peter Savidge (baritone) with Mark Bamping, William Houghton and Edward Whiffin (chorus), and
David Owen Norris David Owen Norris, (born 1953) is a British pianist, composer, academic, and broadcaster. Early life Norris was born in 1953 in Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, England, later attending Daventry Grammar School. He took lessons locally from c ...
(playing on Elgar's 1844 Broadwood piano)
Elgar: War Music
Paul Kenyon, Stephen Godward, Simon Theobald, Russell Watson (baritones), Barry Collett (conductor), Rutland Sinfonia * The CD with the book ''Oh, My Horses! Elgar and the Great War'' has many historical recordings including the 1917 recording of ''Fringes of the Fleet'' with Charles Mott, Frederick Henry, Frederick Stewart, and
Harry Barratt Harold Barratt (1918 – 1989) was an English football player and manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and scien ...
(baritones), conducted by Elgar * Roderick Williams/Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra/Tom Higgins (Somm) SOMMCD243 This recording by the
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
Philharmonic was billed as the first fully professional orchestral performance in over 90 years.Nick Higha
Elgar rediscovered
BBC Saturday, 7 November 2009


Republication in ''Sea Warfare''

In 1916 ''The Fringes of the Fleet'' was republished by Macmillan, titled ''Sea Warfare'', with two other sections relating to the Navy and a final poem: *The Fringes of the Fleet (pages 1–92) :Opens with a poem The Lowestoft Boat; not titled *Tales of "The Trade" (1916) (pages 93–143) :About the Submarine Service; opens with a poem titled "The Trade" which starts: ::They bear, in place of classic names, :::Letters and numbers on their skin. ::They play their grisly blindfold games :::In little boxes made of tin. *The Battle of Jutland (1916) (pages 145–220) :About the sea
battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
; opens with a poem which starts: ::Have you news of my boy Jack? :::Not this tide ::When d’you think that he’ll come back? :::Not with this wind blowing, and this tide. *A poem titled "The Neutral" ends the book (pages 221–222) ::Brethren, how shall it fare with me :::When the war is laid aside, ::If it be proved that I am he :::For whom a world has died ?


See also

*The song
Big Steamers "Big Steamers" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1911 as one of his twenty-three poems written specially for C. R. L. Fletcher's ''"A School History of England"''. It appears in the last chapter of the book. It is intended for chil ...
, written in 1918, on a related subject with words by Kipling and music by Elgar


Notes


References

*Foreman, Lewis (ed.),"Oh, My Horses! Elgar and the Great War", Elgar Editions, Rickmansworth, 2001 *Kipling, Rudyard "The Fringes of the Fleet", Macmillan & Co. Ltd, London, 1916 *Kipling, Rudyard "Twenty Poems from Rudyard Kipling", Methuen, London, 1918 * Kennedy, Michael "Portrait of Elgar" (Oxford University Press, 1987, Third ed.) * Moore, Jerrold Northrop "Edward Elgar: A Creative Life" (Oxford University Press, 1984) *Porte, J. F. "Sir Edward Elgar" (London, Kegan Paul, Trench, Turner & Co. Ltd., 1921)


External links

*
''The Fringes of the Fleet''
Transcription of the 1916 booklet by David Clark *
Elgar Rediscovered: ''The Fringes of the Fleet''
BBC News

Notes on the text by Alastair Wilson {{DEFAULTSORT:Fringes of the Fleet, The Songs by Edward Elgar 1917 songs 1916 books Macmillan Publishers books Works by Rudyard Kipling