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Welcome Song to Digger Bill and Sailor Jack

Composer Gilbert L Wolfe (1886 - 1970)

Composer Anatol Friedland

Composer Malvin M Franklin

Date1914 - 1918

Object number00015182

NameSheet music

MediumSilk, Ink on paper

DimensionsOverall: 344 x 267 mm, 0.05 kg

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionSheet music titled 'Welcome Song to Digger Bill and Sailor Jack'. Words and music by Gilbert L Wolfe, Malvin M Franklin and Anatol Friedland. Inscription reads 'Sung by Miss Constance Cayley in J.C. Williamson's stupendous pantomine 'Dick Whittington'. The front cover features a group of women greeting an Australian Imperial Forces soldier and a Royal Australian Navy sailor. Copyright inscription reads 'Largest Music Store in Australia J Albert & Son. 137-139 King St.' Price 2/- [2 shillings].HistoryNot surprisingly sheet music was commonly produced to stir emotions and arouse patriotism during the war years. Gathering around the piano to sing at gatherings was a common form of entertainment before and during wartime. Songs produced during that time reflect shared experiences, both good and bad, and served to further unite those waiting anxiously on the home fronts and embolden those serving in the war. Without television and radio, war was experienced differently during WW1 with music serving as an important tool for governments to continue to keep morale high and the country's support for the war effort moving forward. When thousands of men were losing their lives daily, a scale never seen before, music also became an emotional outlet for sorrow, love and shared understanding of national sacrifice. For soldiers and sailors many of the songs were humorous, specific to their home country, and a link to those they had left behind. SignificanceThis sheet music is significant as an evocative reminder of social values during the First World War.