Our Boys Are Over There

Annotation

A single of two country patriotic songs, released by Australian Forces Songs (# W4KM 0061), by George Hill, alongside the Garry Maiden Trio, and Don Lewers. The November 1969 edition of the Rotarian provided more information about this record, saying that it raised funds, nearly $7,000, to help send artists to perform for the troops in Vietnam. It referred to George Hill as a popular Australian comedian and country singer: The song "Our Boys Are Over There", tells of Australian battalions fighting the Vietcong: "a battalion from Australia, brave and strong... put an end to Charlie-cong" - of course a reference to the "VC", the National Liberation Front (NFL), the political and military resistance to the US and South Vietnamese government from within South Vietnam. The song noted that there is R&R: "there's rest and recreation, but only for a while". The song referenced, and paid tribute to the nurses, doctors, and the Red Cross, not just the fighting soldier: "there's doctor and there's nurses, who have answered to the call, and the Red Cross". Also of note: is the line "in Nui Dat, our battalions from Australia", where the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was based in South Vietnam, and "beaches of Long Hais", a small township nearby. The hills by this beach would later be the scene of a major battle involving Australian and New Zealand troops versus the Vietcong in 1970, after this record was released.12 The song also referred to "a diggers slouch hat". Digger is a military slang term for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, which came to prominence during World War One, although some sources indicate it may have been used since the 1850s. Digger probably originally referred to a miner - extensive research has been conducted on the etymology of the term and its introduction into military terminology.34 A slouch hat, also known as Aussie bush hat is a distinctive Australian hat that has one side of the brim turned up or pinned to the side of the hat, often used in the military.5"A rousing musical interlude by performers imported direct from home, lifted the spirits of a large group of Australian troops on duty in Vietnam. The concert was financed by the Rotarians of South Brisbane, who raised $7,000 for transportation costs primarily by peddling copies of a special phonograph recoding performed and produced for the club by Geore Hill, a popular Australian comedian and country singer. As a bonus, the fund raiser also shipped a full kit of drums as a gift to the soldiers' base in Saigon - so that future concert performers won't have to lug their drums along. Nifty?" (2)Sources1Wikipedia: Long Hải Hills↩2Australian War Memorial↩3Internet Archive (Wayback Machine)↩4Wikipedia: Digger (soldier)↩5Wikipedia: Slouch hat↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: "There's a roll of barbed wire on the beaches of Long Hais / There's a lot of Aussies swimming there today / There's rest and recreation, but only for a while... / And not so many miles away up there in Nui Dat, our battalions from Australia, brave and strong / There sneaking through the rubber trees, the enemy to meet / They've got to put an end to Charlie-cong / Our boys are over there, from Saigon to Da Nang... / And they meet old Charlie-cong, we know he hates to see aircrew from Australia, or a diggers slouch hat / Skies are blue today out there in Vietnam / They've never been as blue so they say / But the skies they'd like to see / As blue as blue can be - are the ones above down Aussie way... / The aircrew in their kangaroo, the perimeter they do fly, they drop their bombs on Charlie ever night / There's doctor and there's nurses / Who have answered to the call, and the Red Cross girls, the boys all understand..."

Notes

With the Garry Maiden Trio and Don Lewers. Produced for the Rotary Club of South Brisbane, which sold copies to pay for a concert tour entertaining Australian troops in Vietnam (The Rotarian, November 1969). AFS "Australian Forces Songs", 45 RPM microgroove, red labels marked "All Rights Reserved". Side 1 "To the Boys in Vietnam" (G. Hill), 3.07, Control; side 2 "Our Boys Are Over There" (G. Hill), 2.28, Control; both credited to George Hill with Garry Maiden Trio and Don Lewers. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Australian singer-songwriter; wrote and recorded 'To The Boys In Vietnam' b/w 'Our Boys Are Over There' with the Garry Maiden Trio and steel guitarist Don Lewers, released on the Australian Forces Songs label (Australia, 1960s, undated). [Source: Discogs] Not much is known about this artist. A "George Hill" on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, referred to as a blind Indigenous musician who also lost a hand in a childhood accident, would seem to be a different George Hill. The November 1969 edition of the Rotarian called him a popular Australian comedian and country singer.…

Themes

Patriotic · ANZUS · VC · Saigon

In collections

Australian & New Zealand Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]