With thanks to John Daniel for reminding me that I had not yet written about James Reese Europe, found for us by Dr. Connie Ruzich
During the First World War, James was commissioned into the New York Army National Guard and served as a Lieutenant with the 369th Infantry Regiment (known as the "Harlem Hellfighters") when it was assigned to the French Army. James was the first African-American officer to enter the trenches of WW1 and the first to lead troops in combat.
Additional information from John Daniel: France awarded the Regiment the Croix de Guerre. One hundred-and-seventy-one of the Regiment's men received individual Croix de Guerre medals for their valour during the First World War.
While in France James directed the regimental band to great acclaim. In February and March 1918, James Reese Europe and his military band travelled over 2,000 miles in France, performing for British, French and American military audiences, as well as French civilians.
The "Hellfighters" also made their first recordings in France for the Pathé Brothers. The first concert included a French march, and the Stars and Stripes Forever, as well as syncopated numbers such as "The Memphis Blues", which, according to a later description of the concert by band member Noble Sissle "... started ragtimitis in France".
Injured during a gas attack, James used his time in hospital to compose music; among the songs he wrote while recuperating was “On Patrol in No Man’s Land.”°
“On Patrol in No Man’s Land”
What's the time? nine? all in line
Alright, boys, now take it slow
Are you ready? Steady!
Very good, Eddie.
Over the top, let's go
Quiet, sly it, else you'll start a riot
Keep your proper distance, follow 'long
Cover, smother, when you see me hover
Obey my orders and you won't go wrong
There's a minnenwerfer coming --
look out (bang!)
Hear that roar, there's one more
Stand fast, there's a Very Light
Don't gasp or they'll find you alright
Don't start to bombing with those hand grenades
There's a machine gun, holy spades!
Alert, gas! Put on your masks
A-just it correctly and hurry up fast
Drop! There's a rocket for the Boche barrage
Down, hug the ground,
close as you can, don't stand
Creep and crawl, follow me, that's all
What do you hear? Nothing near
Don't fear, all is clear
That's the life of a stroll
When you take a patrol
Out in No Man's Land!
Ain't it grand?
Out in No Man's Land.
James Reese Europe
You can listen to the 1919 recording of the song here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeIET9ZIkGk
After his return home in February 1919, James stated, "I have come from France more firmly convinced than ever that Negros should write Negro music. We have our own racial feeling and if we try to copy whites we will make bad copies ... We won France by playing music which was ours and not a pale imitation of others, and if we are to develop in America we must develop along our own lines."
James was one of the first African-American musicians to make it to mainstream - James Reese Europe (more commonly known as “Jim Europe”) was the first black bandleader to record in the United States and the first to conduct a black orchestra performing ragtime/jazz music on the concert stage of New York’s Carnegie Hall.
James died on 9th May1919 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery · Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.
Sources: Information kindly supplied by John Daniel, Wikipedia
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6553895/james-reese-europe and
https://behindtheirlines.blogspot.com/2017/02/out-in-no-mans-land.html
