Re: The grand old duke of york
Posted by Joe on March 18, 2003 at 14:26:06:
In Reply to: The grand old duke of york posted by Jessica Anne Burnell on May 01, 2002 at 13:27:12:
This information is from Mr I. J. Williams.
"In the period from about 1750 to 1815, the heath in the village of Coxheath was home to a large number of British and foreign troops. The heath was used as a staging area for soldiers awaiting shipment to places like India, America, to fight in the War of Independence, and the continent, to fight Napoleon and the French.
"During this period several duels to defend the injured honour of an officer were fought. In 1778 King George the Third visited to inspect the units of Dragoons, Light Infantry and Grenadiers. In 1804, 10,000 soldiers were reviewed by the Duke of York who had them march up the hill in Coxheath. Since that time the rhyme "The Grand Old Duke of York" has been used to entertain many children. Did you, like me, hear it when you were a child?"
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