Soldiers of the Queen (song)

{{Short description|British military song}} {{About||the magazine|Soldiers of the Queen (journal)|the film|Soldiers of the King (film)}} '''''Soldiers of the Queen''''' is a song written and composed by Leslie Stuart.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soldiers of the Queen (Stuart, Leslie) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Soldiers_of_the_Queen_(Stuart,_Leslie) |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=imslp.org}}</ref> The song is often sung and published as "Soldiers of the King" depending on the reigning monarch at the time. The tune was originally composed by Stuart as a march celebrating the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal. The lyrics were added at a later date and the title changed. The song was then interpolated in the musical comedy ''An Artist's Model'' (1895).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gänzl |first=Kurt |date=1986 |title=The British Musical Theatre |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-08200-1 |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-08200-1|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The song served as the regimental (quick) march of the Queen's Regiment from 1966 to 1992.{{sfn |The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment}} It is also the regimental march of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians),{{sfn |Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)}} the second most senior of Canada's Cavalry Regiments.

It was used as the theme to the film, ''Breaker Morant''.{{sfn |Discogs}}

==Lyrics== Soldiers of the Queen by Leslie Stuart 1898:

;1 :Britons once did loyally declaim :About the way we rul'd the waves :Ev'ry Briton's song was just the same, :When singing of our soldier braves. :All the world had heard it ::wonder'd why we sang, :And some have learn'd the reason why :But we're forgetting it, :And we're letting it :Fade away and gradually die, :Fade away and gradually die. :So when we say that England's master, :Remember who has made her so

;1st Refrain :It's the Soldiers of the Queen, my lads :Who've been my lads, :Who're seen my lads, :In the fight for England's glory, lads, :When we've had to show them what we mean: :And when we say we've always won, :And when they ask us how it's done, :We'll proudly point to ev'ry one :: of England's soldiers of the Queen! :It's the Queen!

;2 :War clouds gather over ev'ry land, :Our flag is threaten'd east and west. :Nations that we've shaken by the hand :Our bold resources try to test :They thought they found us sleeping ::thought us unprepar'd, :Because we have our party wars, :But Englishmen unite when they're call'd to fight :The battle for Old England's common cause, :The battle for Old England's common cause. :So when we say that England's master, :Remember who has made her so.

;2nd/3rd Refrains

:It's the Soldiers of the Queen, my lads, :Who've been my lads, :Who're seen my lads, :In the fight for England's glory, lads, :When we have to show them what we mean: :And when we say we've always won, :And when they ask us how it's done, :We'll proudly point to ev'ry one ::Of England's soldiers of the Queen! :It's the Queen!

;3 :Now we're rous'd we've buckled on our swords, :We've done with diplomatic lingo, :We'll do deeds to follow on our words, :We'll show we're something more than "jingo." :And though Old England's laws do not her sons compel ::To military duties do, :We'll play them at their game, and show them all the same, :An Englishman can be a soldier too, :An Englishman can be a soldier too. :So when we say that England's master, :Remember who has made her so.

; Refrain{{sfn |Stuart |1898}}

== References == {{reflist}}

===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} *{{cite web |last=The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment |url=https://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/regimental-music/queens-music-1966-1992.html |title=Band and Drums Music - The Queen's Regiment 1966-1992 }} *{{cite web |last=Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) |url=https://strathconas.ca/the-regiment |title=About the Regiment }} *{{cite web |last=Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2347496-Edward-WoodwardBreaker-Concert-OrchestraLeonine-Consort-Breaker-Morant-Music-From-The-Film |title=Breaker Morant (Music From The Film) }} *{{cite web |first=Leslie |last=Stuart |url=https://archive.org/details/CSM_001981/page/n1/mode/2up |publisher=Anglo Canadian Music Publishers Association Limited |title=The soldiers of the Queen |year=1898 }} {{Refend}}

==External links== * [https://archive.org/details/CSM_001981 Sheet music at the Internet Archive] retrieved 7/30/2019 * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI7X5W1AfPY Gramophone recording 1910 Disques Edison Diamond (40184) ] retrieved 7/30/2019

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soldiers Of The King}} Category:British military marches Category:Songs about soldiers Category:Songs about the military Category:Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Category:Songs written by Leslie Stuart