The songbook A Falklands Heritage may be purchased at The Fo'c'sle Folk Club in Southampton for £6 (of which £1 goes to charity) or by contacting Rock on . Contact Rock for the CD also.
To my late friend Bill Eddie, who for 20 years worked on, arranged, and in some cases, wrote, the tunes. To John Edgar Mann who first recorded my stuff. To Mike Bailey who did the final transcription, for his patience and professionalism.
This is the Rock Berntsen Falkland Song Book which, like the CD from which it springs, is called A Falkland Heritage. Why? Because I consider it to be my contribution to that heritage.
The words of Jim King, Chris Lanham, Pongo McCloud, the anonymous sailor who wrote the "Noble Eight of December", and myself, all serve to tell of the work, the weather, the wars, the life style and the loneliness in this "bleak and treeless land. "
The musicians, who contributed, played on the tracks or simply influenced my style, are the subject of other pages. They did however play an important part on the page that is my life and I guess because of that found their own way onto the pages of this book.
So from every smoky bar room, folk club, festival, big gig, little gig, cardboard box, "Hi, guys and girls and thank you. you know who you are!">>
<<For longer than I care to remember people have said, "you should write them all down in a book, Chay!" And now I have. So, thanks to all of you who over the years have expressed an interest in my work.
1. HAWKINS' MAIDEN LAND: Sighted and named by Richard Hawkins in 1594, two years after the first sighting by John Davis. The image is of Stanley toward the landing stage (public jetty). Taken from an old postcard, it becomes an artist's impression of the area that would have been the landfall of people saved from the "Billy Rock. " artwork Medion]
2. THE NOBLE EIGHTH OF DECEMBER: For the first time since 1771 the islands were brought to the attention of the rest of the world. On December 8, 1914 Admiral Sturdee's fleet defeated that of Admiral Von Spee. A story song by an unknown sailor with every detail faithfully recorded. Lucky to have a very unusual image of the Falklands Battle, my thanks to Cliff McMullen the contributor from the web site WW1 The War at Sea
3. CHANGE: Dramatic changes from dark, rugged beauty to soft, gentle forms. Could one find as much contrast in one square mile anywhere in the world? Horses perhaps play a lesser role in the work of the islands today, but still have a very high profile in the leisure activities [photo Jennings][artwork Medion]
4. LAST SPELL'O: There was little romance for the greenhorn shearer in his search for the elusive first hundred sheep. Highly skilled, local and international young contractors now carry out the shearing. They produce a quality job in half the time, thus increasing the profit. A far cry from the days when you were handed some shears and instructed to "Have a go, chay. " [photo Berntsen]
5. KELPERS AFTER ALL: Jim King's song sums up the old life style of the average Kelper and his constant battle for survival. Summer evenings, the Kelper worked for his winter fuel. Mike Peak made the fit to a traditional tune, which is a perfect vehicle for the song. [photo Jennings]
6. DIRTY YELLOW: The sights and sounds of the Atlantic Ocean leave a big impression on a 15 year old that has never been away from the islands. The "runs ashore" are the main topic of a young sailor's conversation The mundane and sometimes boring routine of a voyage cannot compare. [photo Berntsen]
7. THE BULL RUN: The female shortage is nothing new to the islands. Young men dancing the woman's part with a hanky on their arms was a short-term solution a hundred years ago, an idea not unknown in American folklore. The San Carlos band, whose members maybe played at a "bull run" when the shortage of ladies was absolute, but the dance was on anyway. [photo Berntsen][artwork Hanslip]
8. SONG OF THE FALKLANDS: Written by Chris Lanham, a schoolteacher from Hampshire working on West Falkland, at one time it became the unofficial anthem of the islands. The camp house is another image that is synonymous with the Falkland Islands. [photo Jennings][artwork Medion]
9. TASK FORCE '82: Thank you; two small words, which will never seem adequate for all that you have done. To those who went, and those who waited, thank you from Kelpers everywhere. To those of us living overseas it was an unreal time. The image most of us carry in our heads is the Royals yomping into Stanley. [photo World press][artwork Medion]
10. WHITE GRASS MEMORIES: A song, a word, a half-remembered face. When you live elsewhere, almost anything can evoke the memories.
11. FAREWELL TO THE BIG CAMPS: A heartfelt song about having to leave a life you love, by Pongo McCloud. I later co-wrote one verse and the chorus. Farewell to the big camps was a fit for many images but finally I settled on an old style shepherd who, like the big camps, is beginning to fade into the past. [photo Lee/Berntsen]
OUTWARD BOUND: A song about one of the possible ways in which an early settler found himself in the Tslands. (An extra song that found its way in. Sing it as a sea shanty and you won 't be far wrong.)
12. BROWN PEATY WATER: Many yards of peat has been cut along the pub counter, and many a wife has had to compete with the charms of Nancy Whisky.
13. FIELDS OF DARWIN: You thought you knew, but you stand there on those once familiar fields and your heart asks why. An image of the Argentina Cemetery at Goose Green, because when you stand by it, it affects your mood and brings home the horror and futility of war. [photo Jennings][artwork Medion] (Also recorded as "Dark Side of the Moon" by Vin Garbutt.)
14. EYE LOCKING: A job in the wet and cold of the winter, which led to the quote: "sheep farming would be fine - without the sheep".
15. TALKING REUNION: Huddled round the old valve radios straining to hear the BBC through the static; and those immortal words: "Having a lovely time at the party".
16. MY SOUTH ATLANTIC HOME: Like the true Scot away from home, the Kelper also becomes more patriotic by the mile. The image is of the road to Mount Pleasant, which has for many become the road to opportunity, whether leaving, or returning, all so much easier to do now. Also for "The Road Back. " [photo Berntsen]
17. THE PHILOMEL SHIP: Jack, Harry and the Philomel Ship is a much loved memory for many of us. Once a Falkland institution, now she lies burnt out and below the sea she sailed on. It was a good time in my life, and my thanks to Maud for the visual reminder. [photo Sollis]
18. SONG FOR LILLY: Leave your friends and family and sail off as a young woman on a troop ship sailing into who knew what. How brave is that? Edinburgh streets were not paved with gold for my Auntie Lilly but she doesn't know how to quit. [photo Berntsen] (Sung by Liz Elliot)
19. LAMB MARKING TEA: Only for the strongest of men. The lambs lost their tails, while we lost our taste buds. This is an image of lamb marking which I still have difficulty recognising as me. [photo Berntsen]
20. THE ROAD BACK: The return home after a long time away creates many mixed emotions.
21. WHEN BAD WEATHER BREAKS: Love to the land, love to the lover, who knows? But the weather is always with us.
22. CHATTER RIVER: The San Carlos river runs through Chatter Creek but childhood memories are often confused. The values instilled then, however, stay true.
The cover is of course a reworked version of the CD Cover with the addition of a little reflective poem that I like and that I believe fits the image of heritage. [photo Jennings] [artwork Medion]
The inside front cover is a piece of self-indulgence, and why not! It is a picture of my buddy Bill Eddie and me in our guise as folk duo, UpMarket. The most rewarding musical partnership I have ever been involved in. [photo Williams]
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