Scotland & England

First to fight for right to freedom...

As the morning sun rose behind drizzling rain clouds over this North Sea island country, the fact that it was Independence Day at home was on the minds of most members of the Greeley Chorale and their traveling companions as we continued our two-week singing tour of Scotland and England. Independence Day for us dawned seven hours earlier than for friends and families in Colorado. While those at home slept peacefully, before the parade and pancake breakfasts, before barbecues smoked and children urged parents to light spitting Roman candles, Greeley's singing ambassadors reflected inwardly about being away from home on this significant holiday.

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Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light.

Many of us awoke in the homes of host families, Cambridge residents who housed one-half of the group for two nights. The other half stayed in a local hotel. Host families were members of St. Andrew the Great church, the site of the Chorale's second concert on the evening of July Fourth. Spirituals, sacred selections, songs from Mozart's Requiem and patriotic songs were the program. As in our first concert at Stirling, Scotland, the audience applauded loudly for two encores. The Chorale gladly obliged.

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The Cambridge residents welcomed their American visitors with open arms, caring for us in a variety of ways. They provided breakfast and dinner, attended our concert and shared stories late into the night about their families and lives here. Observe and English family for a short two days and it appears the family unit in this country is more traditional, the parents very involved with their children, than families in the United States might be. More importantly, we saw that families are certainly the same no matter which side of the ocean one is on: older sisters argue with younger brothers, teenagers like to spend time with their friends, parents' busy work schedules combined with children's school hours can make life hectic.

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We also found that, while many of the families were native Englishmen, some are transplanted from other countries, including the United States. Kess, a dutchman and his Swiss wife, Doris, have lived here for 30 years, raising five children. Lawyers, or "solicitors", Chris and Helen, are native Britons from Yorkshire with three children, ages six to 16. Their 8-year-old boy, Ben, has recently been accepted as a member of the King's College Chapel Boys' Choir, an honor and a privilege, indeed.

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Neal and Amanda are young newlyweds, he, a Scotsman, she, from England, with relatives in the United States. They have traveled the world, with time spent skiing in Colorado. Another couple, Roger and Sue, had an experience with the historical aspects of their native country when, during remodeling of the outside of their home, discovered an ancient casket buried under the front steps. They turned it over to the proper authorities.

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With concert rehearsal set for later Thursday afternoon, the travelers spent the morning seeing the sights of Cambridge, visiting its magnificent halls of education and saintly chapels, many of which date back to the time of the 14th Century kings. Our memories recalled childhood history lessons as we perused genealogical charts of Kings Henry VI, VII, and VIII, the latter of wife-beheading fame, his pompous statue positioned high above the streets in various locations at King's College, which he founded.

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We were told the story of the Mathematical Bridge across the Cam River that was assembled with no nails that was one day dismantled by college students who were unable to put it back together. The bridge was repaired with nails and remains secure. The river is also a scenic waterway for "punt" boats that carry tourists in the summer and is the site of boat races during the school term. 

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Cambridge University is actually made up of 31 separate colleges, most of them within walking or biking distance of each other. The colleges each specialize in a particular field of study. Tuition at the "public school" colleges is free, with fees paid by students for room and board. Freshman students must live in dormitories on campus. During summer break, foreign students from around the world come to Cambridge to study the proper use of the English language.

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We learned that until 1972, the University only awarded degrees to men, and with the change, the male students wore black the first day women were admitted for degrees. Now women make up about forty-four percent of the student body.

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What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming...

While start glimmered in the Colorado sky, it was mid-morning in England on the 4th of July. It seemed an ordinary day, across an ocean and far away from the traditions we knew. What should we plan to do? we wondered. We knew we'd sing patriotic songs at our concert that night, "An American Hymn" and "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor", but could we make today special in another way, each or us, that made it feel like home while we were away?

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...and the rockets' red glare...

We were on an adventure, the small group of us, as we boarded a double-decker tour bus to explore the local sights. With no firm plan in mind, we were led more by the guide, not our spirits, as we settled into our seats. Leaving the city, the bus sped past open green fields in the clearing, sunny air. We road a few quick miles and listened to the crisp, British accent share details about the college and veterinary schools that lay beyond the trees.

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It wasn't until the woman with the microphone highlighted our first stop that red flags went up inside our heads, unfurled red, white and blue, and there, in the countryside, suddenly imaginary bands began to play. We were at the Cambridge American Cemetery. We were given a patriotic chance to celebrate our Fourth of July.

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...the bombs bursting in air...

Stretched below us on the hillside were perfect rows of white crosses marking graves of American servicemen and servicewomen buried after the end of World War II. Cambridge University had given free land in order to bury its brave, dead soldiers who lost their lives fighting to rid the world of enemies in the "War to End All Wars". A framed letter from President Dwight D. Eisenhower expressing gratitude to the future Queen Elizabeth and one from her in return are displayed in the Cemetery's reception building. Visitors can sign a guest book and leave a message for those who follow. A 3-ring binder holds photographs of other American cemeteries located in countries around the world. The last page of the book tells the heroic story of a soldier, John Valdez, Jr., who was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for his bravery and actions, including losing his right foot, during the war before his plane disappeared while on his way home.

At the entrance to the grounds, and 82-foot high flagpole that was a gift erected in honor of his son, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., greets visitors. The name of the eldest child of Joseph, Sr., is engraved on the white stone wall, along with names of the others who are buried there. Valdez' name i etched in gold. The towering wall runs from the entryway alongside a rectangular pond overflowing with white and red roses amidst greenery built to reach just short of the steps of the memorial chapel located at the opposite end. The wall is punctuated by larger than life-size carved statues of men in soldiers' uniforms, one for each branch of the American military services. 

 

Inside the chapel, clear window panels to the north overlook the graves, bearing in their center full-color engraved seals of the individual United States, while the south wall depicts in miniature the operations of WWII. The display portrays the strategic attack paths the American planes and ships followed as they closed in on enemy territory in Germany to end the war.

 

...gave proof through the night that our flag was still there...

After we in solitude and quiet reviewed the scene presented as an unexpected gift, with somber thoughts of sacrifice, honored the dead who gave their lives. The small group representing Greeley and its Chorale stood, hands on our hearts, at the base of the flagpole in a foreign land and sang in clear, strong voices:

Oh, say, does that star spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.