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In 1943 I was Chief (and only) Radio Operator on the Liberty Ship
"SS Ignatius Donnelly".  Her maiden voyage took us from the USA's
West Coast southwest, eventually passing south of New Zealand (in
a snowstorm in June) and finally reaching our first port of call,
Hobart, Tasmania, in early July.

We had a week-long stop over, during which several of us made the
acquaintance of some of the local young ladies.  I wound up one
afternoon in the home of a gal named Leni Russell.  After a home
cooked meal, we spent our time around the Pianola, pumping and
playing those old music rolls.

One of those rolls was of the well-known March, "Invercargill",
familiar to anyone who played in high school band in the 1930's!
But this piano roll also had words to the music.  I can only half-way
recall some of them: "Invercargill is the dah-dah* of the Southern Seas"
to the first musical strains of the March Trio.  The * means I can't
recall that word!

Do your collections give you access to such a piano roll, complete
with those words from so long ago?  They would sure bring back some
fond memories.

Edward L. Benjamin, now of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

 [ Found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invercargill
 [
 [   Invercargill is probably most well known internationally for the
 [ famous Invercargill March, a stirring piece of military music written
 [ in 1900 by the composer Alex F. Lithgow, who lived in Invercargill
 [ from the age of 6, although born in Scotland.  The march was
 [ specifically written for the City of Invercargill, which Alex
 [ Lithgow dearly missed while he was away.
 [
 [   "Invercargill" rates alongside old favorites such as the Gladiator
 [ March, Liberty Bell, the Radetsky March, and other stirring Sousa
 [ marches.  The Invercargill March is especially popular in the United
 [ States of America.  It is a favorite of the US Marines, and was the
 [ Regimental March of the 56th Infantry Regiment of the New York Guard
 [ during World War 2.
 [
 [ -- Robbie