A soldier and a song

by TheSpecTV | 221 days ago | 3049 page views
In: TheSpecTV, TheSpecTV News

Commemorating 150 years of service and sacrifice by the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI).

This song, composed by Hamilton Spectator reporter Mark McNeil, is about an RHLI soldier named Private James Henry Morrison who died defending Upper Canada in 1866. Earlier this year — as part of 150th anniversary ceremonies of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry — he was remembered in a graveside ceremony as being the first Royal Hamilton Light Infantry fatality, the first of more than 1,100 battle deaths to follow over the next century and a half. He was only 17 when he died. It seems he’d joined the regiment to make a little extra money after his father died and he was left to care for his mother and sisters.

To read the full article by Mark McNeil, visit www.thespec.com.

“Private Riley’ composed and performed by: Mark McNeil

Camera and editing:  Barry Gray

RHLI Band Director: Major Michael Rehill

Special thanks to MCpl Genevieve Wong and the RHLI band

Still photographs courtesy Spectator archives and the RHLI

A production on thespec.com

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