British Cavalry Folklore (Later appropriated by the British sailors and the US Cavalry and Marines also)
The valiant cavalier is martyred and lands up at the gates of heaven but God wouldn't allow him inside with the horse because of the dust and dirt it will create. So the cavalier goes to Hell's gates. The Devil says he has no issues about the horse but he can't allow the brave, valiant cavalier to suffer in hell; it is unfair (Believe you me, even the Devil has a heart). So the cavalier rides down to the junction of the roads to Heaven and Hell and lives there forever with his horse. The horse was his life and would continue to be so in the after-life. This place is called Fiddler's Green.
The Poem
Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shadowy meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead Troopers camped,
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddler's Green.
Marching past, straight through to Hell
The infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddler's Green.
Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene.
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddler's Green.
And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen,
Or in a roaring of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddler's Green.
- Robert Garretson.
It should be noted that all that have been assigned or attached to the 1st Cavalry Division are Cavalry Troopers regardless of their branch assignment or military occupation skill and are therefore authorized to rest at Fiddler's Green.
It is still used by modern cavalry units to memorialize the deceased. The name has had other military uses too.
The valiant cavalier is martyred and lands up at the gates of heaven but God wouldn't allow him inside with the horse because of the dust and dirt it will create. So the cavalier goes to Hell's gates. The Devil says he has no issues about the horse but he can't allow the brave, valiant cavalier to suffer in hell; it is unfair (Believe you me, even the Devil has a heart). So the cavalier rides down to the junction of the roads to Heaven and Hell and lives there forever with his horse. The horse was his life and would continue to be so in the after-life. This place is called Fiddler's Green.
The Poem
Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shadowy meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead Troopers camped,
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddler's Green.
Marching past, straight through to Hell
The infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddler's Green.
Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene.
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddler's Green.
And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen,
Or in a roaring of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddler's Green.
- Robert Garretson.
It should be noted that all that have been assigned or attached to the 1st Cavalry Division are Cavalry Troopers regardless of their branch assignment or military occupation skill and are therefore authorized to rest at Fiddler's Green.
It is still used by modern cavalry units to memorialize the deceased. The name has had other military uses too.
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