Rabbie Burns ... the soldier

Whilst doing my research for my forthcoming talk about Rabbie Burns, I discovered that he had joined the Royal Dumfries Volunteers when it was created in 1795.

He even wrote the words for a song (THE DUMFRIES VOLUNTEERS, sung to the tune PUSH ABOUT THE JORUM) about the regiment:

Does haughty Gaul invasion threat,

Then let the loons beware, Sir,

There's wooden walls upon our seas,

And volunteers on shore, Sir.

The Nith shall run to Corsincon,

And Criffel sink in Solway,

Ere we permit a foreign foe

On British ground to rally!

O let us not, like snarling tykes,

In wrangling be divided;

Till slap come in an unco loon

And wi' a rung decide it.

Be Britan still to Britain true,

Amang oursels united;

For never but by British hands

Maun British wrangs be righted!

The kettle o' the kirk and state,

Perhaps a clout may fail in't;

But deil a foreign tinkler loon

Shall ever ca' a nail in't.

Our fathers' bluid the kettle bought,

And wha wad dare to spoil it;

By heaven! the sacrilegious dog

Shall fuel be to boil it.

The wretch that wad a tyrant own,

And the wretch his true-born brother,

Who would set the mob aboon the throne,

May they be damned together!

Who will not sing, "God save the King,"

Shall hang as high's the steeple;

But while we sing, "God save the King,"

We'll ne'er forget the people.

The regiment is thought to have worn a red jacket with yellow facings or a blue jacket with red facings, and a crested helmet. (The sources are unclear as to the colour of the jacket and facings.)

Because he was a serving volunteer at the time of his death, Burns was given a military funeral. Besides members of the Royal Dumfries Volunteers, the band of the Cinque Ports Cavalry were present, and played the DEAD MARCH by Handel. In addition, members of the Angusshire Fencibles formed a guard-of-honour, and fired three volleys over his grave.