During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field.  Not knowing if it was a  Union  or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.

When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock.  In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out.  Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.

The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.

The Captain chose a bugler.  He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth’s uniform.

This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as ‘The Last Post’ used at military funerals was born. The words are:

I too have felt the chills while listening to ‘The Last Post’
But I have never seen all the words to the song until now.
I didn’t even know there was more than one verse .
I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn’t know if
You had either so I thought I’d pass it along.

I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.

Pre-Beatles photo of Paul and George

Brigitte was really something back then.

Angelina, the budding beauty.

Marlon before he got very fat.

Cher really hasn’t changed a lot. Thanks Docs.

George in his nerdy days.

Did you know that was into muscles back then?

Elvis holding invisible iPhone.

You can see he likes music. Plays a mean piano too.

Young Beauty.

If there was ever any doubt about their fling, guess it was true.

Elton always had a flair for the outrageous.

Talk about young and almost innocent.

Before peroxide.

Too bad Judy couldn’t handle the pressure of stardom. Liza barely can.

Freddie you stud you. Wish you were still here with us.

Harrison Ford, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker & Mark Hamil

Alone in her bedroom, Sarah read the words of the song “Autumn”, by Scottish singer Paulo Nutini, from the internet. Then, holding her mobile phone in her left hand and using it as a recording device, she sang the song without a single mistake or hesitation.

Four and a half hours later, Sarah and the rest of her family were at Mrs Phillips’ bedside in the family home when she took her final breath. She was 48.

The song has been put to music and clips from family videos – taken during the last two decades of Mrs. Phillips’s life – were turned into this short film.

Please be sure to tell those that you love how much they mean to you, while you still can.