"By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea; On the road to Mandalay, Where the old Flotilla lay, With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay! O the road to Mandalay, Where the flyin'-fishes play, An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!
a video
Charles Dance, who read Kipling's Mandalay, said of the experience:
"It was rather nerve-wracking. I think I'd rather do ten first nights in a row. It's extraordinary because I life pretending to do daring things, or nasty things, but you know I pretend. That's my job and this is remembering the people who don't pretend, they do it for real.
"And standing next to people like Lord Slim who is an extraordinary man, and I mean, all of these people are, and it's a tiny little thing for people like me to be able to come along and contribute to this. But I tell you, it's nerve-wracking."
"Even though I was quite a way away I could actually see people mouthing the words. It's astonishing.
"It's not just being among friends, you stand here on an occasion like this and you think, Christ, it's part of history, it's just amazing.
"I was, before doing this, just reading through it myself in one of the offices here and I was shown Wellington's desk, where he sat and plotted the path to Waterloo. There it is, still in use. It's just astonishing."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11804202/Britain-remembers-VJ-Day-70-years
"Honoured to meet actor Charles Dance after his moving rendition of Kipling's Mandalay at VJ Day service. @SkyNews "
