The Transports: A Tale of Exile and Migration

In 1973, the Norfolk singer Peter Bellamy came across the story of Susannah Holmes and Henry Kable, who, their death sentences for trifling crimes having been commuted to transportation, met in Norwich Gaol. They had a child, were parted but, thanks to the compassion of a turnkey, were reunited and sailed in 1787 on the First Fleet to Australia, where they thrived. That reads like the narrative of a traditional song, and it inspired Bellamy to write a cycle of ballads telling their story. The Transports was first recorded in 1977 by a stellar cast – June Tabor, Nic Jones, Norma and Mike Waterson and Martin Carthy – and is one of the great achievements of the English folk revival. There have been productions and recordings since, but none as distinguished and important as this one, by some of the finest folk musicians of this generation. The original was orchestrated by Dolly Collins and included an early instrument ensemble. It is beautiful, but incongruous. In his new arrangements, Paul Sartin has wisely stripped the songs back to their essential melodies and created settings that empower rather than overpower the songs. ‘Us Poor Fellows’, about being driven to crime through poverty and hoping for change, is countered by ‘The Robber's Song’, about the joy of robbing. ‘I Once Lived in Service’, an account of the misery of domestic slavery, is complemented by ‘Sweet Loving Friendship’, tells how the protagonists find love and even a kind of liberty in prison. ‘The Black and Bitter Night’ is a great song, the intensity of the joy of a relationship apparent in the desolation of separation.

Bellamy's writing is subtle, capturing the range of human emotions in the simplicity of the ballad form. He has a dramatist's grasp of a narrative arc, well-served here by these fine singers and instrumentalists. There is one song not by Bellamy; Sean Cooney of The Young’Uns wrote ‘Dark Water’ after hearing an interview on BBC radio with Hesham Modamani, a Syrian refugee who, desperate to reach Europe, swam from Turkey to Greece. Its inclusion is crucial to the whole endeavour because these musicians see parallels between the experience of Susannah and Henry – poor people forced to leave home by a draconian government – and those of refugees and migrants today. Writer Matthew Crampton speaks between the songs, his narration illuminating this. It risks pre-empting the songs but, on the whole, Crampton navigates these waters elegantly. It gives this powerful and enjoyable version urgency and relevance today.