Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederick O’Connor was a distinguished soldier, who served in India for many years. A prisoner of war in Persia in World War I, he served on special duties in Siberia in 1918 and was British Envoy in Nepal from 1921 to 1925. He was knighted on his retirement from the Indian Political Department in 1925, after which he pursued widespread interests. He was a close friend of Walt Disney and British royalty, and his keen interest in music led to the composition of published songs. These included ‘The Old House’, which is another that owes its popularity to having been recorded—in November 1939—by John McCormack. The song recalls an old cottage in Ireland where a childhood nanny of O’Connor’s lived.
from notes by Andrew Lamb © 2002
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