1938, when Buckland Abbey was partly destroyed by fire, the drum was rescued and taken to safety at Buckfast Abbey. Plymouth was devastated in the air raids that followed, reminding some of the ancient legend that “If Drake’s Drum should be moved from its rightful home, the city will fall”. The drum was returned and the city remained safe for the rest of the war. The drum was most recently reported to have been heard in 1940 at the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II. In 1940 the 45th Infantry Division, which included 4th and 5th Battalions of The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and the 9th battalion The Devonshire Regiment, took Drake's Drum as their emblem. This emblem was painted on their transport. Drake’s Drum has been the title and subject of poems by Sir Henry Newbolt and the Victorian poet Norah M. Holland. Newbolt's poem was set to music by Charles Villiers Stanford as part of his Songs of the Sea, op.91 suite2. It was popularised by Peter Dawson. The setting is in the key of D minor, with a dramatic resolution to D major. The drum was also mentioned in Bernard Cornwell's 1988 novel Sharpe's Rifles as analogous to the Gonfalon of Santiago Matamoros that features heavily in the story. A composition called "Drake's Drum" can also be heard on the album by British instrumental band Acoustic Alchemy, Natural Elements (1988). Drake's Drum is mentioned in the Sabbat song "Behind the Crooked Cross" from their 1988 album History of a Time to Come. It features in Katherine Kurtz's World War II supernatural novel Lammas Night. Further reading Cynthia Gaskell Brown (1996). The Battle's Sound: Drake's Drum and the Drake Flags. Devon Books. References External links Legendary Dartmoor: a picture of the drum Historic articles and picture of the drum History of Devon Drums English heroic legends Francis Drake King asleep in mountain Maritime folklore