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Peacehaven, Sussex: Pack Up Your Troubles

It became the stiff-upper-lip anthem of World War One and continues to earn royalties to this day.

Yet when brothers and music hall stars George and Felix Powell penned β€œPack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag” they thought it β€˜piffle’ and abandoned it. But the tune was pulled from a drawer marked β€˜duds’ for a contest to find a marching tune for the troops – and won.

But with success came heartache and bitter creative differences between the brothers. George had been a life-long pacifist, and as a conscientious objector he had reservations about his tune's use as a rallying cry from the outset.

As Robin Gibson discovered, the back-story to β€œPack Up Your Troubles” has a very dark side, which would end tragically in Peacehaven.

Location: Peacehaven, Sussex BN10 7BE
Image courtesy of Newhaven Museum

Release date:

Duration:

7 minutes

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