In this episode of The A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine explore the powerful patriotic anthem “There’ll Always Be an England”.
Written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles in the summer of 1939, the song captured the hopes of a nation on the brink of war and quickly became a staple of the home front, recorded by everyone from Billy Cotton to Gracie Fields. Lili and Tom trace its journey from the film Discoveries to stirring moments of defiance on land and sea - including the crew of HMS Barham, who sang it as their ship went down in 1941.
Along the way, they dive into the lives of Parker and Charles, the remarkable career of broadcaster Carroll Levis, and the way songs like this shaped morale at the darkest times. They also reflect on what it means to “reclaim” such an anthem today: is there a way to be proud of English identity without exclusion, and how can music help us rediscover unity and resilience.
It’s an episode full of history, harmony and the enduring power of song to steady the spirit.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a
REFERENCES
Siren - Lili Redman @ Edinburgh Fringe
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/lili-redman-siren
Ramsey 1940s Weekend
https://ramsey1940s.co.uk/
Ross Parker - Colchester Pill Boxes where he wrote There’ll Always Be An England
https://colchesterheritage.co.uk/Monument/MCC4970
Tom’s Visit to Chick Henderson’s Grave
https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine/posts/pfbid02hWwpT994Cp45NbTnvP5tecLSADWHiLiCQL6PmB2TGkpvb2aUQAWatzxMeYiock5Sl
Carroll Levis and the Talent Show Revolution
https://youtu.be/u3OVTyQujrs?si=jqKQKz7W5n-RlOH
Two Thousand Women - Film
https://youtu.be/mYLa2KyreH8
Australian Sheet Music Version
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-172613864/view?partId=nla.obj-172613878
St Mary’s Guildhall Coventry
https://www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk/
Coventry Scout Gang Show
https://www.coventrygangshow.co.uk/
Billy Scoot Coomber and his Singing Grenadiers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjXBooW_0hs
Ramsey Spitfire Flypast (perfect timing!)
https://youtu.be/WHkKR5odqsg?si=RZBHar4HkIoMGcSi&t=748
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:51 Catch Up
02:24 Reclaiming Patriotic Songs
04:55 T = There'll Always Be An England
05:37 Ross Parker and Hughie Charles
10:36 The Origins of the Song
11:38 Carroll Levis
12:49 Eric Maschwitz
17:25 Carroll Levis and the Talent Show Revolution
20:22 Other Appearances of the Song
23:52 Discussing the Sheet Music
26:47 Discussing the Lyrics
30:25 Discussing the Music
35:07 Discussing Recordings: Billy Cotton
37:25 The Band of the Coldstream Guards
39:05 Jack Payne and his Band
40:21 Joe Loss and his Orchestra
41:23 Billy Scott Coomber and his Singing Grenadiers
43:24 Gracie Fields
43:44 Other Recordings
44:02 What Is Our Favourite?
44:35 If You Liked That You'll Like This
48:16 Mentioned in Dispatches
49:05 Teaser for Next Week
49:57 Outro
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
You can follow the podcast on social media:
http://instagram.com/warsongspod
https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod
Find more information about Lili Redman here:
https://liliredman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/
https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil
Or Tom Carradine here:
https://www.tomcarradine.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine
https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine
CONTACT THE PODCAST
If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at warsongspod@gmail.com to be "Mentioned in Dispatches".
LISTENING LINKS
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318
If you’ve enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if you’d leave a review and make sure you’ve subscribed and turned on notifications so you’ll never miss an episode.
