Hospital Radio: How war produced some of Britain's greatest music

I talked last time about how music has shaped our great land, but I concentrated on religious and folk music.

I thought this week I would bring things more up to date and look at the 20th century and British music of that time. I will take you back to the Great War (1914-18) and how it changed musical choices.

The First World War took its terrible toll on classical music, with many composers and performers dying in battle or left irrevocably scarred. Some pieces of music were written especially to support our soldiers; others came about as a result of misery at the heartbreak of it all. I think this paints a rather depressing picture.

Despite this, the brave Tommies were heard singing in the trenches, often putting their own words to famous songs of the day. Much of this came from the Music Hall, where popular songs got an airing. Some names still live on from those days, the likes of Marie Lloyd, George Formby and Harry Lauder.

As the war progressed, the music hall songs which mentioned the war were more about the end of the war. Such songs as When the Boys Come Home and Keep the Home Fires Burning taking centre stage. The plan to keep spirits high in the face of huge loss of life.

By the nineteen thirties new technologies saw the advent of recording, and this had a big impact on music. After the war, jazz had emerged from America, and this influenced British music, which saw the rise of dance bands.

It was a vibrant time, and big stars of the time included Jack Hylton, who was one of the leading bandleaders, and Ambrose, known for his orchestral arrangements. The Jack Hylton orchestra disbanded in 1940, as many of its members were called up for service, a common theme as another war was upon us.

So, as war raged in Europe again, the BBC stuck to the jaunty tone which they felt had helped to win the First World War, with Formby and Gracie Fields being particular favourites.

The most famous performer was Vera Lynn, "the forces' sweetheart", whose career would last six decades. Two of her biggest hits of the time, We’ll Meet Again and the patriotic There'll Always Be an England, were both composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles.

Another big favourite from the war years was Flanagan and Allen, the British singing and comedy double, with the song Run, Rabbit, Run. Written by Noel Gay and with lyrics from Ralph Butler. The pair also wrote We Don't Know Where We're Going in 1944,which was used much later (1975, to be precise) and to great effect during the war scenes in the movie Overlord. The D-Day invasion was codenamed Operation Overlord.

Some of you may think that the theme to Dad’s Army, Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?, dates from this time, but that’s not the case written by Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner and sung by wartime entertainer Bud Flanagan. It was intended as a gentle imitation of wartime songs. The show itself used many songs by the aforementioned artists to give a feel for the time it was set.

It is always impossible to do justice to a moment in time or, in this case, a fifty-year span, and many of these songs still live on, as seen with the recent 80th anniversary of VE Day. What is clear is is that Britain produced a rich pastiche of music during the troubling war years which have survived, leaving a rich tapestry for us still to enjoy.

Next time, I’ll take a peek at the birth of rock’n’roll and the advent of pop music as we know it and the excitement of the swinging sixties. This was the time that British music truly ruled the world.