George Henry Powell

George Henry Powell
Background information
Also known as	George Asaf
Born	April 27, 1880 St Asaph, Wales
Died	December 3, 1951 (aged 71) Hove, East Sussex, England
Occupation(s)	Songwriter
Associated acts	Felix Powell

George Henry Powell (27 April 1880 – 3 December 1951) was a Welsh songwriter who, under the pseudonym George Asaf, wrote the lyrics of the marching song Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag in 1915.^[1] The music was written by his brother Felix Powell, and the song was entered into a World War I competition for "best morale-building song". It won first prize and was noted as "perhaps the most optimistic song ever written".^[2] Although Felix Powell was an enthusiastic Staff Sergeant in the British Army, George Powell was a pacifist, and became a conscientious objector when conscription was imposed in 1916.

References

1. George Asaf. "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag" (1915)
2. National Theatre. "Pack Up Your Troubles". Accessed 18 May 2007

External links

• Quotations related to George Henry Powell at Wikiquote
• George Henry Powell at the Internet Movie Database