In this episode of the A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine discuss Ivor Novello’s 1914 hit “Keep the Home Fires Burning”.  They explore Novello’s life and WW1 service, his collaboration with lyricist Lena Guilbert Ford and her tragic death in a Zepplin raid on London in 1918.  Alongside this their conversation covers the sad tale of WW1 poet and composer Ivor Gurney and Novello’s connection to another WW1 poet, Seigfied Sassoon. To listen to all the songs mentioned in the episode please visit their Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN REFERENCES Mr Fogg’s Tavern Sing-a-long https://www.mr-foggs.com/event/tavern-cockney-sing-a-long/ Ivor Novello – Blue Plaque https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/ivor-novello/ Ivor Novello – Biography / Locations https://britainunlimited.com/ivor-novello/ Ivor Gurney – Biography https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/ivor-gurney-composer-poet-soldier/ Heytesbury House in Wiltshire (home to Sassoon and Gatty) https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1198088 Pics of Ivor’s West End Flat https://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/heritage-architect-creates-west-end-home-for-cameron-mackintosh/5097491.article Till the Boys Come Home – Roger Foss https://www.amazon.co.uk/Till-Boys-Come-Home-British/dp/0750960663 Heytesbury House in Wiltshire (Sassoon’s Home) https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1198088 CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:50 Opening Chat 01:50 K = Keep the Home Fires Burning 02:57 The Life of Ivor Novello 10:07 The Tragic Story of Ivor Gurney 14:09 Novello in London 17:06 Lena Guilbert Ford’s Contribution 19:20 The Premiere of ‘Keep the Homefires Burning’ 20:43 The Song’s Impact and Reception 21:32 Siegfried Sassoon and Ivor Novello’s Connection 22:06 Siegried Sassoon 25:49 Ivor Novello’s Post-War Success 26:57 Novello’s Military Service in WW1 29:48 Discussing the Sheet Music 31:31 Discussing the Lyrics 34:05 Discussing the Music 36:26 Discussing Recordings – Frederick Wheeler 37:37 Stanley Kirkby 40:19 John McCormack 42:11 Olive Gilbert 42:53 Our Favourite Recordings 44:20 If You Liked That You’ll Like This … 46:15 Mentioned in Dispatches 49:59 A Teaser for Next Week 50:24 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 [email protected]  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.