Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag

The words of an old war-time song offer hope even today

This is photograph is from the collections of the British Imperial War Museum and shows new recruits picking up their kit bags during World War II. It was taken in London, on 27 April 1942 by F W Crouch (Flying Officer), who was the Royal Air Force official photographer.

Almost two years earlier in July 1940, my dad was one of these RAF recruits. At the time, I was a 3-month-old embryo, warm in my mothers womb. I wouldn’t see my dad until he came home some six years later when I was just five years old.

My early childhood memories are few and far between, but one of them is very impactful … it’s the clear memory of dad ‘appearing’ at the end of our street in the Northern English town of Oldham … and he was carrying on his shoulder, a kit bag, just like the one in my lead photo above! I think that that pictorial memory was my very first one. What a memory!

Later, when growing up as a boy in the 1940s and 50s I also remember many of the war-time songs that carried on over the air-waves for years (and in fact, still do even now, from time to time). I hear them in TV shows & movies, and more significantly, I find myself still singing them today as I hum the tunes or sing the lyrics of these all-time oldies … memories indeed!

Examples of war-time songs, with singer-performer names:

Wish Me Luck (as you wave me goodbye) by Gracie Fields The White Cliffs of Dover by Vera Lynn Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters Lili Marlene by Anne Shelton We’ll Meet Again by Arthur Young and Vera Lynn Sing as We Go by Gracie Fields A Hot Time in the Town of Berlin (When the Yanks Go Marching In) by The Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby

And the one I choose to feature in this story today is … ‘Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag (and Smile, Smile, Smile)’.

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag and smile, smile, smile:

This song was sung during World War II, was a World War I Marching Song. It was first published in 1915 in London. Written by Welsh songwriter George Henry Powell under the pseudonym of “George Asaf”, it was set to music by his brother Felix Powell.

Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag And smile, smile, smile. While you’ve a lucifer* to light your fag**, Smile, boys, that’s the style. What’s the use of worrying? It never was worth while. So, pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag And smile, smile, smile.

Notes re * & **: * Lucifers were early self-igniting matches that could be lit by striking on any surface (as opposed to safety matches which only light against the material on the side of the box). With an initial violent reaction, an unsteady flame and unpleasant odour and fumes, lucifers could sometimes throw dangerous sparks. Extra info: Matches are still referred to as lucifers in Dutch.

* A fag is the slang word for a cigarette.

The song’s theme is an emphasis on how to deal with your troubles … “Don’t worry” … “What’s the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile”… “Pack up your troubles”. Just “pack ’em up … they’re not worthwhile … and don’t worry”

And the song uses the military symbol of the kit bag … the carrier … to reinforce the image of ‘putting things out-of-mind’, or at least ‘in perspective’. Now there’s a phrase: ‘Putting things into Perspective’

Finally on this point. Please forgive the poet in me, but here’s my re-write:

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag And smile, smile, smile. Put them in perspective in your old kit bag And smile now that’s the style What’s the use of worrying It’s never worth your while So, put things in perspective in your old kit bag And smile, smile, smile.

The end! But wait … there’s more. You can read my story about ‘infecting the world’, by using this link.

***********************

“Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag” * is written by Fred: writer on Medium * * * * * * © Fred Ogden 2022 * * * * *

* * * (Feel free to share it on social media if that’s your scene) * * *

You can also Clap & Comment (via icons at top or bottom of this article)

******************************************

NAVIGATION PANEL: TO EVERYTHING FRED: (clickable links)

• All You Need to Know About Fred (including an Index to Fred’s Stories)
• New Index to ALL Fred’s Story Collections
• Get Fred’s new stories delivered to your email inbox … There’s no charge
• Fred’s Email: [email protected]

******************************************

• Follow Fred on Medium: 👉 Fred’s Follow-button (top of all his stories), and he’ll click YOUR ‘follow’ button if he finds your stories appealing.

******************************************