George Henry Powell | |
---|---|
Also known as | George Asaf |
Born | April 27, 1880 St Asaph, Wales |
Died | December 3, 1951 Hove, East Sussex, England |
(aged 71)
Occupations | 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.