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Covers To Sheet Music For Two Patriotic First World War Songs

Two covers to patriotic sheet music. The first features a vertical Union Jack over which near the top the words “The Best Old Flag On Earth” is prominently printed. The second cover, also predominantly red, white and blue, features the song “I’ll be a long, long way from Home”.

Sources: Best Old Flag on Earth: York Space, York University, Ontario.

I’ll be a long, long way from home: Digital Archive Ontario

During the First World War, patriotic songs were composed to promote recruitment, celebrate the Canadian troops, boost war morale and encourage public support. The fact that so many songs of varied quality were composed and published for sale as sheet music prompted the Canadian Music Trades Journal of October 1916 to state, “The present war has been productive of almost as many songs as casualties. How many casualties have been caused by the songs is not known. Some of the latter are veritable atrocities.”