Invercargill March

The Invercargill March is a march written by Alex Lithgow and named after his home town of Invercargill.

The Invercargill rates alongside the other of the world’s top marches - John Philip Sousa ‘Stars & Stripes Forever’, Kenneth Alford ‘Col Bogey’, and Johann Strauss ‘Radetsky’. It is especially popular in the United States of America being a top favourite of the US Marines. It was the Regimental March of the 56th Infantry Regiment of the New York Guard during World War 2.

In his book 'Invercargill - 150 Years' Lloyd Esler's opening sentence reads ... "Invercargill was done a fine favour by Alex Lithgow who named his famous march after his boyhood home. The Invercargill March is possibly the best advertisement the town has ever had as the work is a brass-band favourite and the word ‘Invercargill’ is whispered amongst audiences worldwide. There is only one Invercargill in the world - this one".

This internationally famous tune was written by Alex Lithgow who attended Invercargill Grammar School (now Middle School).

When Invercargill hosted the national Brass band contest in 1909, Alex’s brother Tom asked for a test piece for the contest and Alex offered this piece to the city. On the music he wrote ...

In the 1920’s words were written to the tune by an Australian Frank Baker Murn, a postmaster. Murn's wife Edith Murn was a recording artist for the Mastertouch piano roll company in Sydney, and since policy was to print words on the rolls for sing-a-longs wherever possible, Murn often obliged by writing lyrics when none were available. Local radio announcer John O’Connor featured these words in his broadcasts.

"Though I've sailed o'er seas and wandered far from homeland There's a yearning strong that calls me back to my land Where in boyhood days I used to laugh and play Then life to me then it seemed was all play free of care Joyous hours I remember all my pals of good old school days And our motto 'Play the Game' 'twill serve you always.

I long for my old home-town to greet with hand-clasp all friends so true The memories of boyhood days throughout the years will never fade And someday I will return to mountains high and green leaf'd fern 'Twill always be so dear to me my land so free in Southern Seas With its emblem in the sky 'twill greet me as my ship draws nigh.

Invercargill 'tis the only place that I adore And my dear old pals I long to see them all once more Soon my ship will be a-sailing o'er the deep blue sea To my dear old home, the gem of all the Southern Seas."

External link

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE0XN_Fe-U8 The Invercargill March as performed by the band of the United States Marine Corps]