Choir Notes

Keep Calm and Carry On

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4287

On July 10, 1940, German bombers and fighter planes filled the skies above England, launching brutal air attacks that would last through October. The Netherlands, Belgium, and France had already fallen, and the German war machine now aimed at Britain, with the intent to cripple the country and break the spirit of the British people prior to German occupation. But while the Germans pummeled the land, destroying mercilessly, they never took control of the British Isles.

To allay fears of German invasion, the British government printed posters to serve as a rallying cry to bring out the best in its citizenry. One of them, written in white capital letters on a brilliant red background with King George’s crown at the top, read "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.” Since the invasion of England never occurred, the posters saw limited distribution.

But a few years ago one of the original posters was found in a Northumberland bookstore. Suddenly, the call to "keep calm and carry on” had new life. The message of resilience has since resounded in the hearts of British citizens and people everywhere. Whose life has not taken unexpected turns? Who hasn’t faced days of disappointment, discouragement, and loss? juggled a series of setbacks? or had to address seemingly insurmountable challenges?

Those five words are a quiet, calm, authoritative voice of reason, suggesting we downplay the drama, set hysteria aside, keep steady, exercise restraint, and rely on the strength within to keep going. "Never give in. Never, never, never, … never give in,” Winston Churchill admonished the British people.1

Though today’s wars may not be waged on our doorsteps, their effects are still real and often personal. And the sufferings and traumas of everyday life are real and never ending. We can be beaten or we can rise above with the resilience reflected in the stirring admonition to "keep calm and carry on.”

1 Churchill, ed. Richard Langworth (2008), 23.