Henry Castling (19 April 1865 – 26 December 1933) was an English lyricist of

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

songs.

Biography

Castling was born in

Newington, London Newington is a district of South London, just south of the River Thames, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey. It was the location of the County ...

, the son of a street musician. He began writing songs in the 1890s, often collaborating on both comic and sentimental songs with Arthur J. Mills. They had their first success with "What-Ho! She Bumps" (1899), sung by Charles Bignall, followed by "Just Like the Ivy" (1902), performed by

Marie Kendall Marie Kendall (born Mary Ann Florence Holyome; 27 July 1873 – 5 May 1964) was a British music hall comedian and actress who had a successful career spanning 50 years. Biography Kendall was born Mary Ann Florence Holyome on 27 July 1873 in ...

.Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, , p.152 By 1907, he had started to collaborate with another writer,

Fred Godfrey Fred Godfrey (17 September 1880 – 22 February 1953) was the pen name of Llewellyn Williams, a World War I songwriter. He is best known for the songs " Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty" (1916) and " Bless 'Em All" (1917), a 1940s hit reco ...

, on songs such as "I’ll Tell Tilly On The Telephone" (1907), "Meet Me, Jennie, When The Sun Goes Down" (1907), "I Want You to See My Girl" (1908), and "Take Me Back to Yorkshire" (1910), which was later used by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

in his 1933 film ''

Cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass trail ride by a company of riders. The focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display. Often, the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. Often, a cava ...

''. Harry Castling (1865–1933), ''Fred Godfrey Songs''
Retrieved 16 July 2020 One of Castling's biggest successes was "

Let's All Go Down the Strand "Let's All Go Down the Strand" is a popular British music hall song of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, written by Harry Castling and C. W. Murphy. It was first performed by Castling, and was published in 1909. It was inspired by the S ...

" (1910), written with

C. W. Murphy Charles William Murphy (14 February 1870 – 18 June 1913) was a prolific British composer of music hall and musical theatre tunes. Biography He was born William Murphy in Manchester, England.Lamb, Andrew. "C. W. Murphy, Edwardian Song Compo ...

. He also wrote "Are We To Part Like This, Bill?" (1912) with Charles Collins; "

The Tanks That Broke the Ranks Out in Picardy ''The Tanks That Broke the Ranks Out in Picardy'' (also known by the shorter title of ''The Tanks That Broke the Ranks'') is a 1916 song written jointly by Harry Castling and Harry Carlton. Overview The song celebrated the introduction of the ta ...

" (1916) with Harry Carlton; and, several years later, "Don’t Have Any More, Mrs. Moore" (1926), written with James Walsh and performed successfully by

Lily Morris Lily Morris (born Lilles Mary Crosby; 30 September 1882 – 3 October 1952)Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, , pp.252-253 was an English music hall performer, who specialised in singing comed ...

. Castling became destitute in his later years. He died in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

in 1933, aged 68.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castling, Harry 1865 births 1933 deaths English lyricists