Rich Heritage and a Bright Future

We are coming, coming full twenty million strong
Bearing the banner of the free! and with united effort, we will
help the boys along, Bearing the banner of the free!
Hold the line, for we are coming, And we'll never, never stop.
Till we all go 'Over the top, top, top!'
'Till we all go Over the top.'

First stanza and chorus, Hold the Line

The National World War One Museum and Memorial opened two new exhibits this month. "Images of the Great War: European Offensives 1914-1916," showcases an array of artwork from the early European theater. In "The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919," volunteer contributions from everyday Americans who assisted in sustaining the Allied Powers in the early years of conflict are highlighted.

A quick search of the Library of Congress website revealed a Brookfield connection to the music written about World War 1.  Shown here is the cover of, "Hold the Line Bearing the Banner of the Free" published in Brookfield in 1918 by A. Spalding

Additional Links

• Visit The National World War 1 Museum and Memorial for additional information on the exhibits.
   
• You can view and download the sheet music from our website. (The file is 1 MB in size, so allow time for it to download.

Library of Congress Citation: Maxwell, G. & Spalding, A. (1918) Hold the Line Bearing the Banner of the Free. [, monographic. A. Spalding,, Brookfield, Mo.:] [Notated Music] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2009371057 .