Sussex by the Sea

The song became popular during the First World War, having already been adopted by the Royal Sussex Regiment as an unofficial "nick" march. William Ward-Higgs, a native of Lancashire, lived at Hollywood House in South Bersted^[2] for only five or six years.^[1] One version of the tune's origins is that Ward-Higgs grew to love his adopted county so much he produced a marching song in its praise.^[2] In another version Ward-Higgs composed the song specifically for the wedding of his sister-in-law Gladys when she became engaged to Captain Roland Waithman of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment.^[1][2] It may well have come from a poem written by Rudyard Kipling in 1902 entitled Sussex, the final stanza of which is:

God gives all men all earth to love,

But since man's heart is small,

Ordains for each one spot shall prove

Beloved over all.

Each to his choice, and I rejoice

The lot has fallen to me

In a fair ground^[3] – in a fair ground –

Yea, Sussex by the Sea!

The song was published in 1907,^[2] and Captain Waithman performed it in concerts at Ballykinlar Camp in Ireland where the battalion was then stationed.^[1] The song never became the regimental march: this was always "The Royal Sussex". It was, however, the first march used by the Royal Air Force, as their Officers Training School No. 1 was in a hotel in St Leonards-on-Sea. During the re-colonisation/liberation of Singapore at the end of World War II in 1945, the Royal Marine band of the heavy cruiser HMS Sussex played "Sussex by the Sea" as the ship entered harbour.

Enthusiasm for "Sussex by the Sea" goes far beyond Sussex. King Hussein of Jordan would insist the tune be played whenever he visited the military academy at Sandhurst.^[2] The march continues to be played at band concerts all over the world and, despite the Royal Sussex Regiment's amalgamation into the Queen's Regiment and later the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, it is still played on ceremonial occasions.^[2]

"Sussex By The Sea" is the regimental march of the 25th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment, and the 16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment,^[4] Australia.

In 1957, Joe Haddon wrote a two verse version dedicated to Sussex cricket.

Now is the time for playing

Now let your hearts be gay

List what your captain is saying

While off the field of play

So put your best leg forward, my lads

And time each ball you see

If you sing the old song

Well you can't go wrong

Of Sussex By The Sea

Chorus:

Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Good Old Sussex By the Sea

You can tell them all that we stand or fall

For Sussex by the Sea.

Good Old Sussex By the Sea

Their cricket is a pleasure to see

They will give you a show

For they don't play slow

And useful men are they

So when you go to Sussex

Six Martlets men to see

They will delight you all

With the bat and the ball

In the County Ground by the Sea.

In more recent years, the song has been taken up by both Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. and Sussex County Cricket Club. It is the clubs' official song, but sometimes with a changed chorus (often sung on its own, without any verses) - or, more recently, just humming the verses. The song was often simplified to:

Good old Sussex by the sea,

Good old Sussex by the sea

Oh we're going up

To win the cup

For Sussex by the sea.

Since 2011 when the football club moved to Falmer Stadium, a loud, rousing version by the Grenadier Guards has been used as the teams enter the field of play, with the original lyrics of the first verse and refrain appearing on the big screen.

Prior to a league match against Middlesbrough F.C. in December 2014 (during a particularly poor season for the team) a technical fault resulted in the music cutting out for the chorus, but this had the positive effect of the home crowd picking up the song at this point and singing it with far more gusto than previously. As a result, the music has been intentionally cut ever since for the last three lines, which are sung by the crowd alone followed by applause:

... Good Old Sussex By the Sea

You can tell them all that we stand or fall

For Sussex by the Sea.

Christ's Hospital uses the tune as its school march.

Marching through Eastbourne in the 'Sussex People's March of History' of 1939 with banners that included Jack Cade's rebellion in 1450,^[5] the Swing Riots of 1830^[5] and the Battle of Lewes Road,^[5] which was a significant incident in Brighton in the General Strike of 1926,^[6] 400 protesters led by Ernie Trory of the Sussex Communist movement sang the following words to Sussex by the Sea.^[5]

Now is the time for marching

Under our banners red

Rank upon rank advancing

Surely we forge ahead

So let your voices ring comrades,

All you who would be free

And we'll sing a song

As we march along

Of peace and liberty^[5]

• Eastbourne Redoubt – Home of the Royal Sussex Regimental Museum
• Music of Sussex
• We wunt be druv – unofficial Sussex county motto

• See the full words for Sussex by the Sea
• Score of the tune
• The different versions
• Royal Sussex Regiment - history of the march (includes mp3)
• 1915 Gramophone recording