The "Royal Air Force March Past" is the official march of the Royal Air Force (RAF). RAF redirects here. ...

The original score was completed by Sir Henry Walford Davies in 1918 for the new RAF; it combined the rhythm of the bugle call of the Royal Flying Corps with that of the Royal Naval Air Service. The call appears in both the introduction and the coda. The second part of the march past, the trio, was composed by Sir George Dyson. Sir Henry Walford Davies (September 6, 1869 - March 11, 1941) was a British composer, who held the title Master of the Kings Music from 1934 until 1941. ... A bugle call is a short tune, originating in a military context. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Personnel of No 1 Squadron RNAS in late 1914 The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of World War I, when it merged with the British Armys Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to form the Royal Air Force. ... Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ... The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa is considered amongst the greatest marches ever written. ... Sir George Dyson (1883–1964) was a well-known english musician and composer. ...

In 1943, authority was given for its performance in Canada as the "RCAF March Past". The march has also been adopted by most other Commonwealth air forces. The RCAF March Past was the official march of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and is currently the authorized march of both Air Command and the Air Operations Branch of the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, and the Air Force Association of Canada. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as The Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ...

Lyrics

The following are the lyrics, composed by Davies. It references the motto of the RCAF and RAF, "Per Ardua Ad Astra" (Latin, "Through adversity to the stars"). A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

RAF March Past

Through adversities we'll conquer.

Blaze into the stars,

A trail of glory

We'll live on land and sea

'Til victory is won.

Men in blue the skies are winging

In each heart one thought is ringing.

Fight for the right,

God is our might,

We shall be free.