Sunday Song Book - Onward Christian Soldiers

Onward, Christian Soldiers

Heather Allington

Heather writes for Sunday Song Book on behalf of the The Salvation Army Oshawa. As a lifelong member of the Army, she has loved these familiar - and some less familiar - songs for many years, and enjoys researching and writing about their origins. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired elementary school teacher who likes trying her hand at watercolour painting and poetry writing.

Onward, Christian Soldiers

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle, see His banners go!

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!

Sabine Baring-Gould wrote this song for children, with the melody by Sir Arthur Sullivan. Born in Exeter, England, Sabine spent much of his childhood travelling around Europe with his father. His schooling was inconsistent, but he did graduate from Cambridge. He was considered a brilliant and self-taught scholar. He wrote numerous hymns, poems, articles, tracts and books. The Monday after Whitsunday in 1865, in the town of Horbury, the village children were to march to a neighbouring town for a Sunday School rally. Sabine found no martial hymn for them to use, so wrote this one. It is an interesting coincidence that this was the same year that the Salvation Army, with its militant style, began in England.