Heart of Oak

“Heart of Oak” is the official march of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is also the official march of several Commonwealth navies including the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy. Royal Canadian Sea Cadets sing "Heart of Oak" during days of their parades. (It was also the official march of the Royal Australian Navy, but has now been replaced by the new march, "Royal Australian Navy.")

The music of “Heart of Oak” was composed by William Boyce, and the words were written by the 18th-century English actor David Garrick. "Heart of Oak" was originally written as part of an opera. It was first played publicly on New Year's Eve of 1760, sung by Samuel Thomas Champnes, one of Handel's soloists, as part of Garrick's pantomime Harlequin's Invasion, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

The "wonderful year" referenced in the first verse was 1759, an “Annus mirabilis” during which British forces were victorious in several significant battles: the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759, the Battle of Lagos on 19 August 1759, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (outside Quebec City) on 13 September 1759, and the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759. (This battle foiled a French invasion project planned by the Duc de Choiseul to defeat Britain during the Seven Years' War, hence the reference in the song to 'flat-bottom' invasion barges.) These victories were followed a few months later by the Battle of Wandiwash in India on 22 January 1760. Britain's continued success in the war boosted the song's popularity.

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