Arthur Bliss (1891-1975) showed musical talent from an early age, but his musical training was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, during which Bliss served as an officer in the Royal Fusiliers and Grenadier Guards, being wounded twice and gassed once. While his early music was modernist in style, his later efforts became more conventional and were thought old-fashioned before a re-evaluation of his work after his death. He served as the BBC’s director of music from 1942-44. He was knighted by the British crown in 1950.