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PLEASE HELP - - IDENTIFY THESE

The aim of this site, is to illustrate the songs, music, ditties and all the musical yarns, one liners, shouts or special phrases that have actually been sung or used by the sailors of the Royal Navy. This project has originated, because these naval ditty songs along with the unique language associated with them, are in danger of being lost for ever. - I therefore challenge all ex RN sailors to contribute to this project and thereby save our heritage for future generations.

Girls What is a Sailor Double Click on Graphic

Although there are many songs on the web with a maritime theme, very few of them can truthfully be said to have ever been used by sailors of the Royal Navy.

- In the 'Andrew', we have our own traditions, which musically speaking, are structured upon certain types of song. Songs that are in popular use, either in our Sods Opera concerts and messdeck song sessions, or in our everyday life.

• The Sods Opera is essentially a ships concert which might be a formal thing with stage and costumes, but more generally refers to a ad-hoc sing-a-round in bar room or canteen, where the old traditional and favorite entertainment songs are featured. As with the music hall of days gone, these can be humorous, very sentimental ballads, folk or story song, and more often in recent decades are heavily spiced as the men get into their cups, with the bawdy items, which are so loved on a sports run.
• Songs of everyday usage, tend to express the 'moment' of a situation or the mood of the singer, and often incorporate spoken one-liners or short dits.
• Finally and closely related to the everyday song, sung as we wield a broom or squeegee the bathroom deck. There is a third type, which is often used in a work situation. Not as some might think to regulate the rate of work, but more to comment upon the situation.
  
  Such songs are used to 'gloat' or remark on an oppo's misfortune, perhaps a long anticipated run ashore. Similarly they might be an aide memoir to a steamy, whilst locating pipe runs, the navigator to spot the headlands of bonny England, the leadsman to mark the progress with a heaving lead and the Gunner to time his salutes.
  
  In such context we can think of one sailor setting of ashore, another doing his dhobying and a third singing an accompaniment to the bugle call for 'flying stations' etc. All choosing perticular songs which are kept only for such occasions.

In order to illustrate these properly it is our general intention to provide within the finished work and on the site generally, information on the usage of each song or ditty, noting how and when it would generally be performed.

In order that this might be done with any authority, it is evident that my own memories and observations within the service, collated over 28 years, are insufficient. I therefore desperately need your assistance, to provide depth and colour to that information. So please enjoy a couple of hours, wandering around these pages. But afterwards as your mind inevitably travels back to those halcyon days - When you sat on the focsle in the evening watch, with flying fish landing amongst the links of the anchor chain etc. Or remember, that sudden flash you get as the tropic sun sets in its majestic array of colour, please remember that we need to know the songs you sang.

On the other hand, Your memories may recall those prickly sweaty times, you crawled in the bilges, cursing the chef for putting sweet corn on the menu, as you freed a blockage in the sludge tank.
What ever the situation, misfortunate or trials. Please don't say; "What a plank, he ought to have got that right", please criticize the site and tell us where we go wrong. Please correct the errors and the omissions, although band width, often is a limiting factor. When we choose which songs are illustrated, Bur please remember, we need to pass these songs and memories on to our grandchildren. They will one day ask what was it like, and here we hope you will be able to share those experiences.
Also don't forget those short one liners , that tumbled off the tongue during moments of stress; Perhaps, as we cursed in the scran queue when there was only a gooey looking pasta left, or at the sight of fried cockroach's amongst the chips on your tinplate.
All your comments, are wanted such as tose made when the cutlery, disappeared into the gash chute, or those calls at the Crown & Anchor board or the Tombola session, or the names we gave to eggs on toast.

Shipmates Missing Life at Sea Double Click on Graphic

As you read these pages and you recall those almost forgotten moments, Please send those memories, fragments and odd verses Into us here - at info@navysong.co.uk Please do not assume somebody else will know a more complete version. THEY DON'T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In every case, you can be assured that the songs illustrated on this site, have either been taken directly or auto biographically from the 'voice' of the Royal Navy sailor.

The idea is to compile, not only the lyrics, those elusive tunes, but also when and how each was used in performance, so that we might attempt to date and catalogue there usage. So please! if you recall any song, dit. etc. being used, please email me with its details, hopefully telling me where and when you sang it, even if you see the same or similar here, that information is of great value.
Also most importantly if you recall any song being used in the execution of your duties. PLEase PLEAse PLEASE tell me about it - songs like 'She has a Face Like a Mess Deck Scrubber', (of which I only have fragments) or perhaps it was something very saucy, performed at the work face.

If anybody recalls -

• Coaling Ship please tell me about it!
• If like myself, you ever sang a Shanty for a special task, what was it?
• Have you ever holystoned (On your knees) the quarterdeck, we are seeking evidence of the last occasion when this was done???
• Do you recall any CHANTS for the Crossing The Line.
• Sung Naughty Words at Church Parade or to a Marching Tune.
• Tell us what songs were sung at a Banyan and what games or sports were used.
• Or on Tropic Evenings with Flying Fish coming over the bow.
• Do you have a description of how - or a scan of a photo of when the Hornpipe was danced.
• Uckers Shouts - See Games Section
• Names we called the Scran - Tinkle Tinkle little Spoon,
• Tombola Calls - Games Section

Please any input no matter how seemingly trivial is bound to be the missing piece of this jigsaw.

PS Does Anybody know the full text of the Gunners call "Fire One .etc. etc..."

I welcome contact wih all of you and would enjoy hearing your opinion on the site. Remember communication is a two way thing - I am also here to help you remember those lost lyrics - We do extra-ordinarly well at it.

Finally - Remember even well known songs existed in many different variations.
As some ships have their very own version of 'Uckers', so they also had their own songs and versions of songs.
So you old China fleet and Home Fleets hands. Please help with this information, which probably only now rests with you, and may well pass over the bar without being recorded for future generations.

~~~

You can pass any information on to me here at this site to info@navysong.co.uk or see the CONTACTS page for more details -

Just to have the information on why a song was sung would be sufficient, but to have a few words or even a poor rendition of the tune would be the equivalent for me of once again, participating in an up-harbour night at sea after a long deployment.

Thanking you in anticipation, Yours Aye,

Barry E. Scott

Who Am I -
Barry E. Scott is both the Editor and Author of this site. He Served in the Royal Navy between 1964 and 1993, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer . During his time in the Andrew, he collected the Naval Ditty Songs that were being sung around him. Since 1980, he has been actively contacting other ex RN's for assistance in preserving the songs and ditties of the Navy for future generations and has amassed information on several hundred items from biographical sources.

What Happens to this Collection -
Please Follow the link - COLLECTION on the Navigation Bar