This ditty relates to No.120 GR Squadron RAF Coastal Command and was composed about 1941. AIRCREW. We love to fly an aeroplane, The Bay of Biscay, coast of Spain, We treat the Jerries with distain, It's foolish but it's fun. We love to sink a Jerry sub: And cruise around from pub to pub, At clubs we never pay our subs. It's foolish but it's fun. We'd like to give old Hitler hell, And go and bomb Berlin, But since we can't, we'll shoot a line Down in the Gremlin Inn. We stooge around at any height, We dice all day and drink all night, Altho' we know it isn't right. It's foolish but it's fun. We love to take our Waffies out, It took us six months to find out that what they want without a doubt, It's foolish but it's fun. We let them stooge around for us, Until they find they've missed the bus, And even tho' they swear and cus, It's foolish but it's fun. We lead them up the garden path, But never to the church, And then they turn around and find, We've left them in the lurch, They follow us around for miles, And always greet us with their smiles, But how we hate their ugly dials, It's foolish but it's fun. WAAFS They think they've got us on a string, But wait until they hear us sing, We much prefer the fighter King, It's foolish but it's fun. They play around with us like toys, But we will make them lose their poise, For we prefer the bomber boys, It's foolish but it's fun. We like to have them hanging round, But really wouldn't mind, If they posted us to the second front, and left them all behind, We've taught them all they had to learn, And really isn't our concern, And all we ask for in return. It's foolish but it's fun. Do you have a wartime ditty to share?
Courtesy of 75 Squadron (sung to the tune of Lili Marlene) The Lancs of Mepal, they're on their way, Off to bomb the Jerries, they bomb them every day, And when they wish to show their might, They bomb the sods by day and night, The Lancasters of Mepal, the Lancs of 75. Off we go from Briefing and leap into our kite, Open up the throttles and roar into the night, We've left the flarepath far behind, It's bloody dark but we don't mind, The Lancasters of Mepal, the Lancs of 75. There's the bloody searchlights waving round the sky, Not much ruddy power and not too bloody high, I hope they don't start shooting til we're through, They might get me and they might get you, The Lancasters of Mepal, the Lancs of 75. Now we're through the target setting course for home, Soon we'll see the Sandra's waving o'er the 'drome, That's if we don't go off the track, And stop a crafty burst of flak, The Lancasters of Mepal, the lancs of 75. Junkers off to starboard, Focke-Wulf off to port, Gunner calls to Skipper, the range is getting short, Prepare to corkscrew starboard, go, We know our stuff and we're not slow, The Lancasters of Mepal, the Lancs of 75. Now we're in the circuit with a turn to land, No intruders round us, ain't it bloody grand, We fooled the Hun once more tonight, Dropped a load right on the Reich, The Lancasters of Mepal, the Lancs of 75. When the war is over and there's no more ops to do, We'll think of all our pals, The one's who did not get through, The pals who were with us through thick and thin, Thaty we one day the War would win, The Lancasters of Mepal, the Lancs of 75. (Anyone know what the Sandra's were? I assume they're some kind of searchlight?)
Not technically a WW2 ditty, but this song about HMCS Sackville is great (if you like that sort of thing, as I do) http://www.borealisrecords.com/cd_mixed_cargo.html (you can play one of the samples - No 10 - but the song isn't actually "Some Mother's Son". It actually palys "HMCS Sackville") If you want to know about the ship: http://www.hmcssackville-cnmt.ns.ca/history.html