Found myself humming an old tune the other day - it was the ode to the Quarter Masters stores - but try as I might only one verse came back- "there were rats - rats - big as bloody cats - in the stores - in the stores anyone remember any more… Cheers
This? http://countydown.x10.mx/html/war_poems.htm The Quarter Masters Stores There were rats, rats, big as bloody cats In the store, in the store There were rats, rats, big as bloody cats In the Quartermaster's stores My eyes are dim, I cannot see I have not brought my specs with me I have not brought my specs with me There was beer, beer, to bring us all good cheer In the store, in the store There was beer, beer, to bring us all good cheer In the Quartermaster's store There was cheese, cheese, rotting, stinking cheese In the store, in the store There was cheese, cheese, rotting, stinking cheese In the Quartermaster's store There was bread, bread, heavy as lumps of lead There was whisky, whisky, the stuff that makes you frisky There were socks, socks, filthy, smelly socks There were tents, tents, full of holes and rents There was rice, rice, full of bugs and lice There were flies,flies, eating all the pies In the Quartermaster's store
Grandad used to sing that, with occasionally very rude lyrics. Dad still does. And so do I, sometimes. Those troopships cast a long shadow .
Around 1936 I went to my first C&BG Boy's Club camp and one of the songs we used to sing round the camp fire was Stores. Thanks for reviving a wonderful memory ! Ron
good day dbf.super moderators.yesterday.04:07pm.#3 re:stores.great video.thank you for posting.brings back memory's.regards bernard85 :icon_spammer:
I've played the tune through quite a few times but it still appears that missing from the official version is the following line; There was butter, butter, scrapings of the gutter. Ah! ........ such wonderful memories ! Ron
I find it very odd that none of the more recent "veterans" have commented on this staple song - what do they sing - something from the beatles no doubt… Cheers
I've also sung this, not around a campfire but when travelling with the school netball team, also "with occasionally very rude lyrics" Apparently it also features somewhere in the old POW based film The Captive Heart. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038396/ Been a long time since I've seen that one.
Tom, that really made me laugh. Good impression of a high court judge. Was trying to find the variant I used to hear on someone's record player. Tommy Handley definitely the one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0knM6-8PKI
You did ask.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROaUE25S6hc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJHoZBJYxI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZu9N8qMKjA
I don't know this one but Churchill liked it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2opqkBjkAPg lyrics: http://www.contemplator.com/england/tarpaulin.html From the Martin Gilbert's Churchill programmes which were recently on iplayer: