Posted by Owen Roberts on September 13, 2011 at 14:59:12 user OwenRoberts.
In Reply to: Re: Swallows and Shanties posted by Jock on September 13, 2011 at 00:33:06:
Sorry Jock, I can only offer evidence from my own memories.
When I. holidayed in summer in Liverpool, I used to play with the local lads. They used to go to local schools and started back about 2 weeks earlier than I did in my southern preparatory school for the Michaelmas or autumn/winter term.
As a lark, it was agreed that they would smuggle me into their school on the first day of term. As in those days, one went to holiday and played in school clothes (to maximise the wear before you outgrew them), as my friends school uniform policy seemed to be if you were reasonably dressed and had a school tie you could get by.
Anyway I managed to survive until lunch time when I made the mistake of calling it lunch instead of dinner and I expect my accent was not as good as I had hoped, I was picked out by one of the masters and had to leg it through the school gate.
Anyway in the morning break, they did sing shanties and also did so in groups in the streets – especially the ruder versions.
As regards the RN singing shanties, a Liverpool uncle who was a MN officer said that in wartime when he was RNR, they did have shanty competitions with the RN regulars in Liverpool to determine who would pay for the evening’s drinks. I expect this would have been the same in WW1.