lyrics of songs sung by women munition workers

[Moriarty]

Does anyone have any sources for the lyrics of songs that were popular with the munition workers? Thanks Paul, just joined the forum

[bobspark]

Looking through my Daily Telegraph dictionary of WW1 Tommie’s songs cant find anything. There is no mention of munitions workers. But it does mention popular music hall songs of the time, and I can imagine they would have sang those. As listed.

HERE WE ARE AGAIN

TIPPERARARY

WHO WERE YOU WITH LAST NIGHT

HOLD YOUR HAND OUT YOU NAUGHTY BOY

HELLO ,HELLO WHOS YOU LADY FRIEND

KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING

IF YOU WERE THE ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD

Sorry I cant be more helpful

[HERITAGE PLUS]

This may be of interest to you.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/458617.On_Her_Their_Lives_Depend

Dave

[seaJane]

A long-ago memory has just lit up in my brain of my nan (mother's mother born 1898) singing "Charlie is my darling" and saying that she'd learned it from girls in the factory. She was living in Lewisham when I knew her and never worked after marrying (1923 when Grandad got back from the Caspian Sea). Some time in the 2000s my mum told me that the factory was in fact Woolwich Arsenal.

I know it's not exactly a GW popular song, and this is only an anecdote... sorry!

[sotonmate]

SJ/Moriarty

....I will join with another anecdote ! When I were a kid in the 50s....! Old George Goater ,who went to the pub on a Saturday night in a smart brown suit and wore what I now know to be a SWB on his right lapel,used to sing, but only after he had supped some stuff,"Goodbye Dolly I must leave you" in the quavering voice that us whippersnappers used to mimic for years after he had gone. I guess this also may have been on the repertoire of the factory girls.

Another thought returns. Last summer on the California coast at Fort Bragg visited a car boot sale and saw a small brown booklet of WW1 songs with all the words. Thought I might buy it but didn't,wished I had several times since.Not that I sing ! There must have been a tale to that book.