I have just been looking at the poem on Sheffield at WW2, posted by pilon.

My late Uncle (Maurice Fisher) created one during the war. It has remained with our family ever since. Singing it to the tune of 'Bless 'em All', it went thus:-

Some bombers were leaving their stations in France
Bound for old Blighty's shore
They came over Sheffield
And dropped all their loads
On Cockayne's and Walsh's
And C & A Modes
And The Moor and Snig Hill what a wreck
But when we get him by the neck
He'll cause no commotion
This side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all.

Not a bad effort! A TV ad currently uses the wartime song You Are My Sunshine, which brings back memories of Vera Lynn, and also this version of it:

You are my Woodbine,
My twenty Woodbine;
My box of matches,
My drop of Gin;
A bottle of Brandy
Would come in handy.
Yours sincerely
Vera Lynn.

Not a bad effort! A TV ad currently uses the wartime song You Are My Sunshine, which brings back memories of Vera Lynn, and also this version of it:

You are my Woodbine,
My twenty Woodbine;
My box of matches,
My drop of Gin;
A bottle of Brandy
Would come in handy.
Yours sincerely
Vera Lynn.


Hey Peter. I like that one. I have always liked Vera Lynn too. Showing my age now.

I remember a song from the war not quite as amusing as yours but heartfelt- which went:-
There was man called Hitler he had a black moustache
He didn't want the Jews but he wanted all their cash
He marched his troops to Poland to clear the Polish land
The Poles all came to Britain and Britain went to France
Now listen Hitler take this tip from me
Never ever try to cross the British sea
For if you do you'll never never rest
'Cos you are the worlds biggest pest pest pest.

I remember singing this with great fervour as a child.

I remember the following poem, I think it was in the Star
They came from the North land, they came from the South land,
They came from the mountains, they came from the fells
They drilled hard with bayonets and practised with rifles
They practised with mortars and practised with shells.
Now they're fighting our battles and in spirit we are with them,
They're fighting our battles and proving their worth.
They won't all get medals, they won't all get mentioned,
But they're all British soldiers, the salt of the earth.

Not sure if I got all the words correct, but it has always stuck in my memory

It’s not a song, but during the early hours of one wartime morning I arrived at Stoke-on-Trent station to await a connection. I went into the waiting room to find just the one occupier, an American soldier who was busying himself with a few lines of graffiti which said:

As I sit here
And look around
I wonder how
They ever found
A place so desolate and grim
To build a f*****g station in!

And believe me it was desolate, and it was grim!

There used to be a song called '' Silvest ? '' that our family used to sing every Christmas get together. I don't know whether it was a war song but I remember one line that went '' It would take all the army and the navy to put the wind up Silvest''.

Does anyone know the full words to the song?

It used to be accompanied with some actions like YMCA also.

He’s my brother, Sylvest,
He’s got a row of 40 medals on his vest …

Don’t remember any more, it was a long time ago

Treatment- I just Googled and typed in 'My brother Sylvest' and got the full version. Don't know how to copy it- so you could give it a go.

Want to hear some old war songs....listen into Sheffield live, this Friday and 17.30 and sing along.

Many thanks to peterw and nanrobbo, yes that is the song.

When the relatives used to sing it at Christmas I would sneak into the ''Cellar Head'' and get stuck into the crates of Babycham they used to hide there.

Mind you I was only 7, but it's a hard habit to break.

Have you heard about the big strong man?
He lived in a caravan.
Have you heard about the Jeffrey Johnson fight?
Oh, Lord what a hell of a fight.
You can take all of the heavyweights you’ve got.
We’ve got a lad that can beat the whole lot.
He used to ring bells in the belfry,
Now he’s gonna fight Jack Demspey.

That was my brother Sylvest’ (What’s he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells’ fire, don’t push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He’s got an arm like a leg (a ladies’ leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest’.

Now, he thought he’d take a trip to Italy.
He thought that he’d go by sea.
He dove off the harbor in New York,
And swam like a great big shark.
He saw the Lusitania in distress.
He put the Lusitania on his chest.
He drank all of the water in the sea,
And he walked all the way to Italy.

He thought he take a trip to old Japan.
They turned out a big brass band.
You can take all of the instruments you’ve got,
We got a lad that can play the whole lot.
And the old church bells will ring (Hells bells!)
The old church choir will sing (Hells fire!)
They all turned out to say farewell to my big brother Sylvest’.

It’s a traditional Irish song!

Have you heard about the big strong man?
He lived in a caravan.
Have you heard about the Jeffrey Johnson fight?
Oh, Lord what a hell of a fight.
You can take all of the heavyweights you’ve got.
We’ve got a lad that can beat the whole lot.
He used to ring bells in the belfry,
Now he’s gonna fight Jack Demspey.

That was my brother Sylvest’ (What’s he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells’ fire, don’t push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He’s got an arm like a leg (a ladies’ leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest’.

Now, he thought he’d take a trip to Italy.
He thought that he’d go by sea.
He dove off the harbor in New York,
And swam like a great big shark.
He saw the Lusitania in distress.
He put the Lusitania on his chest.
He drank all of the water in the sea,
And he walked all the way to Italy.

He thought he take a trip to old Japan.
They turned out a big brass band.
You can take all of the instruments you’ve got,
We got a lad that can play the whole lot.
And the old church bells will ring (Hells bells!)
The old church choir will sing (Hells fire!)
They all turned out to say farewell to my big brother Sylvest’.

It’s a traditional Irish song!



Peter did it have its own music, or was it sung to a popular tune of the day?

Peter did it have its own music, or was it sung to a popular tune of the day?

Popular tune of the day, but the “fifty bad men in the west” (original) was changed in the English version to include a descriptive word for the colour brown; a word that was banned in Britain a good number of years ago. It went: Killed forty n*****s in the west”

The rhythm of the tune was similar to the theme tune to Captain Pugwash.
(never say Pugwash to an Australian by the way, it means a Bravo Juliet in their slang).

Thanks for that Treatment. You learn something new every day.

Heard about the big strong man.
Great song but form the late 20s rather than the war.

Treatment - Was looking for words for Sylvest - Now see you have them. Whilst looking found hundreds of songs searching in "Campfire Songs"