I´m open to persuasion that there are decent versions of this song knocking about, but the only one that I know was a hit in GB in the sixties by the legendary warbling Aussi, Rolf Harris. God, it was bad......
Having said that, I heard him on the beeb once telling the story of the song and how his father and his uncle both ran off together to serve in the Australian army in the first world war and lied about their ages so they could enlist. I forget how it was but the uncle died in very tragic circumstances and the father came home alone. Anyway, the interviewer cracked up on the radio, Rolf Harris cracked up, and I suspect most of the listeners felt just a wee bit of a lump in their throats too.
Still think the songs crap, though!!
All the best,
J.