If Les learnt it in the Scouts that would be 1950s as he's my age. On the evidence above it would appear to have been a staple of the rambling/hiking/scouting fraternity where several such ditties seem to have been disseminated. If, which seems likely, it was printed without tune it would have been set to any tune that fitted. I haven't got a copy of 'Deep Lancashire' but it would be useful to know what tune the Oldham Tinkers used in the late 60s and what the dialect sounded like.