Sedayne: I think you are at risk of reading too much into your contact who didn't recognise certain songs. Johnny Handle was a miner, as was Jack Elliot, and they clearly did know those songs. There would be many miners with no interest or knowledge of "folk" songs. Those whose life was centred on the church, for example. Temperance followers would not know songs which were sung in drinking centres. So some people know the old songs, many don't. I'm sure that was every bit as true when this old hat was the latest fashion.

Cyril Tawney has something similar to say about songs in the navy. Where, when, and how they were sung.