collected from a Uk folksinger who learned it in 1940 from a lady in her 50's. Probably a Boer War recruiting song or Music Hall Song. CHORUS - There were the light guard, cavalry, militia men & volunteers, Queens Bays, Scots greys, some of our infantry, The Royal Marine, the Engineers, The Coldstream Guards, the Fusiliers, One Hundred & Ninth Milia and the Royal Artiliary.

The Music room at the Bodlean Library couldn't help. Expert Roy Palmer - author of the book "What a lovely War" eventually came up with a derivative chorus dating from probably the interwar years but hadn't really seen the song. He judged the tune to be a close cousin of the "Ball of Kirremuir". I reckon a distant cousin. Its a crackin song.