Talked to Benny Graham who thinks that the original words were performed by the Shiremoor Marras who were on the fringes of the folk scene. He thinks Ed Pickford may have written some topical verses to perform with his band Northern Front or the verses may have been written by Mike Elliot who was in the group at that time. I'll talk to Ed and see if he can throw any light on the subject. I think the Johnny Handle connection may be a red herring, but I do remember him singing it at the time.