Thanks, MtheGM.

According to my line of thought, Hugill was doing there the same thing that many have done in this thread. I was taking the line for granted and without much other historical context and seeking to guess at its meaning. Maybe I think (I don't!) a "bunch of roses" means a girl's first menstruation in Gambia. Why would I jump to that, though, unless I had some preconceived notion in mind about where the shanty is from?

The many other references to similar "bunch of roses" songs make no hint whatsoever at redcoats. Hugill did not have all those references, but he had some. He chose to relate it to English history, but on only the grounds of a phrase that is by no means exclusive to that context.   

Gibb