Way back, I remember a weird experience which happened at a local club just after the singing of the ferry, "Herald of Free Enterprise" at Zeebrugge.

This bloke obviously wanted to be the first to pen a song on the subject of the disaster. He stood up in yellow wellies, sou'wester and lifeboatman's hat. He started his song:-

"Oh, the Herald of Free Enterprise she sail-ed on the sea...."

Which continued for the obligatory forty two verses detailing the tragedy.

He collared us in the entrance at the beer break and asked "Did you like my song?"

We muttered something complementary as I recall.

He then went on to tell us that there was a young girl, who was thought to have been drowned, but later proved to have survived being washed up alive further down the coast.

"Do you know", he said, "It ruined my song. I had to re-write four verses."

He didn't quite say "They should have thrown her back in!" but this certainly semed to have been implied.