Just re-read my post. I made a statement that didn't make sense:

"He [Hugill] claims VDL was a forebitter, so I don't see any necessary incongruity with MacColl having it on a sea song album."

Scratch that!

I wonder: Why would MacColl have sung VDL on "The Singing Sailor" and not BON? It seems to me an odd song to have gotten from Hugill. Out of all his repertoire, why would Hugill have sung that, at that time (and not kept it in his repertoire later)?

I'd conjecture that VDL was pulled in along with MacColl's other diverse interests.