Travelling comical shop

Subject: Travelling comical shop
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 17 Nov 24 - 11:30 AM

A bit of a challenge for music hall experts. I've been reading the autobiography of Warren J Bruce, who worked his way up from messenger boy to Assistant Docks Manager of the Manchester Ship Canal. In his early days (he started work aged 14 in 1894) the office lads used to get together in the "dirty and bug ridden canteen" when they had a bit of a break, and sing songs round a piano. He quotes one of the songs:

She wore a belt whenever she felt a pain in her gooseberry bush,
A commercial vest to protect her chest from cannons on the cush.
She took chloride of lime every time to cure the pippety pop,
Until she became in the what's-it's-name
A travelling comical shop.

Cannons on the cush - that's from billiards I think. It's not exactly Milton, is it?