Never Mind (If the Antrim Strikes a Mine)

DESCRIPTION: "If the Antrim strikes a mine, never mind, If we're always left behind, never mind. The skipper's name is Lunn, He's as cracked as old Ben Gunn...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1987 (Tawney-GreyFunnelLines-RoyalNavy)
KEYWORDS: ship death derivative
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Tawney-GreyFunnelLines-RoyalNavy, p. 81, "Never Mind" (1 text, tune referenced)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Though Your Heart May Ache a White, Never Mind/"If Your Face Should Lose Its Smile, Never Mind" (tune)
cf. "If the Sergeant Steals Your Rum" (tune)
NOTES [167 words]: The original song of which this is a parody, "Though Your Heart May Ache a While, Never Mind" (sometimes called "If Your Face Should Lose Its Smile, Never Mind") was written in 1913 by Harry Dent and Tom Goldburn. It is similar to the children's song "If You're Happy And You Know It."
Tawney-GreyFunnelLines-RoyalNavy, in his notes to this song, observes that the Antrim never struck a mine, and never had a captain named Lunn. All true, as far as I can tell; according to David Wragg, Royal Navy Handbook 1914-1918, Sutton Publishing, 2006, p. 184, the Antrim was a member of the Devonshire class of cruisers of 1904-1905, and she survived the war.
But I note with interest that another member of this class of ships, the Hampshire, was mined off Orkney and sunk in 1916. And that the War Minister, Kitchener, sank with her. This was a notorious event, which might well cause the crews of the Hampshire's sisters to think about what would happen to their ships if they struck mines. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: Tawn081

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