What Shall We Do with a Ropey Squadron?

DESCRIPTION: "We are a ropey squadron (x3), Early in the morning." "What shall we do with the squadron leader?" "Buy him shares in Hawker Aircraft." Other fates are envisioned for flight commanders, sundry pilots, the engineer officer
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1967 (Ward-Jackson/Lucas-AirmansSongBook)
KEYWORDS: pilot derivative
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ward-Jackson/Lucas-AirmansSongBook, pp. 228-230, "What Shall We Do with a Ropey Squadron?" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Drunken Sailor (Early in the Morning)" (tune)
NOTES [171 words]: Most of this song makes sense, but I will admit to puzzling over the instruction to buy shares in Hawker Aircraft for the squadron leader. This was probably Britain's most important aircraft company. Built out of the wreckage of the Sopwith company after World War I, it also owned Gloster Aircraft, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, and A. V. Roe and Company (Avro). Under its own name, it was responsible for the famous Hurricane fighter, and later the Tempest and Typhoon. Gloster produced the Gladiator biplane fighter, but later came out with the Meteor, Britain's first jet fighter. Armstrong Whitworth produced the Whitley bomber, which was not a success, but Avro made the Lancaster, Britain's best heavy bomber, as well as the Anson trainer. So Hawker Aircraft was probably worth an investment, but not the first thing one would think of as an obvious way to become rich. Maybe the authors were thinking of all the prototypes they tried that went nowhere -- the Wikipedia page for Hawker Aircraft has a (long) list. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: WJL228

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography