The words have been credited to Fred Godfrey in 1917 set to music composed by Robert Kewley, however, early versions of the song may have existed amongst British military personnel in the 1880s in India.
It was first recorded by George Formby, Jr. in 1940, and it has been covered by a number of other artists including Gracie Fields and Vera Lynn.
However, questions remain if he actually wrote the lyrics as he claimed, furthermore his service record indicates that he only joined RNAS in January 1917.
[4] However, Chelsea Pensioners who were interviewed by author Lewis Winstock indicated that the song was already current in the last decade of the 19th century.
[5] The song later gained popularity among British and Commonwealth troops during the Second World War, and with a change of lyrics became a patriotic tune after being performed by singers such as Gracie Fields and Vera Lynn.
[1] Some sources credited the song to Jimmy Hughes, Frank Lake and Al Stillman.
The song was a reaction to the widespread rationing of tea, sugar, tobacco and other goods due to the drastic drop in imports, particularly from Britain.
[8] It poked fun at Ireland's Taoiseach Éamon de Valera and Minister Seán MacEntee who were blamed for the shortages and rationing.