In this episode of The A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine dive into the wonderfully absurd world of In the Quartermaster's Stores - the endlessly versatile, delightfully chaotic list song beloved by soldiers, scouts and singers around the world.
They trace its murky origins, from WWI army camps to RAF hangars, scout campfires, and even the Spanish Civil War, where American volunteers sang it on the front lines. But this quirky tune leads them somewhere unexpected: straight into the gleefully anarchic world of 1930s and 40s British comedy, and the brilliant duo Murgatroyd and Winterbottom. Lili and Tom shine a spotlight on Ronald Frankau and Tommy Handley - two broadcasting pioneers who pushed the boundaries of taste and satire on the BBC. From saucy songs that were banned from airwaves to iconic catchphrases that united the nation during WWII, this episode is a love letter to double acts, ration jokes and the peculiar humour that helped people endure the unendurable. Expect mystery meat, enormous rats, surprise verses and the joy of hot jazz with harmonies. SPOTIFY PLAYLIST You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a REFERENCES Tricity Voguehttps://www.tricityvogue.com/ The Club for Acts and Actors (C.A.A.)https://www.thecaa.org/ Ian Fleming's War Servicehttps://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/Ian-fleming-royal-naval-intelligence-department Operation Mincemeat (Musical)https://operationmincemeat.com/ Operation Mincemeat (Film)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1879016/ Murgatroyd and Winterbottom Documentary - BBC Radio 4 Extrahttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010hncl Nicholas Farnkauhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Frankau Daly's Theatre, Londonhttp://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DalysTheatre.htm Ronalad Frankau and Montre Crick - Don't Let's Sing About The Warhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymUfxxdnHiY&t=6s The Cabaret Kittens, Folkestone Poster (1923)https://www.leaspavilionarchive.org.uk/performance/the-cabaret-kittens-3 Leas Pavillion Redevelopmenthttps://leas-pavilion.co.uk/ ITMA - It's That Man Againhttps://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/july/its-that-man-again Kite Balloons in WW1https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/balloonatics-during-the-first-world-war-1914-1918/ Blackadder Goes Forthhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096548/ The Sheet Music Coverhttps://www.sheetmusicwarehouse.co.uk/20th-century-songs-i/in-the-quartermasters-stores-al-and-bob-harvey/ Box and Coxhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_and_Cox_Publications In The Quartermaster's Stores - Murgatroyd and Winterbottom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0knM6-8PKI&list=RDG0knM6-8PKI&start_radio=1 Jack White & His Band from The Astoria Ballroom (1938 - 1941)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyM4bAJSQ3o Astoria Dance Hallhttp://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/AstoriaTheatreCharingCrossRoad.htm In The Quartermaster's Stores - Jack White and his Bandhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsrQw4sojzc&list=RDBsrQw4sojzc&start_radio=1 In The Quartermaster's Stores - Al and Bob Harveyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHzuNSxhuMU&list=RDJHzuNSxhuMU&start_radio=1 Tom Wild - I Don't Want Kids (I Just Want Pets)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubceB3ZQUU0 WWII Efforts of Laurel and Hardyhttps://dirkdeklein.net/2017/12/29/the-wwii-efforts-of-laurel-and-hardy/ The Tree in a Test Tube (1942)https://youtu.be/VBXJDisAwmw?si=YxfkmdZfHRSiB5Uf Arthur Askey - Bandwagon (Episode on Spotify)https://open.spotify.com/album/5MLcabNRriGGEQSuCAdOqd?si=veb-Ph75TOqFfr2E7Jn42g Jack Warner and the C.A.Ahttps://www.thecaa.org/jack-warner-c/ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro00:50 Catch Up02:45 Q = In The Quartermaster's Stores08:38 Ronald Frankau15:01 Tommy Handley21:16 Discussing the Sheet Music22:32 When Did We Discover the Song?24:23 Discussing the Lyrics and Music29:44 Discussing Recordings: Murgatroyd and Winterbottom31:53 Jack White and His Band35:01 Al and Bob Harvey35:35 What's Our Favourite Recording?36:15 If You Liked That You'll Like This41:08 Mentioned in Dispatches41:28 Teaser for Next Week41:55 Outro SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS You can follow the podcast on social media:http://instagram.com/warsongspod https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod Find more information about Lili Redman here: https://liliredman.com/https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/ https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil Or Tom Carradine here:https://www.tomcarradine.com/https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine CONTACT THE PODCAST If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at [email protected] to be "Mentioned in Dispatches". LISTENING LINKS Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318 If you've enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if you'd leave a review and make sure you've subscribed and turned on notifications so you'll never miss an episode.