(In The) Quartermaster’s Stores - Murgatroyd, Winterbottom and Wartime Wisecracks
Release Date: 08/02/2025
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info_outlineIn 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 Vogue
https://www.tricityvogue.com/
The Club for Acts and Actors (C.A.A.)
https://www.thecaa.org/
Ian Fleming’s War Service
https://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 Extra
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010hncl
Nicholas Farnkau
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Frankau
Daly’s Theatre, London
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DalysTheatre.htm
Ronalad Frankau and Montre Crick - Don’t Let’s Sing About The War
https://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 Redevelopment
https://leas-pavilion.co.uk/
ITMA - It’s That Man Again
https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/july/its-that-man-again
Kite Balloons in WW1
https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/balloonatics-during-the-first-world-war-1914-1918/
Blackadder Goes Forth
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096548/
The Sheet Music Cover
https://www.sheetmusicwarehouse.co.uk/20th-century-songs-i/in-the-quartermasters-stores-al-and-bob-harvey/
Box and Cox
https://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 Hall
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/AstoriaTheatreCharingCrossRoad.htm
In The Quartermaster's Stores - Jack White and his Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsrQw4sojzc&list=RDBsrQw4sojzc&start_radio=1
In The Quartermaster's Stores - Al and Bob Harvey
https://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 Hardy
https://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.A
https://www.thecaa.org/jack-warner-c/
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
00:50 Catch Up
02:45 Q = In The Quartermaster's Stores
08:38 Ronald Frankau
15:01 Tommy Handley
21:16 Discussing the Sheet Music
22:32 When Did We Discover the Song?
24:23 Discussing the Lyrics and Music
29:44 Discussing Recordings: Murgatroyd and Winterbottom
31:53 Jack White and His Band
35:01 Al and Bob Harvey
35:35 What's Our Favourite Recording?
36:15 If You Liked That You'll Like This
41:08 Mentioned in Dispatches
41:28 Teaser for Next Week
41:55 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 warsongspod@gmail.com 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
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