A Song of the Stokers (1917)
There are plenty of songs about jolly Jack-tars,And in praise of our Tommies who fight in the wars ;
And the're all very well in their various ways,
But no one, as far as I know, sings in praise- Of the stokers-the grimy old stokers,
Who shovel and sweat in the heat down below ;
But we are the lusty boys we are the dusty boys,
We are the beggars who make the ships go. You may call us the greasers, the ash-cats, or the black-squad,
But we earn every penny they pay us, by God.
Of gunnery expert you make such a fuss ;
They'd not be much account if it was'nt for us. Were it not for the stokers, the foul mouthed stokers.
Who shovel and sweat in the heat down below,
For we are the lusty boys, we are the dusty boys.
We are the beggars who make a ship go. When after long steaming, and coal ship is nigh,
Each commander to diddle the flag-ship will try.
For it means lots of swank and credit to him,
But nobody thinks of the beggars who trim. That is done by the stokers, the coal dusty stokers,
Who shovel and sweat m the heat down below,
For we are the lusty boys, we are the dusty boys,
We are the beggars who make the ships go. When the bugle sounds action, the foe's ships in sight,
Then who is it who brings you hot-foot to the fight.
Who gives you the speed to keep up the fight,
without which you wouldn't be able to shoot. Why the stokers, the much maligned stokers,
Who shovel and sweat in the heat down below,
For we are the lusty boys, we are the dusty boys,
We are the beggars who make a ship go. Dangers always alongside, unheard, unseen,
From the wandering mine to the stray submarine.
And should it occur that the ship's going down,
We've a choice to be scalded to death or be drowned. Small hope for the stokers, the battened down stokers,
Who shovel and sweat in the heat down below ;
But we are the lusty boys, we are the dusty boys,
We are the beggars who make the ship go. So when peace is declared, later on, if you please,
You captains will get M.V.C's and C.B.'s
Be so kind as to give them a tip, at Whitehall,
And say as to honor, we don't want them all. But give some to the stokers, the over worked stokers,
Who never complain though we don't get much show,
For we are the lusty boys, we are the dusty boys,
We are the beggars who make the ships go. This was made up by two stokers on our deck.-Stoker T. R. Parfrey, 36 Mess, H.M.A.S. Australia, in the North Sea. Notes From the Victorian Newspaper Port Fairy Times and Macarthur News 14 Jun 1917 p. 2.