Wrong note
I do not know who Lady Vere de Vere, Ermyntrude, Violet, Ethelwyn or Maud were, but the following lines “And Christobel [sic] rang up to say, Come round to lunch at Holloway, O Naughty One Mayfair Her feeding tube she wants to share, With Naughty One Mayfair” clearly refer to Christabel Pankhurst, co-founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union.
One can only hope that Messrs Arthur Wimperis and Monckton were unaware of the full horror of force-feeding in prison when they penned this jaunty little number and that the grim reference is missed by today’s audiences when they demand an encore.
JANE ANN LISTON
Whitehill Terrace, Largo Road
St Andrews, Fife