Without looking it up this must be a music hall tearjerker, and I
believe there is a militarised version which appears in "Oh What a
Lovely War". The verses usually begin:
It was Christmas Day in the Workhouse
The Happiest Day of the Year...
Could this have originated as a "recitation"? Certainly not Kipling I
would have said, despite his taste for music hall in his early years!
_____________________________________________
Professor Tim Connell
Division of Languages
Room A2.49 College Building
City University, London EC1V OHB
Tel: 0171-477 8265 Fax: 0171-477 8266
Homepage: http://www.city.ac.uk/languages
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