Pat Hanna's version of the iconic First World War song 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres' (aka 'Hinky Dinky Parley Voo') continued the tradition of adapting the words to express the experiences of soldiers during the war.
The authorship of the original song has long been disputed. Edward Rowland and Canadian composer Lt. Glitz Rice have been named as the creators, as have Englishmen Harry Carlton and Joe Tunbridge. Another British song writer, Harry Wincott (aka Alfred James Waldon), also claimed to have written it.
Some versions of 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres' are believed to have involved up to forty verses. During the course of the war and beyond, these verses were changed and adapted by countless people, mostly soldiers, thereby serving as a way for them to reflect on and articulate their thoughts and experiences. According to Melbert B. Cary Jnr:
'Every incident of local importance could be lampooned, and was. The song grew exuberantly and spontaneously. No one will ever know how many verses were improvised, sung and subsequently lost, but they numbered thousands, for almost every [Allied] unit contributed its quota' (p.370).
Melbert goes on to note that several popular topics found common expression, notably the habits of the armies of other nations, the lampooning of officers, the YMCA, and the discomforts of life in the trenches (pp.370-372).
For further details on 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres' and its connection to American soldiers, see Melbert B. Cary Jnr, 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres' Journal of American Folklore 47.186 (1934), pp.369-376.
The first known date field below (1925) refers to the established performance by Pat Hanna (and Pat Hanna's Diggers) of his version of 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres.' It is likely that it was performed by Hanna's troupe earlier than 1925, however.
