Jack’s Wednesday guest post makes it on time again – –

I don’t know if this is common, but I often have tunes or songs pop into my head, unbidden, from time to time every day. Yesterday morning it was a song by Cyril Tawney called ‘Sally Free and Easy’, and it brought back memories.

When I was in my late teens, and living in my hometown of Dunfermline, where there was a nearby royal navy base, the tiffies (naval artificers) would get the bus into town on Friday and Saturday nights. They headed to the local dance halls and pubs.

Cyril was in the submarine service of the British navy and must have been to the local dockyard many times, and must have taken the bus into town.

In those times I also frequented the pubs and some of the dances and a particular girl was always around. Her name was Marie and she was my first encounter with what Wendy and I now call a ‘china doll’. She was always immaculately made up and immaculately dressed! We weren’t exactly friends and she clearly didn’t see me as a ‘catch’, be we would occasionally chat amiably (actually she frightened the bejasus out of teenage me).

So I wondered if Cyril had met Marie and if she was the inspiration for the song. There is some information that he was also based at times in Gibraltar and there really was a ‘Sally’, but still I wonder if maybe – – –

Here is Cyril Tawney singing Sally Free and Easy – https://youtu.be/HNqQAz3srDg