HMS Leigh (alias Southend Pier)

An original song written by John Ling

In nineteen hundred and thirty-nine
When we were in our prime
We got called up to the Royal Navy
And there we did our time.

  Now grab your coats me hearties,
  We'll walk the mile to the shore.
  We'll feast on fish and chips and beer
  Then back to watch over the Nore.

We joined the crew of HMS Leigh;
At Southend she was moored.
We all prepared to go to sea
And took our kit on board.

This was a ship like none we’d seen
She never left the shore.
The columns that her deck stood on
Were fixed to the estuary floor.

Our job it was to scan the waves
And look out for enemy craft.
There was no anchor for us to haul
So singing shanties was daft.

Full many ships called in on us
To take on stores and men,
But we stayed put till forty-five
And never set sail again.

Author’s Note: Southend is a town (now a city) on the north shore of the Thames Estuary. The seaward part of the estuary is called The Nore. Southend Pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world – over a mile long. During WW2 it was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and given the secret title HMS Leigh (Leigh being a town that is now part of Southend).