Then yield the palm of glory,
And stand a drop of beer
To that gay, gallant, promising recruit,
The Brook Green Volunteer.
Punch. February 28, 1846.
This parody refers to the rumours of a threatened invasion of England by the Prince de Joinville, and ridicules the proposals then made to call out the Militia. There was another parody of this song in Punch, 1849, relating how two Grenadiers robbed two French National Guards during their visit to London. The parody, entitled “The Blackguard Grenadier,” commenced thus:—
“Most regiments have some varlet,
Some rascal mean and base,
A stain upon their scarlet,
Their scandal and disgrace.”