Where was the Alley-Alley-O?

I remember singing this as a child. I googled and got dozens of different explanations:

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-18017,00.html

ORIGIN

There is a bit of mystery behind the origin of the 'The Big Ship Sails'...

However it is thought that the tradional nursery rhyme has strong links to 'The Manchester Ship canal' and the Atlantic ocean.

It is also thought that that the rhyme was sung when the Manchester canal was opened in 1894 with the lyrics 'Ally Ally' referring to the canal passage.

I grew up in Surrey so nowhere near any of the suggestions mentioned in the Guardian article.

Thanks Sparklefizz. I didn't know of the connections to the ship canal which doesn't put me in a very good light as I live very close to it and my late FiL was a foreman on the Salford docks.

Lizbethann

Yes definitely remember that from my earliest first days at school. In fact it was a life saver, before friendship groups were formed there were quite a few of us not quite 5 year old girls, not the boys, rather lost in the playground. Thankfully there was always a "Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O" going on willing to draw in the little'uns.

Also grew up in Surrey and had no idea of where it derived from, but interesting!

I grew up in Surrey as well. We always sang "The Big Ship sails on the Alley-Alley-O" rather than through - regional variation or reference to the Atlantic Ocean?

Septimia

I grew up in Surrey as well. We always sang "The Big Ship sails on the Alley-Alley-O" rather than through - regional variation or reference to the Atlantic Ocean?

Yes, we sang "on" too.
Whereabouts in Surrey? I was in Guildford.

We sang 'on' too I was in Kent!

We sang on as well - Midlands.

I thought it was an ocean.

The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea.
The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea,
On the last day of September.

We all dip our hands in the deep blue sea
The deep blue sea, the deep blue sea
We all dip our hands in the deep blue sea
On the last day of September.

I have sung that to all 3 grandchildren. We used to do lots of actions with it. I learnt the “on” version (Kent)

I grew up in London,all the kids knew it. I assumed it was the Thames but clearly not.

We sang ‘on’. I was brought up in Manchester and went to a primary school in Old Trafford, a stone’s throw from the Ship Canal.

Terribull sweet playground memory there. 😊

Too many answers.
I used to think it wax the Suez canal.

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-18017,00.html

Sorry Spatkle - I went away for ages and see you have posted this.

We sang "down" the alley-alley-o.
Near Urmstongran

I don't know where it was but definitely sang it in the school playground.

I sang ‘on’ as well (Kent)

The captain said this will never ever do,
Never ever do, never ever do.
The captain said this’ll never ever do
On the last day of September.

Our ship sailed through the alley, alley oh.

The big ship sailed on the alley alley oh

sang in liverpool

Callistemon21

We sang on as well - Midlands.

I thought it was an ocean.

Yup, us little’uns too in the Black Country in the 70s

'on': London/Kent, Carlisle, Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, Hong Kong.

I grew up in Surrey too ....... near Redhill!

I had forgotten that nursery rhyme - I will be singing it to my grandchildren now.

Thanks for reminding me