 In July 1916 , Dillon was conscripted into the army , but disliked the discipline of regimental life . He applied for exemption on the grounds he had to look after his parents and four brothers , but his claim was rejected . In a later failed attempt , he tried to convince army officials that he was too obese to carry out military duties . On the rare occasions when Dillon was allowed home on leave , he would often indulge in drinking sessions . One night , Lloyd 's friend Bella Burge received a knock at the front door to find a hysterical Lloyd covered in blood and bruises . When asked to explain what had caused her injuries , she stated that she had caught Dillon in bed with another woman and had had a showdown with her husband . By 1917 , Dillon 's drinking had become worse . That June , two constables were called to Lloyd and Dillon 's house in Golders Green after Dillon committed a drunken assault on his wife . Police entered the house and found Lloyd and her maid cowering beneath a table . Dillon confronted the constables and assaulted one of them , which resulted in him being taken to court , fined and sentenced to a month 's hard labour . Lloyd began drinking to escape the trauma of her domestic abuse . That year , she was earning £ 470 per week performing in music halls and making special appearances . The following year , she performed perhaps her best known song , " My Old Man ( Said Follow the Van ) " , which was written for her by Fred W. Leigh and Charles Collins . The song depicts a mother fleeing her home to avoid the rent man . The lyrics reflected the hardships of working class life in London at the beginning of the 20th century , and gave her the chance to costume the character in a worn out dress and black straw boater , while carrying a birdcage . By 1918 , she had become popular with the British @-@ based American soldiers , but had failed to capture the spirits of their English counterparts , and began feeling sidelined by her peers ; Vesta Tilley had led a very successful recruitment drive into the services , and other music hall performers had been honoured by royalty . 
