Uncle Albert claimed to have boxed in the Navy; Buster Merryfield used to be a boxer in the Army, where he got his nickname, Buster.
Uncle Albert claims to have been a boxer whilst in the navy. Buster Merryfield was a keen boxer as a youngster and was British schoolboy champion in 1936. He would later be Southern Command army champion in 1945.
The song featured in this episode is "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" by Paul McCartney. Taken from McCartney's 1971 debut solo album, "Ram".
Howard Goorney was in fact almost a year younger than Buster Merryfield, despite Uncle Albert saying he was three years older.
There are curious inconsistencies in the editing of this episode for contemporary screenings. When Del refers to Albert's muggers as "Bastards" the word is edited out, however, later, when Cassandra describes Rodney as being "...full of front and bullshit" it is left intact.