Hi. Have been commenting ref our younger days - great to look back.. Be nice to hear others comments. Lets also perhaps take in things with us now - just for a natter. Raddang. Up to date - ref your painting - why not go for it - there's only a minimum of equipment needed.. As with my photography I am far far from expert at it and certainly do not have that "light touch" - my efforts are all a little laboured but nevertheless you can see where I am going and I find it all very relaxing and enjoyable. Theres some very good artists on site here so advice/help if wanted.
Thinking back we didn't get a TV until I was 9 yrs old. The highlight of the week was to get to go into my Grannie's house in the city and be able to watch a show. We lived in an old 2 story farmhouse - coal furnace, no running water, hand pump outside and outhouse beside the barn WAY down the field, big wooden box of a phone on the wall that had different rings for different houses. Doubt the place had any insulation in it and I remember sleeping under a mountain of blankets and waiting in the morning for my dad to throw some coal into the furnace and light a fire before getting up. I had a myriad of daily chores - up and out to feed the goats, all hand milked and then hauling in the daily drinking water and firewood. Once chores were done I was FREE and I was gone anywhere and everywhere OR I was walking approximately 1 mile to the bus stop to get to school.
My father was in the RE's throughout WWII so most of the time my mother was a 'single mum'. I have so many memories of those years but this one is as vivid as if it was yesterday. I am risking boring you, this is rather long. Monday washdays were always a bit frantic. It was a case of juggling time between lighting that archaic boiler in the kitchen, getting me up and off to school, and keeping a weather eye to see if it was to be an outside drying day or damp washing hung about the house. The boiler was like something from a much earlier age. The kitchen was a single story projection at the rear of the house with a window and back door leading to a small yard. At the outside extremity of the kitchen and across its width were two very small rooms. The first around the corner was the coal store. The second, and only about the same size as the coal store, was the lavatory. The word ‘lavatory’ or ‘lav’ seem more fitting than perhaps toilet or loo. It was cold, unlit, and damp to the extent that whether the toilet paper was on a roll or torn into squares from yesterdays newspaper, it disintegrated in use. That boiler was in the corner that backed onto the lav. It was monstrous brick built thing with a large hemispherical bowl built into it. There was a space beneath it for the fire and a chimney at the back corner. The top was covered with a simple round wooden cover with a wooden handle in the centre. There was a tap at the side to drain off the water after boiling the clothes or to transfer to the bath on bath nights. On one particular Monday morning things were not going to plan. The boiler wouldn’t light, I was going to be late for school and my young brother had obviously climbed out of the wrong side of his cot and had the miseries……. “Just eat your cornflakes and get ready for school and I will get this ruddy boiler going”. Ruddy was as near to actually swearing that I heard my mother say during those difficult years. Things were getting desperate, she re-laid more newspaper and kindling, lit the paper with a match and closed the fire door. She brushed my hair and set my school cap on my head, slightly askew. “Off you go now, call for Kenny, eh! Don’t forget your gas mask; come straight home after school”. I called for Kenny who lived next door, and just then heard my mother cry out. Kenny and I ran to see what was wrong. As a last resort to try to get the fire going Mum had taken a bottle with some paraffin and thrown some into the fire hole. The result was a fireball which removed her eyebrows, lashes, and the front of her hair. Fortunately there was no other physical harm. I think she might have uttered one or two strong words but she soon recovered from the shock and ushered us both off to school. Times were tough but another memory of my mother in that kitchen I will perhaps relate later on…….
Excellent story Raddang. I can SEE IT happening and can relate to the rooms you describe. Your poor Mum too - hope it didn't take too long to get looking back to normal.
Hi islandlife - Raddang. Both your comments very interesting and I also can relate to so much of it - I guess that younger folk if they read this will be amazed - it is typical one way or another (or both) of the average working folks lives at that time. Be that as it may in spite of these difficulties for my money we were all very happy without all the so many stresses happening to average folk in todays so called "progressive" society. We do now have more "worldly goods" and really superb advances in medicine etc but "keeping the wolf from the door" is not easy for many many folk. I think these kind of things described here do open modern folks eyes. My father was in the RAF for all of WW2 - mother was on her own coping with four children and being close to London suffering bombing,V1 & V2 - our house got several "knocks"- one quite bad - fortunately we had the Anderson shelter down the garden and spent many many nights sleeping in it. This of course in addition to the rationing and severe shortages of all things at the time and which went on for some years after the end of war - very difficult for a mum. She did more than well as they all did. Can well remember freezing cold house with often a layer of frost on the INSIDE of the windows in winter - just open grate fires averagely then and coal was rationed. Myself having been demobbed married in 1955 and whilst we saved money for mortgage deposit on a bungalow we lived with wifes parents in a very old cottage - this had no running water but a communal tank in the front garden - fetched it in buckets. This place had the "little house" down the garden and that coal fired brick built with large copper washing boiler. Having moved into the bungalow(1957) had to watch every penny - first TV about 1960 - this a very large wooden cabinet (more like a sideboard)with a tiny 12in screen - kindly donated by a family friend. Can recall my weekly wage at this time was £11 - £12. Just a little of it this but as we all did we got on with it and was happy. Love to here more comments and make a few more myself.
I can remember taking baths in a #2 metal tub and hauling the water to it from the kitchen sink. Also making the walk to the 'outhouse' and remember splitting wood for the wood stove and carrying many, many logs in for it. The first two is not something I remember fondly but I do enjoy a wood stove and wish I had the room for a wood cook stove.
Personally I love wood heat. Spent about half my life with one but not now. Really miss it - nothing like sitting in front of a roaring blaze.
Hi 2ofus - islandlife. Good to see the old tin bath mentioned - that's what we had to use when living in the wifes parents cottage. The water was either heated up in the old brick built clothes washing boiler or else in the front room there was a very highly polished old "Kitchener Stove". You will know the type - it sat in a brick chimney alcove - rectangular shape with the chimney flue pipe at the back - the "firebox" with a barred and half pivoted front ( to load coal through/light etc) was central with a doored oven cooking space one side of it and the other side held water to heat and could be drawn off by a brass tap. Always immaculate and cleaned with a Grate Polish called "Zebo" - I am fairly sure this can still be bought. I love a wood fire and wood burning stoves are very popular over here - love that lovely autumny smell of wood smoke. Many more comments to make and great to hear these Syd.
Syd I could post your comments as my own because it would seem that our experiences were almost identical except your dad in the RAF, mine in the army, Royal Engineers; and we married in '57 you in '55. And ah, the galvanised tin bath. Ours hung outside the kitchen door from a hook on the wall. It was filled on Monday evening (washday) while still nice and warm and soapy. Me and my younger brother first then mum. Only one bath a week BUT, and I think this is a very big but; we weren't dirty but hygiene was far more relaxed than today. We built up strong immune systems and even without the medical attention of today, were generally strong and healthy. One other difference Syd. We had an Anderson shelter in the immediate neighbours back garden that we shared. We were then issued with a Morrison shelter that was erected in the front room. (We lived in a two up, two down plus kitchen terraced house). I did national service in the RAF. I did the extra year to stay 'on the tools' I had just finished an engineering apprenticeship. We were saving to marry and I got about £11 a week compared with the £2 18s 6d of the 2 year conscript. No contest I'm afraid. You have opened a can of worms here Syd, I could waffle on forever.
Ahh the tin bath. Came out once a week for us too. My brother was youngest and got to bath first then me. Quite a chore to carry in and heat up all the water. I'm sure my parents bathed in it too but never saw them. As you say Raddang we were not dirty but hygiene back then isn't the same as today. Wash day was a big one. All the hauling in of water and the old agitator washing machine with the wringers and rinsing in all the different tubs of water. Took all morning then had to haul it outside and hang it all on the line to dry. Fun in the winter bringing in clothes that were frozen stiff and drip dried about the house.
Hi Raddang islandlife all. Really great to be getting all these most interesting comments. I have always counted the 1950's as very very happy years. Ref hygiene we certainly were not dirty - just that living for ordinary folk was more "primitive" then than now - what we did was the norm at the time - as things changed we changed with them. I did my NS 52-54 "In" then into TA and Z Reserve until too old. Raddang ref your 3 years I wondered if that was what you had done. Concerning the "can of worms" delighted theres interest being shown here - others comments would be very welcome - very happy myself to have a jolly good "waffle" - just fire away. Likewise our tin bath hung on the wall outside - galvanising was really galvanising then and it never did rust - standing next to it was the big old cast iron framed Mangle with its wooden rollers - it did a great job - if you happened to be around on washday you took a "turn" on the handle. It really was wash "day". In my last post I mentioned the Kitchener stove - heres further thoughts. The fire was poked/stoked etc through the front bars and having got it good & red it was perfect to make toast or on the ledge in front of it to roast Chestnuts. The toast was made on a long handled brass fork which was always hung next it and the other thing was that in the hearth stood the (almost obligatory) "Companion Set" - a stand (16-18in tall) with domed top - lifting loop and hooks from which hung a poker - brush - small shovel and a pair of coal tongs - all brass and always gleaming. This cottage was 2 up and two down and with low beams in all ceilings - plain vertically boarded well weathered (left natural timber) latched doors inside - it was 17th century I think.The front entrance was straight into the room and immediately inside the door to the right was a very winding staircase. A heavy felt curtain pulled across it all and believe me in winter with that stove alight and the hatches well battened down it was so so snug - with just the light from the fire could not wish for anything cosier. Syd.
HaHaHa! Syd, you beat me to it with the mangle. We had one as well just outside the backdoor. But as we are talking pre-refrigeration days I can add something else to the back yard. Shopping was done as necessary which could mean each day or every other day. Perishables could not be kept for very long and we had a meat safe hanging on the wall outside the kitchen door. This was a tin cabinet with holes perforated all over it. Small enough holes to keep flys out but large enough to allow some airflow. Floors in the house were covered with linoleum and just a rug in front of the fire. That would have been a Readicut rug where you purchased a kit and assembled the pre-cut wool strands with a special hook. That company is still going I believe. My father was an expert and made rugs for beside our beds. I am still in the war years and we had a radio set on a shelf in the corner of the back room. This was powered by a wet cell battery and when that ran down I would have to take it to the electrical shop at the bottom of the road to exchange for a fully charged one. I remember making a crystal set and running an aerial from my bedroom window to the wash line post in the garden. I could then lay in bed and listen to the BBC Home Service, constantly adjusting the crystal and the rheostat. Keep it going Syd and Islandlife, and anyone else with nostalgic stories to tell. I am only around 1940 so far, long way to go yet. Haven't dodged a doodle bug yet
Hi Raddang. Good comments and again I can share them apart from the crystal set. In the cottage we also had the meat safe but this hung in the "kitchen" (north). Lino on the floors - the wet cell battery for the "wireless" which likewise was taken for a charged up one as needed - the "wireless" then was on all the time and so much of it was so very very good - all the different comedy programmes - music etc and above all no adverts every few minutes as now - they drive me up the wall. You could actually spend a lot of time remembering the old programmes we had then. Remember the Brains Trust?. Glad you mentioned Readicut rugs - I very patiently made a couple to go in front of fireplace & bedside.They were genuine Readicut - can remember the kit - patterned piece of hessian - bundles of wool and the looping tool. Took ages it seemed but very good results obtained and would last forever. .
Syd, you have mentioned how our mothers took the major part of bringing up the family when fathers were away in the forces. My dad was untrained and unskilled but for all that he could turn his hand to anything, what we would call DIY today. He had all the tools to repair shoes and did a great job. This is the other little story in the kitchen (or scullery) that I mentioned earlier. There were iron lasts in the shed together with the necessary hand tools and brads to sole and heel shoes. Looking ahead, my father had left pre-cut sole and heel pieces for our shoes. On more than one occasion I can remember my mother sitting on the two steps that led up from the kitchen to the backroom with a last in a wooden holder between her knees repairing our shoes. She was actually very good at it but I am sure my father had trained her well.. In 1941 my sister was born while my father was away, I believe in North Africa. So she had two boys aged 7 and 4 and now a new baby to look after with no other help. Looking back, those left at home deserved medals almost as much as those at the front. I think it is time for me to move forward a bit but just before I do, this is a picture of St Georges Street after a Baedeker raid in 1942. I was about 8 and with some pals would walk down that street soon after the bombing and I can still remember the smell of burning and water but amazingly the Cathedral (200 yards to the left of the picture) was not damaged.
Very interesting picture Raddang. Am more than interested in this thread and hearing your guys reminiscences and stories.
