THINGS YOU DON'T SEE ANYMORE (Part 1)

wiggy · Post by **wiggy** » Wed 19 Mar, 2008 8:55 pm

arry awk wrote: The BB Hymn was 'Sure and Stedfast' (Words correct!)I was in the 10th Leeds Coy at The Woodsley Rd Methdist(I think) Church! Had to attend every Sunday. Was in the 'Lifeys' too prior to that. 'Miss' used to line us up and each lad had to showhis hands and then his knees, to see if we were clean!.Sent home if she spotted mucky hands or knees! I was glad to progress into the BB when we could wear long trousers! I left in 1943 to jointhe Army Cadets (2nd.Battn. West Yorkshire Regt). I was a year underage but they let me join 'cos dad was in the army! Havedescribed my uniform issued from the Corn Exchange, previously. See Corn Exchange thread.More things you don't see (much!);From the train alongside the tracks, A wooden 'cutout' of2 painters carrying a long white plank with 'Hall's Distemper'printed on it.Station platform adverts for 'Mazzawattee' tea.and Fry's 'Five Boys' chocolate in a penny machine.Punched leather window straps in carriages to adjusthow far the 'drop' window opened.3rd Class compartments on trains.Pocket sized magazines like London Opinion andBasinful of Fun,which nearly always contained a nudelady,artistically posed!Scammel Scarab(?)dustcarts with 'up and over' liddedcompartments for the dustmen to tip the galvanisedbins into. Also, Dustmen actually sweeping up anystuff they spilled on the floor!Water carts which sprinkled the streets to lay any dustBikes with roller-lever 'stirrup'brakes and Miller dynamolighting sets. The dynamo actually knocked 10mph off yourspeed when it dragged on the side of your tyre! Dynohubswere an improvement!Auxilliary car parking lights ,compulsory on all streets and roads.These clipped on your 'wind up 'windows,white lens to the frontand red to the rear. Saved the car battery because you didn't needside and rear lamps left on all night.More later!Arry i think you rather like my little thread 'arry,don't you?

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Wed 19 Mar, 2008 9:15 pm

Women(usually)beating carpets using a purpose made(whicker-work?)beater.They were hung over the washing line in the street,the carpets not the women.Knocker-uppers.Long before my time.

fevlad · Post by **fevlad** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 9:42 am

stevief wrote: I can remember Morris Minors having an unusual indicator.It was a yellow 'pointer' which stuck out from the window frame between the front and rear side windows.I don't know whether it'Lit up at neet' but it was barely noticable in daylight. they were common on all cars.they were the first things to break

fevlad · Post by **fevlad** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 9:42 am

stevief wrote: I can remember Morris Minors having an unusual indicator.It was a yellow 'pointer' which stuck out from the window frame between the front and rear side windows.I don't know whether it'Lit up at neet' but it was barely noticable in daylight. they were common on all cars.they were the first things to break

Si · Post by Si » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 10:17 am

fevlad wrote: stevief wrote: I can remember Morris Minors having an unusual indicator.It was a yellow 'pointer' which stuck out from the window frame between the front and rear side windows.I don't know whether it'Lit up at neet' but it was barely noticable in daylight. they were common on all cars.they were the first things to break I think they were called "trafficators." Yes, they were illuminated. Probably got broken on the back of cyclists heads! Wartime German military VWs had them. Luckily not seen much in Leeds!

chomic · Post by **chomic** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 4:08 pm

stevief wrote: Do Boy Scouts still do 'Bob-a-job' or the decimal equivalent?Proberbly not,it'd asking for trouble these days.Talking toothpaste.My Grandad used something called Euthymol (I think) it was pink and tasted strange.Bath time.(Once a week!)We used to have a real sponge.Apparently they're an endangered species now.Never been a smoker but I can remember petrol fired cig.lighters.The Barber used to sell small plastic ampoules of petrol for re-fills and flints. I use Ehthymol toothpaste. Still readily available at the supermarket. It tastes great.

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 7:52 pm

Hi Wiggy'Course I like your postings! Why do you ask????No offence caused.I hope?Trafficators. Lucas had them in their 'B90' Exchangescheme along with startermotors,dynamos (B4 alternators!)wiper motors etc. Biggest part of my sales turnoverin the 50's and 60's Much cheaper than paying for New units and we had to collect the old units to return to Lucas.Euthymol. Used it for years cos it didn't contain fluoride, one of mypet Anti's! If they ever 'fluoride' Leeds' water I'll emigrate!More things not seen now?Kids knocking on neighbour's doors at Whitsun asking for 'apenny (or more!) for my new clothes!'Effeminate (soft) boys called 'Laddilass!Home made petrol lighters. Working in the maintenance dptat Marston radiators Armley Rd(part of ICI then),in 1944/5.Rumour had it that firms turned out more cig lighters thanplane parts in the war. Not far wrong! Some great Lighterswere fashioned (Under the bench) out of odd scraps of brass.The popular one was a Bible complete with a raised cross. The 'works' folded inside the bible cover.which had a black leathersurface!. I made a lighter out of a section of 1/2" copper tubewith a copper disc one end (Soldered) with a hole for the Wick.The bottom end was a threaded copper bush with a washer and screw in plug, You could buy the wicks and a 'standard' containing flintwheel,flint, spring and end screw,and solder it to the sideof the tube with the spark gap inline with the wick. 'Pool' petrolwas kept on the premises so the 'lighter' was craftily dipped intothe tank. I went with mates to the Lyceum cinema that night andDecided to use my new incinerator! Nearly set the Lyceum on fireaspetrol had leaked thru the wick hole and shot a flame a foot highin the air. I managed to smother it and got thrown out! The petrol refils you could buy for 1d, theywere in a gelatinesealed tube and calle Tyreseules I think.

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 8:35 pm

Laddielass!

I'd forgotten that one. Things you don't see now. Hmmm. Blokes 'standing on the corner watching all the girls go by'. I remember my uncle doing that. The whole extended family WALKING miles to the park and having a mass game of cricket. Women shouting choo-woo! Having a cotton hankie up your sleeve for school or silver sleeves for those who forgot. Hospitals smelling of disinfectant [hmmm, thereby hangs a tale]. Kids with a sticking plaster over one eye of their specs. Kids with 'polio leg' - one very much thinner than the other. Old people with rickets bow legs. Men with cauliflower ears. Penny ice lollies. H shaped TV aerials on everyone's roof. Women routinely walking round with curlers in under a headscarf.

oldleedsman · Post by **oldleedsman** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 10:02 pm

* Old ladies with transparent plastic rain hats that folded down to almost nothing.* Old ladies with smelling-salts in their handbags.* Old ladies with string bags that seemed to expand indefinitely, bulging with the daily vegetables.* Getting fresh meat from the butchers, wrapped in white or light-brown paper.* Cashing a cheque at the butchers when the banks were closed.* Buying loose biscuits from large metal boxes (where was the hygiene?) at the grocers.* Women under huge hairdryers, like mega beehives, for hours on end at the hairdressers.* No self-service (grocers, greengrocers, petrol garages, etc.).* 'I've got a tiger in my tank' tails attached to the back of bicycle seats.* making toy men from pipe-cleaners (or were we just very poor?)* Mr Potato Man kits* Returnable bottles at the grocers

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Thu 20 Mar, 2008 10:34 pm

fevlad wrote: stevief wrote: I can remember Morris Minors having an unusual indicator.It was a yellow 'pointer' which stuck out from the window frame between the front and rear side windows.I don't know whether it'Lit up at neet' but it was barely noticable in daylight. they were common on all cars.they were the first things to break They were called "trafficators" my Austin A30 had them, the only way I could get them to work was to bang on the door pillar!In the driving test you had to demonstrate that you could give the relevent hand signals. Right arm straight out of the window for a right turn, right arm out of the window and moved in an anti clockwise circular motion for a left turn, and right arm out of the window and moved up and down for "I am about to stop" I used hand signals thoughout my test because I thought if the examiner saw my faulty "trafficator" he'd fail me.