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They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

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'Army issue' now there's another angle and I seem to think that I have seen modern day Seals and maybe Firemen also, wearing both belt and bracers. I guess you can't pause to hitch-up your pants in a desperate situation.
 
People had dry sinks then I am told. Which I called a wash stand. I love the old flag stones. The back of his trousers are like a matador's. It's an unusual photo Anne but deeply evokiing of the period.
 
Nice picture Anne, he's certainly got a good lather with that cold water. Looking at the mirror fitted to the wall just at the right angle, it seems that Great Aunt Harriet expected all her lodgers to shave outside.
 
I am unable to attach files I don't know why it just ignores me when I click on the attach symbol. It allowed me to do it before. Oh well.
 
Thanks everyone, sadly the flagstones have gone and the mirror is inside now (fortunately for my husband, and I allow him hot water). I have emailed Warwickshire Life to ask if I can share the article which I am sure you would fin interesting. If they agree I will start a new thread and share other photos including one of Gt Aunt Harriet on her pony and trap and her niece and her husband sawing logs with a cross cut saw ( I think that's what it's called). Anne
 
I have a lovely photo of a ram with a rosette in whats looks like an improptu sheep market. Can't post the damn thing though.
 
oldMohawk said:
Nice picture Anne, he's certainly got a good lather with that cold water. Looking at the mirror fitted to the wall just at the right angle, it seems that Great Aunt Harriet expected all her lodgers to shave outside.
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I'm wondering if the fact that he was shaving outside is an indication of how dark it was inside those old houses.
Those trousers remind me of the ones we were issued with, (SD), when I first joined the army as a Boy Soldier.
 
No Baz, he has several ribbons tied around his tum and a rozette and he lookes to have been sheared. He is a Sean sheep. He he surrounded by old farmers and appears to be adressing the camera saying "does my bum look big in this?"Nico!:playful:
 
Nico said:
I am unable to attach files I don't know why it just ignores me when I click on the attach symbol. It allowed me to do it before. Oh well.
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Hi Nico - Click on the either of the links below ...
It's easy now the forum is using Xenforo ... :)

oldmohawk
 
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No it still won't maybe I need to update my Mac.
At least I have saved the images and I know how to do it.
Regards
Nico:crushed:
 
Re the bracers, my son is in the West Midlands Young Firefighters and his over trousers have braces on them, to stop them worrying about losing them whilst fighting a fire.
Sue
 
For over six months now I have ditched my belt and made a return to bracers again after not using them since the late sixties. Well...you see them more and more these days even on TV news anchor men and young folk in their teens. Bracers were almost universal in the UK up to the late sixties any way. The belt held sway in NA. After a few weeks usage, the bracers are not even noticed on the shoulders and trousers don't need adjusting. Re-discovery is wonderful and complete now.
The dedicated button type are to be preferred I think since clip-ons are not reliable I find. Trouble is...pants don't come with bracer buttons on anymore; here anyway. You have to sew them on yourself. Waist bands do not seem to be stiff enough to put the buttons on the inside and this seems to result in a waist band roll over. It seems to me that the buttons were on the inside and this seems to be a more stylish arrangement. Anyway, I tried the inside but found that the outside worked better. I have plenty of waxed twine around; which works well. You need a sailmakers needle though. All of the British shows have blokes with bracers. Very stylish.
 
Continuing on the bracers theme, I remember wearing them as a kid but with a quick look through my family photos of the 1930s/40s/50s I'm surprised to find my dad and uncles never had a photo taken while wearing them, and neither did I in any childhood photos.
 
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I remember wearing braces as a kid too, which meant that the top of my trousers rested up near my armpits.
(The cry of the times was "Gerrim a soize bigga, 'ell grow into 'em !)
I also used to wear a "snake" belt so I can't have been wearing braces all the time.
 
oldMohawk said:
Its WW2 in Colmore Row and a trilby wearing foreman watches the workers removing railings. Very sharp points on the railings look lethal - no health and safety in those days !
attachment.php

Original post is https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8484&p=459642#post459642
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That gas bottle looks surprisingly modern.
How long have bottles of that type been around, I wonder ?
 
Actually, the above photo confirms what happened to those railings and other photo's on here show the church yard sans railings...just stubs remaining. Waist coats have disappeared pretty much now....they hid your braces. Yeah the one fella has his top button undone to relieve the 'after lunch' waist strangulation. Yeah, you have to put up with that all of the time with a belt. Slacken off a notch and yer pants will fall.
Come to think of it I can't seem to remember belt loops being supplied on pants but bracer buttons were. Later an elasticated waist band was supplied with an overlapping clasp on the front and adjusters at the sides....a couple of buttons worth. I seem to think that this did the job but can't remember if bracer buttons were included for security. Now, here, it is belt loops only. Bracers have the confounded squeeze clip which don't work very well.
An improved arrangement would be to locate belt loops better so that leather bracer thong's could pass through, perhaps.
 
The term Belt and Braces was usually used to mean something was over engineered. Meaning that whilst either a belt or braces would do the job both had actually been used. Going a stage further was the term Belt, Braces and a Piece of string.

However yet another thread is in danger of drifting.
 
The small three wheel vehicle near the kerb of the Kingstanding Circle is an invalid carriage which I seem to remember was propelled by the occupant pushing two long hand levers backwards and forwards. Can anyone else remember them ?
Kingstanding_The_Circle.jpg
 
I remember an old lady with snowy white plaited hair in 'earphones' and NHS specs she propelled herself in one, it had a smart dark chassis like a big pram, we were fortunate enough to have wide pavements that would accommodate her. There was another one I recall seeing about, made of wicker. This would be around 1961. My Nan explained to me what an invalid car was.
 
Sure can Mohawk, I knew a man in Aston who used one and he had arms on him like Charles Atlas. That's what is known as hard labour but if I remember correctly those chairs were considered the Rolls Royce of wheel chairs. Kind regards, David.
 
Yes I remember them propelled by moving handles backwards and forwards. I can also remember occassionally seeing one propelled by turning handles with a cog wheel driving a long bicycle stile chain
 
Say summat nice someone as Little Stretton Sheep in St.jpgGeorge St Tamworth 1920.jpgit't took me ages, one to to post this and two to put it on the right flippin site. Baz likes it anyway.
 
Is the sheep part of some ceremony? The man on the right is holding something in the shape of a cross. Viv.
 
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