• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

The Liberty Bodice

Di.Poppitt

Di.Poppitt

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
They were a strange bit of kit, and I hated wearing one. They had huge buttons down the front, and four to hold up those itchy black wool stockings. I spent most of my childhood 'hotching' up the stockings. I was always told that I was lucky, because some children were sewn into theirs at the beginning of winter, and cut out in spring :!: :!: :!: I envied them, at least they didn't have to get into the tin bath on a Friday night. :D
 
:D Di, my sister and I also wore them too and like you we had put them on and of for a tin bath on Saturday nights. :lol:
 
Hi girls, I too had to wear a liberty bodice, they were made of some flannelette type material with cotton bands about half inch wide sewn at intervals, and they had rubber buttons. I also had to wear a "Chilprufe"
vest or a "St. Margaret's" together with a vest and a flannelette underskirt in winter. I also had those dreadful black itchy stockings which I hated and I was always getting holes in them, another pet hate was three quarter length socks which I used to roll down as I felt like a boy wearing them.
 
Pom I absolutely hated the tin bath, water not warm enough and you felt the cold tin, too warm and I cried :!:

I couldn't remeber what the buttons were made from Sylvia, but yes I can now see the great huge rubber horrors. I used to cobble up the holes in socks and stockings, my mom was not keen on mending anything, and I wasn't keen on the holes. :D
 
When I was little my liberty bodice was all in one and used to shrink in the wash. I can always remember crying my head off cos' it 'urt. Then if we were going somewhere special Mom used to put rags in my hair so that my hair would fall in ringlets, and that b... hurt too. I reckon our Mom was a masochist. I remember once going to a wedding when I was about 13 in a gaberdene mac and black wellies!
 
Oh, do I remember the Liberty Bodice! I think it must have been the juvenile equivalent of a whalebone corset when it shrunk. I did the flannelette underskirt too, and the bloomers with a pocket. I bet all of you girls remember tucking your knicker legs up into the elastic when we went to Aston Park to play tennis or hockey. :oops: Its been over 30C here for the last 10 days and the thought of all that clothing sends me for a cold beer! :wink:
 
:D I remember tucking my dress in my knickers and doing handstands up the factory wall. We had the flannelette underskirts, the chamfer squares pined to those rough vests and those long grey (boys) socks and black lace ups from the B’Ham Mail I think it was. Still the shoes were better than having to put card inside over the holes. Mom could mend shoes 8) , but she only mended shoes that would last another child and as I was the youngest I got the holes. :(
 
You know girls it's a wonder we are still sane. :? In our house you wore your clothes until they fell to pieces, and if the elastic went in your nickers you knotted it to keep them up, and woe betide you if you neded to go to the loo in a hurry.

I had red marks on the back of my calves from wellies, but I didn't get to wear them to a wedding Linda. :D
 
Hope this is the right one.

liberty1.jpg
 
Yes i had to wear a Liberty Bodice not very comfortable. We lived in a modern house that had a bathroom but as children we were still restricted to one bath a week as hot water was expensive! When we became teenagers, there was 4 of us, Dad still used to get cross when we wanted to have more than 1 bath a week! :lol:
 
School uniforms etc.

I think the right order was kaolin [?] poultice, vest and liberty bodice and GREAT big knickers with a pocket. At secondary school we had to wear uniform and mine was brown and yellow. I looked like a b..... wasp. We also had to knit our own socks, again brown and yellow. It's right you know it's a wonder the gals on this site are all so normal and well adjusted :wink: :roll: I would put up a picture of me aged about 5 a proper little red headed angel, but I don't know how to do it. There you are normal, well adjusted and thick. I think Rod is about to blind me with science. :madeyes:
 
I often wonder how today's young women survive without the Liberty Bodice (wonder why it's called that? I should think it represents everything but liberty. The Statue of Liberty in NY doesn't wear one, does she? And as for the French version - well! :shock: )

Anyway, I digress: What I'm on about is all those young creatures going around with dropped necklines and not vessie, never mind a liberty bodice between them, to protect their little chessies from the cold. My word, it's a wonder they don't catch their deaths. :?

"They'll pay for it in later life" - that's what Mother used to say. :roll:
 
The youngsters miss out on a lot these days Paul, not least a good laugh at mom's old sayings:

'Don't forget to chages those underclothes, you might get run over.' :D :D :D
 
Diana.Poppitt said:
'Don't forget to chages those underclothes, you might get run over.' :D :D :D
Click to expand...

Diana,
From what I see that advice is completely redundant today - they don't seem to wear any. :shock:
 
undies!

:D It's just the same here Paul - winter is bad enough but in the summer nothing is too small, or too skimpy. No sun tan lines on these bodies it's all exposed, no matter what your size, or even if you’re pregnant. And the girls have tattoos in the most weird and wonderful places all exposed of course. Now there’s a job for Kandy :wink: – only joking :lol: :lol:
 
I wonder if any of them have thought of having a liberty bodies tattooed on them? That way they could look seductive without the inconvenience of actually wearing one. :wink:

I know what you mean about the tattoos. It makes me wonder what these young women will look like in later years. Even with body piercing the holes will heal if you leave the metal out long enough - but tattoos!!! :evil:
 
I wore pigtails until I was 15, and ankle socks in summer. It's sad that the youngsters lose so much of what is precious. :(

Please don't get me going on piercing Paul - oh those tongues....

Most ladies glow when they are preggy Pom don't you think, but I agree that the skimpy 'T' shirt streched over their bump is not at all fetching. Gone are the voluminous tops we wore, and managed to look pretty good in them too. :D
 
:D That's it though Di they don't pull their tops down over the 'Baby bump' the whole bare belly is exposed here! :(
 
Liberty or Freedom!!!

I remember the dreaded Bodice so well!!! I also had to wear combs underneath the bodice at the Orphanage I was in in Erdington along with "liners" in your navy knickers!!!!!! :oops: Maybe that is why today I can't stand being "bundled up"!!!! But the winters were colder "in our day" weren't they? :?





Remember a hug a day keeps the divorce lawyers away :wink:
 
Oh, liberty bodices....how I hated mine.

When I was four I had to go in Selly Oak Hospital to have my tonsils removed and was disgusted at being put in a baby's cot. There was no visiting allowed either. Anyway, I had to wear my bodice but I was so bored that I pulled all the rubber edged buttons off through boredom.:cry:

I used to wear my hair in bumches then and the nurse would only do one of them so the other side was left hanging.:cry:
 
Rowan I never wore one and Winters were not colder, just about the same as now.:)
 
Alfie,
I sometimes wonder what's going on in your head. This morning I see you've posted on Valentine's Day and liberty bodices!!!!:confused:
 
Worn with style

I wore mine with style lovely and warm,...........:) Alf ,where did you live in the winter.................:D
 
Catkin Aston and Dad had to dig us out a couple of times and where I live now a Bulldozer has had to do the same here:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top