Another delighful case of "one good memory deserves another" (which is, of course, the "
raison d'être" of this Thread).
clicker,
"I'll tak' the high road and ye tak' the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye " (or, in this case, Easdale ! Hope it was worth the trip).
Apart from the loss of your blue skies, fluffy white clouds and aeroplanes to watch, and having to spend all your days chained to a tube "in durance vile" in some dark dungeon from which you rarely emerged, blinking, into the light of day, and under the scrutiny (like polar bears in a pit) of visitors (as it now seems) on a balcony, it can't have been too bad. (Admittedly, the fact that Area Radar gave the Thread MPN11 [or was it the other way round ?] is to be applauded) ...... But West Drayton was in London (all right, Middlesex).
As no serviceman under star rank (with family) could afford to live in/near London those days (is it any better now ?), West Drayton was a no-no for most people in the Branch, and I was always glad to have avoided it. Is Swanwick (Hampshire) any better ?
Why not put it somewhere in the Midlands or North ? (there
is human habitation North of Watford, after all). Don't all the inputs come in by landline or microwave link ? so it could be anywhere in the UK (or is there something I've missed ?)
End of rant...D.
Chugalug,
We've missed you on here and were starting to get worried. Welcome back !
You may be interested to know that one of the "Y" adaptors you recall from your boyhood is alive and well, and is functioning in our garage as I write (I have the input to the trickle charger wired up with a bayonet plug to the side outlet). IIRC, your Mother would have had a pull switch on hers, too, so she could switch out the light, but still keep ironing.
The snag in the arrangement was the wattage of the iron, which usually blew the 5A fusewire in the box. But hey, what's the problem ? Stick in 15A wire ! As this was long before PVC insulation and metal sheathing, and I
think they had rubber (perishable) insulation and silk sheathing in the old "spider wiring", electrical fires were by no means uncommon.
Well do I remember the old round pins in the 5A and 15A 2-pin and 3-pin plugs. When you only had a 3-pin plug for a 2-pin socket, you dismantled the plug, took out the two pins and pushed them (with no insulation at all !)
into the socket (it was a good idea to make sure the socket was "dead" before you started, and to instruct the family to keep their fingers off afterwards
).
Even more perilous "short cuts" (no pun intended) were common practice as an alternative to that method. When you wanted to connect something up, but didn't have a plug to fit, you simply fed the bare wire ends
into the holes in the socket (for the round-pin plugs had no "shields", such as are actuated by the flat earth pin in modern plugs *). To secure them, you twisted a bit of paper as a wedge, or used matchsticks. You need to connect two cables ? Twist the bare ends together, insulate with the black, tarry, insulating tape in universal use then. It'll last for years !
Note * : (You can defeat that too.
Poke a pencil point into the socket earth, push down and back to open the "shields", proceed as before.
And the shields will spring back and trap the insulated part of the flex, so you don't need a matchstick).
It will be no surprise to learn that the prudent householder always kept a card of fuse wires and a small screwdriver in the fusebox (as I do myself to this day), and a torch nearby. Your parents' generation lived dangerously even before the war !
Electric razors were on the market in Southport as early as '46. I bought one, it was of the reciprocating blade variety, it cost me two guineas, it was useless (but the little pigskin pouch was nice). Since then, I've had one or two of the same kind (a Braun was good), but finally settled on the rotating blade Philips. Won't change now.
Re: The First Practice Pan ("unaccustomed as I am to Public Speaking") recalls a similar situation (Don't remember where) with the Tannoy. This has mikes in ATC, SHQ ? - and the Guardroom. Here a Tannoy had to go out urgently, the Corporal was busy on the phone. The slip of paper was handed to an airman (defaulter ?) close by. "Put this out !"
He cleared his throat, nervously keyed the mike and quavered:
"Stand By for Broadcast"...(deathly pause)..."
What the f#ck do I say now !"... (which brought the house down all round the Station)
No need to worry, D. and family will come back from the snow sound in wind and limb (if somewhat lighter in the wallet)....D
ricardian,
To put it another way, it's because it
works that it gets to
be old technology ! . ....D.
G'night all, Danny.