The Lamp Lighter

[John F Collier]

#6 Part of my duty's was to collect horse manure for dads tomatoes etc, I used to keep an eye out for the milkman and coalman most of the tradesmen were still using horses. Dad built a chicken run so we had our own eggs and the occasional chicken, one of mums cousins "Alec" came to stay with us as a lodger. There was a chicken to be killed for eating, my dad always killed them by turning their head and a quick pull it was quick and clean. Alec insisted on doing the deed for this chicken as he knew all about it, he wrung the chickens neck "several times" and eventually he pulled it's head off. It was a horrible thing to see, he dropped the headless chicken and it ran straight at me I ran away and it followed for a couple of yards it really scared me, as I was only eight years old at the time, that is a true story. So when they say "Smart Alec" and "running around like a headless chicken" I know just what they mean! Our estate was built 1875- 1900 and the original gas lamppost were still in use well after the war
I can vaguely remember a man billed as the tallest man in the world lighting a cigarette from a gas lamppost as a gimmick about 1950. JC

[John F Collier]

#5 It seems there are a lot of us on this site that remember these things Fouro, and a good job too as it reminds us of our roots and who we are,
and I'm sure most of us are proud of that. "We come from the Salt of the Earth" cheers, JC

[j.sabourn]

Should have become a lamptrimmer on a ship Marian, and kill two birds with one stone. Would by now have been a long time redundant as such a rank went long ago. How about settling for the Genii ( jeany) of the lamp. Get to wear baggy pants. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

My Great grand father lived in Sunderland and up to his death in the late 50's he had gas lighting in the house. I can recall him taking a long taper, lighting it from the fire then lighting the lamps with it.

[j.sabourn]

Still had to put money in the gasmeter though. Cheers JS

[Richard Quartermaine]

In the 30s we had a kerosene table lamp and a hurricane lamp for inside and outside. The blackened lampglasses were leaned with newspaper and the wicks with a pair of scissors. On the old ships I sailed there were lamptrimmers.
Richard

[Ivan Cloherty]

In the 30s we had a kerosene table lamp and a hurricane lamp for inside and outside. The blackened lampglasses were leaned with newspaper and the wicks with a pair of scissors.
Richard

Was still using those until 1951 Richard, no electricty, gas or water in our condemned 300 year old cottage, the only place we had to live after being bombed out three times. Of course we still used those oil lamps on British coasters in port well into the 60's, quite dangerous when climbing down a 30 foot icy ladder in the dark onto a darkened ship with a couple of bevvies down you, and of course there was no heating on as you stumbled into your cabin from the snow and ice laden decks outside. No elf n safti in those days

[Jim Brady]

My Great grand father lived in Sunderland and up to his death in the late 50's he had gas lighting in the house. I can recall him taking a long taper, lighting it from the fire then lighting the lamps with it.

The mantle was very fragile if you touched it and it broke you ended up with a Bunsen burner effect.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Keith Tindell]

remember as a child living in very rural Hampshire, my dad was in service, as it was known, as a gardener,and the cottage that came with the job had no electrics, and no main drainage, it was just a large galvanised bucket sitting underneath a wooden box with a toilet lid. The contents were buried in the garden at the bottom of a large hole dug by dad. He grew some fantastic veg in the garden over the years. Shown to bed by paraffin lamp at night,and mum cooking on the old coal stove with an oven on its side. What a difference the world we live in now, from 70-80 years ago, KT

[cappy]

yes kieth and we moan about things now ........was in a coal burning galley once it was hard to keep a constant temp but .....the grub was always cooked as it should have been .......i guess human beings will moan how hard things are in a thousand years ....if they are still here......regards cappy