Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Was it really better ?

Just go back a generation then Granny. Bombs, TB, Polio, no antibiotics to speak of, slum housing, smog and other pollutions from fossil fuels, no NHS, means testing for very little benefits plus much much more.

So it is our parents fault that we now have a health service, cleaner air, a better chance if we get infections, welfare benefits that shouldn't let you starve. Central heating and inside toilets (plus baths), but best of all once we learn to use it is the ability to challenge authority and say no this is not right and we will not accept it.

Talking about baths, I remember having to go third in the metal bath after my two sisters had been in. I was wallowing in soapy ...!! How the hell I ever got clean I'll never know!! But I was lucky!! (Cue 4 Yorkshiremen!!) lol.

I agree with you Helles. Unfortunately the younger people see the wartime years as something from the dark ages and don't realise how much suffering and sad times there were before all the mod-cons came along. I've put that incorrectly because they do understand, as they all did topics on WWII in school, but it probably seems very much longer ago to them than it does to us.

Does anyone remember the the ice cream that came in rolls? It was maybe 2" high and wrapped in cardbdoard. The shop keeper would take the cardboard off and pop it into an ice cream cone. The best ice cream that I remember.
Yummy.

The other thing was liquourice sticks. Not as in 'black liquourice sweets' but pieces of wood. We used to chew on those for ever.

History repeats itself...

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/469813/2.html

"Sticky Lice" used to buy it from a small shop at the bottom of St. Johns Rd. Wallasey Village.

I remember the ice-creame 'bricks' that came in cardboard. The small ones were individual about 2" x 3.5" x 0.75", and went between a pair of Askeys wafers. The bigger bricks were still the 2 x 3.5 size, but were longer - maybe even three sizes of about 4, 6 or 8 inches for the family sized ones. You cut your own thickness - buy the wafers if you wanted or just pop a slice on your jelly.
Apart from vanilla, there was also a Devon cream. Also three flavours in one brick - strawberry, vanilla and chocolate alongside each other. Later on they brought out the ripple type. All were quite hard, quite unlike todays tubs of soft-scoop.

Like I said, History repeats itself...

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/469813/8.html

To be fair, there are a lot of good quality ice-creams available nowadays, much better quality and choice than there used to be. The ones the ice-cream vans used to sell, like 99's, tasted of very little. No wonder they used to smother them with raspberry syrup!

(Wonder why ice-cream vans always played the same chimes? Always seemed to be either 'Greensleeves', or 'Popeye the Sailor Man').

Thanks for that - I'd not spotted it for some reason.

Ice Cream vans by us also played 'The Harry Lime Theme' from 'The Third Man'.

Ah, yes! I remember that one too. Pretty limited repetoir though, all the same.

Maybe it was something to do with copyright laws. Perhaps they only used old tunes?

Remember some kids used to have a "tide mark" round the face or the neck, depended what sort of wipe with a flannel they had before going to school. Ears with spuds and feet like Hobbits. I don't think hygene was top the list for some people, they were lucky to get a feed.

At the risk of going too far OT... The Third Man theme, played by the great Anton Karas. A recording that has some noise over it, but of the many recordings, I think it shows his amazing finger work at its best. Take a close look. Talent or what ???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8jN1treRKQ&feature=related

Its when you think of 4 to 6 kids been bathed in the same water in the tin bath you know why the saying DONT THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER MOTHER has a true ring to it.

Bet you used to fancy Shirley Abicair as well!!

Now you come to mention it .....................