h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

By the way Frank i have just bought in a sale a real Tin Bath. I have heard thousands of amazing stories about the dam thing in front of the fire i decided to buy one.This one apparently has had one good owner, two handles at each end and well clean. The salesman was trying to sell me his Grandma, but finished selling me the bath.

I bet you could tell me a story or two about them, across the yard hanging on a nail, draging it in like some 'Hermit crab' filling it up and then having to be the last one in its dirty depths of black water. You can borrow it if you want to Frank, just let me know? regards beniton

Thanks for the offer Beniton but no thanks. I had my wack of those things in my early days living in a house well over 150 years old and still there by the way, I am not, though it has happy memories when I pass that way.
Being the first born and Mothers pride and joy when we were not at loggerheads, we were both determined personages, I got first water. This was followed by my sister, mum, dad, the dog and a couple of the weeny's if the season was right. Those little pigs sure did squeal, they probably smelled the bacon pigs who were also scalded and shaved in the same bath during the killing period. They were dead of course when the went into the boiling water, the bacon pigs I mean not us lot and the weeny's.
When we finally got a bathroom it took wild horses to get us out and Dad often had to re-hang the door after I had battled to get in there.
Tin baths have their place in history but that is where they should stay. My Uncles and cousins at Brancepeth said their happiest day was when the pit head baths opened, I knew what they meant.
I might add they also came in handy when we had second picked a field for potato's. After the main picking we would go over it and get many bags of potato's to feed the pigs all winter. My job was to tip the spuds into the tin bath and scrub them with the yard brush, they then went into the boiler and were boiled until tender. I then binned them to be served with the other foods for the next few days, I also nicked a couple off the top of the boiler and sneaking in for some butter would have my little snack off them too.
The pigs by the way ate only the very best including Sparks waste cakes and bread plus Lemon curd waste from Pumphrey's jam factory, add to this vegetable from the garden and it was no wonder Dads bacon was declared the best in the area. Most people fed the pigs fish meal or the official government food which was all the gatherings from canteens in the area and not very nice it tasted the bacon.
So hang your bath on the wall by all means it has had its time and served its purpose in keeping this chap clean and healthy whether I needed bathing or not.
Regards Frank.

Frank

We had a tin bath also but only used for us when we were kids, in Leytonstone, east London. At some point we had a bath and a gas geyser installed, an infernal machine with many bangs and groans and smells.


Harold Pollins

After interviewing so many veterans with images of them and the tin bath. I have thoughts on some of you lads lying in one smoking a pipe reading the papers, listening to the old wireless. A totaly British concept chaps beniton

No way Beniton,
I have a full shower room which I dive into and out of quite rapidly each morning and as many times as required during the day.
At our age time is of the essence and lounging about in tin baths is not conducive to saving time.
How did we keep a pipe alight with a dog and two weeny's in there with us? the mind boggles.
Regards Frank.