Editor:
As an “old-timer from the U.K.” I am amazed and puzzled at the current mad dash to the stores to buy hordes of toilet rolls!
In the “good old days” of the ’30s and ’40s, the end of the Great Depression and six years of wartime, money was short and luxury items were either short in supply or totally unavailable. Rationing that was in force ensured that what was available was shared fairly, according to family size (each member of the family had their own Ration Book of coupons).
Visits to the “biffy” (outdoor John or toilet, as there were no bathrooms in most homes) was an adventure in itself. First, it was tiny and cold, usually next door to the coal bunker. One usually would have a quick trip and return to the house as quickly as possible, but … that meant you missed the pleasure of relaxing with your own “toilet paper,” which was comprised of torn squares of paper from the local Weekly or the Radio Times, which provided you with reading material, albeit incomplete, for you would read to the last word on the top square, only to find out that the next square did not necessarily follow the same subject reported. A real mystery! Radio shows such as ITMA (It’s That Man Again with Tommy Handley) or Monday Night at Eight, which always included a mystery story told by The Man In Black, left you wondering if you had missed anything else that was good.
At the conclusion of your visit to the biffy, you would use one or two squares for your tender rear-ender hygiene, and leave the rest for the next reader. What fun!
Ralph Meyer, West Sechelt
