WARBRIDES-L Archives

Archiver > WARBRIDES > 2005-01 > 1107111508


From: "Joan Reichardt" <>
Subject: Re: [WarBrides] Bath night on the prairies 1946
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 12:11:37 -0800
References: <41FA87C2.6090002@telus.net>


Hello, everyone, I loved the 'bath night on the prairies'. I could just
visualise that 'piece by piece' version of a nice soak in the bath!
Michelle made a reference to 'brittle' washing recently and that sparked a
memory for me.
For some strange reason, it was the accepted practice that no matter how
cold it was, laundry had to be hung out on the line - not to dry, but to get
frozen as that made it whiter or so they said. So on washday (or every day
when there was a baby using - what else - cloth diapers) that was what we
did. I had the luxury of running water, hot water, and a wringer washing
machine, but it was still no 'piece of cake'. First the wash had to be
carried down to the basement, where the washer lurked, then it had to be
filled with hot water and soap and load after load of carefully sorted
washing added. Each load had to be put through the wringer into the tub of
rinse water, then through the wringer, into the clothes basket and carried
upstairs. Then it was neccessary to clothe oneself warmly, including
gloves, for the trip out side to the clothesline. The laundry in the basket
had to be pre folded and pre sorted as it would freeze into a solid mass if
you left that until you got outside. Sheets went on first, shaken out and
attached with at least 4 clothespegs, which promptly froze solid onto the
line, and so on through 6 sets of sheets and pillowcases (in my case) and
countless towels, tea towels and all the rest of it. This entailed several
trips in for another load - and to thaw painfully cold fingers, and took
most of the morning. In the late afternoon, before it got dark, this
procedure was repeated in reverse, and the rigidly frozen item steered
carefully back into the house to thaw out and dry. Bringing in a sheet was
something like manouvering a large sheet of plywood, and even prying the
items loose from the clothesline was a challenge, and of course, you could
count on a brisk prairie wind one or both times. I remember struggling to
bring in a suit of long underwear, taking the door a bit too sharp and
literally snapping off a leg! I managed to reattach it but one leg was, of
course, shorter than the other, but still worn by my very tall husband, with
many compaints about the gap between underwear bottom and sock top. I
remember that all the baby blankets, and many diapers, had frayed corners
from having to be practically chiselled off the blooming line! It it a good
job we were young and healthy! Joan
----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 10:43 AM
Subject: [WarBrides] Bath night on the prairies 1946


> Shortly after my arrival at my mother-in-law's house, where we lived for
> 6 months in one room, my husband said he would go and get a bathtub so
> we could have a bath. Well, that gave me a bit of a jolt. How would you
> go and get a bathtub? Weren't they upstairs somewhere in a bathroom? I
> had not realized that there was no sewer and no plumbing to speak of. I
> had been introduced to the outdoor toilet. but didn't dream that bathing
> would be a problem also.
> He came back into the room carrying a metal tub about 2 ' square. I
> immediately knew it would be an impossibility to sit in that. He warmed
> the water on the stove, transferred it to the tub, stripped off and sat
> down with one leg in and the other outside the wash tub. He scrubbed his
> upper body then the leg that was inside the tub. He then put it outside
> the tub and the other one inside to wash it. It was quite a procedure.
> After drying himself and dressing he carried the tub outside and dumped
> the water on the ground. Then it was my turn. I was embarassed.
> I had been sitting on the bed watching him with amazement. We had never
> seen each other naked, always turning off the lights and undressing
> before clambering into bed. Now I was expected to have a bath in front
> of him. How different from today where nudity is viewed so differently
> and sex is such an unfettered procedure.
> Oh yes, and about that sink in his mother's kitchen. I flooded the floor
> before finding out that there was only a bucket under it which had to be
> taken outside and emptied. :-[
> .
> We had a War Brides meeting yesterday with 16 out of 26 members present.
> During lunch (Crab Melt or Shepherd's Pie, rice pudding or Jello for
> dessert) we discussed the phenomena of bathing in those metal tubs.
> One'girl' said that they had a long tub so they could stretch their legs
> out. I thought of her husband struggling outside to empty that! We
> decided she was a very privileged person, a plutocrat no less, and
> laughed about it.
> We also remembered that the soap fat coagulated on the tubs and in the
> dishpans when we did the dishes. It was ugly goop. We loved detergents
> when they finally came along.
> Sometime, I will tell you about doing the washing.
> On a sadder note: many of the elderly War Brides have walkers, canes,
> crutches or wheel chairs to get around in. One husband who was there
> last month to bring his wife to the meeting wasn't there this month -
> another one gone. Yesterday there were only 2 husbands waiting for their
> War Bride wives to take them home after the meeting, mine and Irish
Mary's.
> Someone mentioned that the War Brides have a 'spit in your eye attitude'
> . She is darned right - we have earned it.
> Hazel in Alberta, Canada.
> My writing is copyrighted These are excerpts from my (as yet)
> unpublished book, but still my writing. Thanks!
>
>
>
>
>
> ==== WARBRIDES Mailing List ====
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Burtonwood Association http://www.burtonwoodbase.co.uk
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>

This thread: