29-01-2013, 09:41 PM
Just a little story from the past that my father (Arthur) told me.
As I mentioned in earlier post, he started a radio business in late 1920s in West Bromwich which was a typical working class area, where money was tight, but people hung on to their self respect and some little pride.
He had a customer who had saved up for many many months to buy a small radio which was installed on the living room window cill. of his terraced house.
After around 3 months, of joyful ownership, the customer came into the shop with a drawn look of loss and disbelief "Arthur" he said "I have had the radio stolen from home. We have lived there 10 or more years, never had any trouble and we have always left the door open, I can't believe it, whats the world coming to?"
Well some sort of deal was arranged for Dad to go down to the house on a Saturday afternoon and put in another radio.
This was before radios had internal aerials, it was all long wire. The general atmosphere was one of dejection and sadness at the turn of events.
Dad couldn't see where the aerial wire was, but remembered from the first time that it came in through the top of the window frame, he stood on a chair and reached up behind the curtain to grasp the wire. Well joy returned because there was the lost radio, it was jammed up at the top of the window behind the curtain
You have now one guess as to what had happened.
Yep the aerial pole at the bottom of the garden (yard) had fallen backwards somewhat and pulled on the wire and drawn the radio upwards.
They must have used decently strong aerial wire in those days.
