Where are the Rag and Bone men gone

sb44

We get one around here every couple of weeks or so.

He has a tannoy with a recorded message on his van, it's bloomin' deafening but it certainly grabs your attention.

JenniO

My little one thinks the rag and bone man is saying "Dragon bones?" So we told her they are on a hunt for dragon bones and they just never seem to give up looking week in, week out................She's only 5.

adecor

We get at least 2 every week, but they come round in open backed lorries - they shout out 'old rags'

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

When I was a child at the beginning of the 60s I used to love the rag and bone man coming round.He'd give you either balloons or dolly pegs if you gave him something.I used to make little dolly men characters with the pegs and the fabric scrap box.Much to my grandma's dismay.
The local rag and bone man was quite the celebrity,he used to live in the same street as we did and was absolutely loaded.He had come from a very poor family(gran knew his mum) and had such a good business he'd become very well off.I always remember his wife who was always done up like a dogs dinner.She would even wear one of her fur coats to shop at the co-op.I still remember some of the women,!!!!!ing"fur coat an no knickers".
I sometimes think the councils are more into this recycling lark more for the money than the enviroment.They're certainly not going to be out of pocket are they.

pollypenny

What memories! I remember that my little sister loved the rag and bone man. My mother always had to hunt for something to give him so that sis could have another goldfish, which of course would die very soon.

I wish I'd known that scrap yards would pay for old electrical goods - pretty obvious, really, I suppose.

Abbafan1972

We have one that comes round about twice a week.

MoJo

DKLS wrote: »

The rag trade is alive and well the model has changed, no longer a rag & bone man, but charity bin bags put through your door.

A mate of mine is a rag merchant, and currently drives an Aston and a Porsche, the ultimate in recycling business!.
The rags are sorted and graded, Antique Dealers and market traders buy some stuff, whats wearable is shipped off to Africa, and the rest ground up for industrial wipers, mattress and car seat stuffing.

In Sierra Leone they used to be called 'dead mens clothes'.

Happyroly

I used to rush out and get................. another goldfish :rolleyes:
Happy memories...... and when the icecream man came round you went out to get your glass bowl filled (obviously not the one with the goldfish in )

I think we've been shortchanged in South Yorkshire because I know the back alleys as 9 foots.

geordie_joe

Happyroly wrote: »

I think we've been shortchanged in South Yorkshire because I know the back alleys as 9 foots.

That'll be the council building the houses closer together so they can have an extra street on the same amount of land.

If private developers were building them these days they'd be known as 3 foots!

oldtractor

I've just been watching a programme on iplayer about rooms in the house through history. Our Victorian forebares put us to shame. Veg peelings fish heads and meat bones,all used to make stock. then the peelings sieved out and fed to the pigs. the bones sold to rag and bone man. glass jars kept and re used. coal sieved and clinker reused. virtually nothing thrown away and most stuff,including rags and bones sold to traders who collected it door to door. Time for the rag and bone man to return perhaps? instead of us paying to have "rubbish" taken away. it was a valuable resouce to sell. and moving on to the 1950's at the start of that decade average wage was £6 a week,by the ens it was £11 and taxation had dropped.Increadable.