Rich people in the 1915-1920's?

[Linda]

My grandmother's sister wrote about her childhood, saying that her family were "poor, very poor". She was born in Plumstead, Kent in 1913. Her father was a bricklayer and her mother was a dressmaker, and they had 8 children - 6 girls and 2 boys, born between 1901 and 1914. The older girls went out to service when they reached 14.

I was quite amazed at part of the account of their life - for "holidays", they used to visit a "rich uncle and aunt in Wimbledon, they had a posh house and 2 children. He was a .........dustman!!" !

Hands up anyone who has met a rich dustman

My great grandparents must indeed have been very poor.

Linda

[Londonwhay]

Hands up anyone who has met a rich dustman
Linda

Don't know about then Linda, but now in my area there is a waiting list of applicants for the job because it is so well paid!

Glenda

[ziksby]

Reminds me of Alfred Doolittle, Shaw's archetypical London dustman in Pygmalion (My Fair Lady) ....... (trying to get Prof. Higgins to give him a fiver in exchange for his daughter, Eliza).

PICKERING: Have you no morals, man?
DOOLITTLE[unabashed]: Cant afford them, Governor. Neither could you if you was as poor as me ....

Later ....
DOOLITTLE: What am I, Govenors both? I ask you, what am I? I'm one of the undeserving poor: that's what I am.