Billy Cans

[jukel123 8,251]

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Who is old enough to remember them? They were used to brew and drink tea from. All working men from my neck of the woods had them in the 50s. My dad was a docker and all dockers had the same unofficial uniform. A  black Raleigh bike,  a gaberdine overcoat ,either worn or folded over the handlebars, a cloth cap and a white scarf tied in a knot. Pride of place was the billy can which used to swing from the bikes handlebars. 

I remember one Saturday I 'borrowed' my dad's billy can to hopefully bring back  frogs and newts. Me and my mate were embarking on a pond dipping day out. We used to ride on trains to our favourite spot, always keeping an eye out for the ticket collector.  As soon as we saw him coming we would conveniently nip to the toilet.

We had had a brilliantly successful day. The billy can was filled to the brim with wriggling, desperate Great Crested Newts . I had even taken my T shirt off, tied all the corners together and bagged up a dozen or so of my prized mini dinosaurs.

Just as the train was pulling into the platform at Manchester Piccadilly, a ticket collector  suddenly appeared in our carriage, so we made ourselves scarce and got off the train smartish . Unfortunately, in my haste, I completely forgot my dad"s billy can. When my mistake dawned on me I tried to get back on the train to retrieve it, but various railway employees barred my way.

Monday morning, my dad went off to work without his billy can. That night when he got home he was raging. Which one of you has nicked my billy can?  At first I denied it, but seeing as the atmosphere in the house was getting worse and worse, I fessed up. Off came the old man's belt. He'd often threatened, but this time, due to the gravity of the offence, I could see he meant it.. Until that is, my mother got between us and threatened "over my dead body!" The old man didn't quite know what to do, so he swiped at me, yelled a few swear words and sent me to bed with no tea. This was always an empty threat because my mother would always sneak me my tea through the bedroom window. I remember us both giggling  uncontrollably at the thought of the poor cleaner who opened the billy can to find that squirming mass of life.

Edited September 14, 2024 by jukel123

[tatsblisters 9,916]

I remember similar were they white enamelled mate. I had one of them acme snap tins that most of the miners had years ago that I found brilliant for bread and dripping sarnies and down the pit the mice couldn't get to your snap lol. 

[Bakerboy 4,736]

12 minutes ago, tatsblisters said:

I remember similar were they white enamelled mate. I had one of them acme snap tins that most of the miners had years ago that I found brilliant for bread and dripping sarnies and down the pit the mice couldn't get to your snap lol. 

Flat 1 end curved the other

[Bush Rummager 4,706]

16 minutes ago, tatsblisters said:

I remember similar were they white enamelled mate. I had one of them acme snap tins that most of the miners had years ago that I found brilliant for bread and dripping sarnies and down the pit the mice couldn't get to your snap lol. 

I actually heard just the other day mate why us folk around here call work food snap.. because of the 'snap' on lids that were used on those tins back in the day! Some people might already have known that.. I didn't! Lol.. 

[TOMO 26,264]

6 minutes ago, Bush Rummager said:

I actually heard just the other day mate why us folk around here call work food snap.. because of the 'snap' on lids that were used on those tins back in the day! Some people might already have known that.. I didn't! Lol.. 

I didn't mate....down here where I live now  just south of Nottingham it's not really used...

But up Mansfield way it was a term I grew up with

[tatsblisters 9,916]

32 minutes ago, Bakerboy said:

Flat 1 end curved the other

Yes mate. I saw something on line recently were someone was reproducing similar. 

Edited September 14, 2024 by tatsblisters
Photo added.

[jukel123 8,251]

In Cumbria it's not 'snap' it's 'bait'.

"Have you got your bait marra?" Means...Have you got your sandwiches mate?

[iworkwhippets 12,615]

1 hour ago, tatsblisters said:

I remember similar were they white enamelled mate. I had one of them acme snap tins that most of the miners had years ago that I found brilliant for bread and dripping sarnies and down the pit the mice couldn't get to your snap lol. 

bringing back the good old days there tats,  down sandhole colliery back in lancashire wi thick crusts larraped wi beef dripping, snappin we called it, i even remember my union reprosentatives name ted wooly fekin mice everywhere 

[chartpolski 23,946]

Is this what you mean , Jukel ?

I had one when I first started work, my tea Billy and my bait can.

Cheers.

[iworkwhippets 12,615]

those are the ones i used charts 

[jukel123 8,251]

20 minutes ago, chartpolski said:

Is this what you mean , Jukel ?

I had one when I first started work, my tea Billy and my bait can.

Cheers.

Yes, there's an image in my post. 

Etsy.com

It's  a well battered one. The same as my dad's.

Edited September 14, 2024 by jukel123

[Bush Rummager 4,706]

1 hour ago, TOMO said:

I didn't mate....down here where I live now  just south of Nottingham it's not really used...

But up Mansfield way it was a term I grew up with

Same here pal. I love regional accents and i think it's a good thing they're still surviving in today's world. I've only got to go up the road 20 minutes from here to Eckington and it's a different lingo altogether!! Lol..

[WILF 47,200]

15 minutes ago, jukel123 said:

Yes, there's an image in my post. 

Etsy.com

It's  a well battered one. The same as my dad's.

I blame the capitalists for taking everyone’s Billy cans, there a billionaire somewhere with millions of them in his shed ! Lol 

6 minutes ago, Bush Rummager said:

Same here pal. I love regional accents and i think it's a good thing they're still surviving in today's world. I've only got to go up the road 20 minutes from here to Eckington and it's a different lingo altogether!! Lol..

What are those Scottish isles where you can hear a distinct Scandinavian twang in how they speak, a leftover from Viking settlement…..I just think stuff like that is amazing 

[greg64 2,842]

1 hour ago, Bush Rummager said:

I actually heard just the other day mate why us folk around here call work food snap.. because of the 'snap' on lids that were used on those tins back in the day! Some people might already have known that.. I didn't! Lol.. 

i think it comes from the Dutch word snappen which means snack

[WILF 47,200]

Just now, greg64 said:

i think it comes from the Dutch word snappen which means snack

That’s it, I’m all in on stuff like this…..

Dutch for gloves is “Hand Shoes” !

Also, live animals in the English language are Anglo Saxon words but it’s dead form are Norman words……which probably tells us who was doing the farming and who was doing the eating ! 

Cow/beef Pig/pork etc etc