Jean , thanks for the comments , glad its not just me watching ! I've heard that the makers of the series went to a lot of trouble to get it authentic, even using the vocal accents of that time rather than the broad brummie of today . With regard to the haircuts , I assumed that as the gang were mainly ex WW1 soldiers that they were trying to maintain a military look and this was probably an army style haircut of that time , though others may know differently ------------------------------ On Sat, Sep 28, 2013 8:25 PM BST Jean WOOD wrote: >I too am finding this very interesting >a couple of questions/comments > >Furnaces in 1920s - probably - I went to training college in Bletchley Park 1961-1963 inclusive - yes, on that very same site as the Enigma workers in converted concrete bunkers! - and occasionally we were allowed out. >When we went to London by train just a little south (7-10 miles) we passed through areas in Bedfordshire where there were massive brickworks. The furnaces were spectacular at night and were the indication to gather our stuff together on our way back. > >The sulphur emitted meant that the wire mesh netting round the tennis courts rotted and had to be replaced every two years. > >I would love to know where the logic for the close shaved side of the head hairdo comes from. I have never seen that before - was that one of the gang "badges"? > >2. Computer tips: To get a £ sign hold down the Alt tab whilst the number pad is activated and type 156, similarly a € sign is Alt depressed and 0128. To get ½ as in ½ d either do it separately in Word and Copy and Paste, or also in Word "Insert Symbol" and you will find a ½ there. > >Jean Wood > > > > > >> Message du 14/09/13 13:39 >> De : "david wilson" >> A : "nottsgen-l@rootsweb.com" >> Copie à : >> Objet : [NTT] OT Peaky Blinders >> >> With apologies to Ted and others abroad there is another new BBC period series worth catching , for those able to view it or when it comes round . >> >> Its about a group of thugs in the Birmingham area just after WW1 . They generally ran betting and protection rackets in the city , as well as carrying out muggings . Called the Peaky Blinders because they had razor blades sown into the peaks of their caps . >> >> For those with newspaper archive access , there are plenty of references to Peaky Blinders , though can't see any references to the Shelby name in the TV series linked to them . Most of the stories in the papers I have found so far , seem to be from the late 1800s and seem to be for the more petty crimes . >> >> For me , it was not the actual story but the setting , in a gritty inner city area just after WW1 . I had relatives in the less savoury areas of Nottingham and can imagine some of it could have looked similar at the time . >> >> I doubt Nottingham had so many open furnaces burning throughout the night in the city streets but the other street and pub / cinema scenes may have been typical of the time . >> >> >> >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01fj94w/Peaky_Blinders_Episode_1/ >> >> >> Notts Surname List >> >> http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hughw/notts.html >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NOTTSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>