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The mention of old accumulators sparked reminiscences of some memorable moments from Jack Hill's childhood.
In the early 1930's in the village of Desford in Leicestershire, Fred Archer and his wife commissioned the building of a new house and retail shop. The trade was to be mainly in sweets, vegetables and fruit, but a corrugated iron shed was erected at the rear to house Fred's business of repairing wireless sets and selling and repairing bicycles.
Soon an extension was built to house the cycle shop, and when the two elder sons left school at the age of 14 they set up a small business supplying wet batteries to power wireless sets.
Most households used town gas for cooking and lighting but very few had electricity, so one either bought a heavy HT battery and small grid bias batteries from Leicester or had an agreement with Alfred and Freddy junior.
The batteries were constructed of glass, approximately 400 x 250mm and 100mm deep, with banks of electrodes immersed in electrolyte. The cells were open-topped so care had to be taken when they were being transported.
Charging was carried out in a widened corridor between back door and the living room, causing a pungent smell to permeate the ground floor. Old newspapers in a state of disintegration from the electrolyte littered the floor and the benches to soak up spillage. The direct current converter hummed day and night and the charging always created a sizzling sound that filled a small boy with wonder.
Delivery was achieved on a tricycle with a single front wheel and a closed box fitted over the two rear wheels. A Sturmey Archer three-speed gear system was used but with the steep hills around Desford much pushing had to be done. The business lasted for a dozen years or so but after 1945 people opted for a mains supply and so the need died out.
I was only aware of the practice in Desford, but often wonder if other areas had the same system. The shop is now a private house but I imagine the acrid smell still lingers.
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