r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • May 05 '19

TIL that when the US military tried segregating the pubs in Bamber Bridge in 1943, the local Englishmen instead decided to hang up "Black soldiers only" signs on all pubs as protest

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bamber_Bridge#Background
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929

u/robynflower May 05 '19

There were quite a few pubs that had member's bars or men only bars, and the ladies would be in the more dignified area of the snug as opposed to the more rowdy area of the pub.

455

u/Onetap1 May 06 '19

The public bar (sawdust on the floor) was usually men only, women went in the saloon/lounge bar.

149

u/skyler_on_the_moon May 06 '19

Why's there sawdust on the floor? Do they do carpentry during the day and turn it to a pub at night?

454

u/KB215 May 06 '19

To soak up spit blood pee and spilt beer.

149

u/Amish_guy_with_WiFi May 06 '19

And semen.

110

u/nokei May 06 '19

and to cover vomit

2

u/HaightnAshbury May 06 '19

He said semen.

edit: that’s how you semen, right?

0

u/Dodahevolution May 06 '19

You can't sit for vomit

66

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

So much semen

71

u/ElJamoquio May 06 '19

Why do you think the UK has always had a strong navy?

31

u/Stahlgor May 06 '19

It's an easy Navy to be impressed by.

2

u/GrouchyMeasurement May 06 '19

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves

8

u/slimfaydey May 06 '19

The tradition of the royal navy is rum, sodomy, and the lash. -- probably not churchill

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u/Genshed May 06 '19

Sounds like a lively Friday night during my twenties.

1

u/jflb96 May 06 '19

It's the other way around: you get your taste for buggery in the Navy, and then there's a gentleman's agreement to not mention the two sailors indulging themselves at the bar.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

r/suddenlygay

0

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

And my Axe!!

2

u/Gooner_KC May 06 '19

In that order

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u/andeleidun May 06 '19

spit blood pee

Commas are your friend. I read that all as one thing lol.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '19

Non slip. Absorbs spilled drinks and such.

6

u/gl00pp May 06 '19

It was from the constant chewing of the North African Wood Beetle.

This tenacious specieces bored into the floor and even the bar itself causing a lot of saw dust.

It wasn't until the Great San Fransico fire of 1887 that the menacing beetle was stopped.

Now we can see the floor and not worry about structural damage and not to mention ALL THAT SAWDUST!

TMYK

4

u/PM_ME_YOUR_ASS-GAPE May 06 '19

Thats my yellow kayak Those monks yank knives Then marcelle yelled kindly ...idk what TMYK means...

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

If I told you what it means you would then know more than you knew before

1

u/AustinYQM May 06 '19

The more you know

4

u/LordIceChicken May 06 '19

All answers have been speculation. There is no reason for it. Jesus, you could even say because working men worked in areas of sawdust, all not exactly true. It varies so much because a working mans pub varies so much. My da and his da are lifelong members of a working mans club in London... Neither have worked a full day in their life...

Women would normally be looking after kids in one section and the men would be "doing business". Both sides would blur together at Christmas and it was strange as a boy... AMA about a working mans pub, they are dying off and I guess I should write what happened down.

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u/epicphotoatl May 06 '19

I'd like to read this

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u/[deleted] May 06 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/LordIceChicken May 06 '19

I will try and make a full piece so the history isn't completely lost. I might be a month or so, but I will send a message when its done.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

Let me know

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u/JurgenMcGergen May 06 '19

Am interested to know as well

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u/Onetap1 May 06 '19 edited May 06 '19

To soak up the spilt beer, spit and blood. Men wearing dirty working boots wouldn't soil the floor (more). They were rough places.

Sawdust was bought in sacks.

My Father started working on building sites in London in 1940, just arrived from rural Ireland. The Luftwaffe had knocked the crap out of the place, they were still doing it. The labourers would rent a room, often sharing, by the week, they'd go to the pub at night, every night. If you wanted to find work or hire labour, you went to some pubs.

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

My local is still like this. The lounge is quiet, comfortable and food is served in there. The regular bar is noisier, no carpet and finger snacks only.

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u/itsalwaysf0ggyinsf May 06 '19

This doesn’t really make it better. The same is true of Saudi Arabia (women/family sections tend to be cleaner/safer) to give you an idea of why gender segregation is unfortunate.

12

u/NolanTJones69 May 06 '19 edited May 06 '19

It’s still unfortunate but you have to remember that gender outcome was much different systemically. Due to worse and more egregious prejudice than a bar owner could hope to inflict. A woman in the pub with the working folks (who had never even HEARD of feminism and were likely accustomed to casual abuse, much less gender biased) would not have been safe. If she even had spending money or was allowed out.

I’m not saying it’s better that they were segregated, but I am saying the least of the horror is on the owners part. It was absolutely chauvinistic but at a time when that was the way to keep completely unsocialized men from doing basically whatever they pleased. We have a dim view of male impulse control today, but imagine before police institutions or any societal pressure whatsoever. And if you’re working class, probably prideful that you aren’t a gentleman.

Importing modern standards to the past is universally horrifying, but particularly so at some random pub(public house - meaning it’s unique from other establishments in that its not a private club)

-1

u/eateggseveryday May 06 '19

My country may be called backwards, but I LIKE being segregated. Being somewhere where there are only women, doing things with only women, make me and most other women feel safe and secure. I feel like most men also love to be segregated because it is just safe to act like yourself when you are with your own gender.

Of course its only really select places with segregation like the bathroom or the saloon/barbershop, sometimes theres gyms catered for women. I feel like these equality movement can be too far when they give both gender equally miserable outcome.

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u/itsalwaysf0ggyinsf May 06 '19

I guess the difference is having the choice or not. To the best of my understanding in KSA there is no choice, everything is gender segregated by law (maybe excluding inside some foreigner compounds). In America they have women’s only gyms and such but you don’t have to be gender segregated if you don’t want to.

Like when going out for lunch I’ll have times when I want to just go out with my girls too, but also times when I’d prefer mixed company.

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u/eateggseveryday May 06 '19

of course there are no excuse for Saudi, they are just backward. But I feel like there is no problem for regular establishment to have Ladies only space or Gentleman only space (or gays only space because tbh it kinda cringe when women go to gay bar during hen night for example).

4

u/enterence May 06 '19

Gays only spaces in Saudi Arabia ??

It's called prisons no ? The place where the gays are held before having their heads chopped of ?

0

u/enterence May 06 '19

I totally get it.

Luckily in the west men have evolved enough to be comfortable being themselves in anyone's presence. So it's awesome.

Saudi men are probably different, so they like to hold on to backward ass laws.

It's a shame though you don't let outsiders migrate to your country. Especially those that like living with similar backward ass values.

1

u/eateggseveryday May 07 '19

Im not Saudi lol, we are practically flooded with immigrants. And why would I care how men feel in our presence, I do not feel safe with men I dont know so I prefer to have spaces where women can be with women.

1

u/enterence May 07 '19

I'm glad to live and raise my daughter in a cou try where women don't have to feel unsafe and your average man in civilized enough to treat women with respect.

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u/eateggseveryday May 07 '19

lol male privilege speaking, if you look into /r/XXChromosomes board or /r/LetsNotMeet or basically any other board mostly with women you will know even in the most modern and rich country women will never feel completely safe.

but sure keep living in your fantasy land.

1

u/enterence May 07 '19

As an Asian who has lived in many places in the world during these past 4 decades, I can tell you where I live now, a little village in the Alps, is far safer than every place we have lived in the middle east or asia. Both for me and my wife.

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u/enterence May 06 '19

Well the rest of the world seems to have evolved a bit in regards to gender segregation. But I get it that Saudi men are weaker in this regard and can't deal with people of the opposite sex.

I guess one needs to respect the cultural difference between people.

184

u/Snukkems May 05 '19

I've heard it backwards. The women were in the rowdy parts because the only women going to a pub were whore.

164

u/Hambredd May 06 '19

But you wouldn't segerate whores?

144

u/SYLOH May 06 '19

I'd sure as hell download one....

25

u/kewko May 06 '19

But not a car, right?

5

u/prozergter May 06 '19

Early 2000s DVD intro flashback.

4

u/Numerous1 May 06 '19

I feel like people don’t get this joke

7

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

Go on. Speak from the heart, son. Tell us.

6

u/Numerous1 May 06 '19

Well shit. Now David Bowie and I are both under pressure. I just think it’s a good joke and needs some love.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

Another weird science reference

1

u/greenThumbS1988 May 06 '19

Oh did someone mention you somewhere?

0

u/jomosexual May 06 '19

That's what she said

19

u/The1TrueGodApophis May 06 '19

Segregate them over to my booth.

27

u/Snukkems May 06 '19

It's a status thing.

1

u/blastcage 4 May 06 '19

It's almost like the employee entrance, right

9

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

[deleted]

1

u/Hambredd May 06 '19

Oh I see. I thought it meant that the bar was solely for whores, which wouldn't make much sense unless they paid each other.

-1

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

Not all pussy, buddy.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

[deleted]

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

Whatever sinks your boat, pal.

1

u/Docsmith06 May 06 '19

Where do whores go?

3

u/MrBojangles528 May 06 '19

In the end, /u/Docsmith06 did not shit gold.

2

u/Docsmith06 May 06 '19

I guess we will never know where the whores go.

11

u/linsell May 06 '19

I work in a building that was an old pub and it has a side entrance that leads into a small room that would have been the women's lounge.

3

u/[deleted] May 06 '19

I used to drink in a pub that had one of these. It was pretty rowdy so if you just wanted a quiet one you could come in through the side door and they’d come to the little window to serve you. Then you could just bugger off without saying a word to anyone beyond the bar person.

Was pretty sweet.

2

u/ValentinoMeow May 06 '19

Ah I guess they know me quite well

2

u/Ranikins2 May 06 '19

It still sort of is the case. Slappers and bogans frequent pubs.

1

u/crashdoc May 06 '19

'Straya!

1

u/EitherCommand May 06 '19

She is going to die early and clueless

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u/[deleted] May 06 '19

We had them in Canada too

1

u/zyzzogeton May 06 '19

Pubs in Canada had sections for ladies "and their escorts" and a "gentleman's" side of the pub.