Do you recognise these expats and can you add any (without naming names!)

The builder, using only British techniques and materials


The priest, retired or not, a Protestant in a catholic country, maybe female


The gentlewoman gardener


The football “hooligan”, shaved head, ear rings etc


The hippy, Rasta man, pot smoker etc


The farmer or smallholder


The B and B lady


The estate agent, British working for a French company


The fugitive


The self appointed expert, you know the type


The Bricoleur


The speculator, everybody else is stupid


The English driver


The “don’t like foreign food” person


The “I didn’t realise that it rains in Brittany” person wanting a permatan


The wine binger


The British petanque player


The retired policeman


The “Celt” finding himself


The back to nature green


The émigré happy to have left Britain, goodbye to Cameron etc


The yachtsman


The amateur fisherman


The Briton who disguises himself as a Breton?Frenchman , badly


The Briton who loves Breton music


The British goods shopkeeper, Mother’s Pride, marmite, gravy granules


The British person who isolates himself totally from everything French


The British learning French, or Breton, language


The bon viveur, ecstasy in the marché


The British person living in Brittany hosting British guests


And the same entertaining French guests for a meal or drinks


The British resident and the Maire


The British person and the Notaire


The British person and Le Chasse


The retired Colonel


The retired Magistrate


The broken down motorist


The purchaser of logs for wood burners


The Briton who feels “wronged” by a local


The Briton who “fancies” a French lady


The market visit


The cyclist


The veteran car enthusiast

Cheers, Christine. I only knew Liverpool in the 60s and early 70s, was a lot greyer then, and you knew to keep out of areas like Speke or Bootle. But all the Scousers I ever knew were a barrel of laughs, great hands at the throwaway one-liners.

You might like this :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gal4LfmEfnQ

There was one by Chris Marker too, but I can't seem to find it.

@ian Coburn

Thank you it was very interesting to read. Scoucers are amongst the bravest people I know. The French don't know how to fight for their rights properly and sometimes I wish they had the strength and courage of the people from Liverpool.

I only got to know L'pool from 1990. It has certainly risen from its ashes since WWII and the 70s /80s when it was negleted so much "from London".

They can be proud of what they have achieved, no doubt about it. Very warm and friendly people too with a smashing sense of humour as you all well know ;)

And because it goes without saying, I didn't even mention it in the first place : it is a truly fantastic town. Just beautiful with a waterfront equal to none. And if you like history and music, it's got it all.

I dunno who you replied to, Antony, but if it was for me, sorry no, right the other end - Hautes-Alpes (PACA). Once went to St Jean de Monts on hols though, weather wasn't too good so I spent a lot of time reading books from the 60s out of the Centre de Vacances quaint old library !

You must live in the Vendée!

Ooooo nice one Christine. Made my day ! Thankee :)

Have an apéro :p

@ Ian Cowburn ;)

Yep, Leyland itself, the "historic site". There was a pub just nearby called "The Leyland Tiger" which was a historic boozer :)

I assume he worked at Leyland itself. We did some work there (engine plant) and some work on the test track too. We also worked at Workington and Leeds but most of my personal involvement was at Bathgate, West Lothian. The West Lothian question indeed. I was dropped in from a great height and learned a great deal in a short space of time. The weekly meetings had about 30 people at them, including the union representatives who contributed nothing usually. The arguments were "legendary", a great deal of f'ing and blinding. It took weeks to agree the colour of the tiles in the loos. Every night up there it was a big booze up.

Couldn't find how to reply directly to your comment, David. My grandad was export director at Leyland until he retired in 1980, he started at 14 as a tea-lad. I well remember his later comments about how things were going down the drain in there. Was a sad time to see British manufacturing capacity going down the drain then.

Still, the Xmas hampers from Cuba and South Africa were welcome ! I think the Leyland Tigers are still running in Havana even nowadays.

Regarding Ian's point I was heavily involved with Leyland in the 70's when it was busy being bailed out by politicians anxious to hang onto seats. The rank inefficiency and waste was staggering and the unions helped the strangulation. I remember visiting a "production" line and on seeing a huge pile of tea chests in the factory I asked if that was full of parts. Oh no said the "Production" manager who led me inside, through curtains where I found many workers sitting in armchairs watching television when they were meant to be working, replete with bar and cafe services. Woe betide you if you got in the way of people clocking out. They used to start queuing half and hour before clock out time so they could be first out. It was like a Le Mans start every afternoon. The whole plant extension we built at enormous public cost was never used and the place was demolished to make way for an estate of Noddy box houses. Our brief in designing the place was to make it no better than the original factory (which was horrid) as any still working in the original buildings would go on strike if they didn't get parity. Great way to start a project. The whole thing was like some wild Kafkaesque nightmare.

That "Militant" tendancy came out of shop stewards at Leyland and Fords, for a great proportion, and the "otherness" of Liverpool is clearly shown by your remark about The Bag Lady in reverse, Peter :)

That will be the evangelistical type, many of their hours spent in Brico Depot, who has taken on the type of house the French wouldn't touch with a barge pole. I have certainly seen some of your type 2 as well and very often the draw of grandchildren tips the balance. The lifestyle back homes is often severely cramped and they become unpaid school runners and tea providers.

The renovator, taking on complete wrecks, doesn't seem to have made the list - and that would be most of us. Ha ha!

Then there's the Brit who's here reluctantly because their partner is really into it. I know a few of those.

It's always amazing how B & W photos seem to tell you more about such situations. Also amazing how Mr Hatton was hated by so many people out of L'pool and adored by the majority in his area, a bit like Mrs T in reverse maybe ?

I thought the pics were excellent too. That period was so important to what followed...

Really interesting article Ian.

Food for thought here :

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29953611

Did you know that when the germans bombed Liverpool they inflicted £50 million of IMPROVEMENTS ?

Know this one :

"Just bought a scouse Advent calender ,typical !
All the windows are boarded up and some b*****d nicked the chocolates !!!

From a Preston lad :)