As, probably the oldest member here, I can clearly remember the rag and bone man coming, but then we also had the knife sharpener, shoe repairer and Breton onion seller call periodically.
Milk and Bread came on horsecarts.
We were brought up in Whitechapel in the 60s, we had parrafin heaters, the Esso man used to come once a week so we could refill our cans. Plenty of knife sharpeners etc. Don't remember seeing anything horse drawn apart from the brewery drays some of which were still servicing local pubs till the 80s (Youngs in Wandsworth were apparently still using horses till the late 90s).
We always knew them as rag and bone men, but they were motorised in our days. Got me thinking of Steptoe and Son now, Wilfrid Brambell, a proper miserable git, born for the role
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