Shanghai
I was talking about your stories to my son Robert.
What’s he up to?
He works for Penguin Books. Loves it.
And what does he do?
Marketing, websites and all that. Rob and his sister both love a good yarn. Beth keeps asking, ‘Any more of Peter’s stories?’
I’m pleased they like them. Some of the young ones are interested, but my memories are ancient history.
Sometimes ‘the young ones’ don’t know what on earth we’re talking about. I happened to mention to Rob I had a ‘shanghai’ when I was a kid.
We all had them. Everyone knew about them. ‘Be careful with your shanghai.’ ‘Put your shanghai away.’ Warnings. ‘Watch out you don’t break someone’s window with your shanghai.’
Well, the word has lost that meaning. Rob asked, ‘What’s a shanghai?’ He associates the word with the Chinese city or …
… or the old practice of ‘shanghai-ing’ blokes into the navy. They’d Just grab them and fling them onboard.
But our shanghais got to be called ‘catapults’ or ‘slingshots’. What was your one like?
Mine had a ‘V’ shaped frame, with long strips of rubber attached to the top of each side of the ‘V’. We used the long strips of black rubber made for model aircraft — the stuff model-makers used to wind up and drive the propeller. Collinson and Sons sold it. Remember them?
Yes, the old store with the up and down wooden floor. I remember that wooden floor. All ‘make-do’. Open-beam ceilings they had. Rafters. Very primitive.
Yes, and tables of big ceramic vases with bright glazes, and with a rope around the neck which went up to the ceiling and over a beam. As a kid I figured the rope was to stop people stealing the vases. Never thought much about it.
I’ve no memory of the ropes, and it’s only a guess — a bit of imagination — but if something is cherished, and those sorts of things were, then they probably had them strung by the neck in case of a knock, or an earthquake. Earthquake protection, I’d say.
Quite possibly. The vases were just past the model-making department. I’d go and stare at the colours.
I definitely remember those glazes. Could have been Blue Mountain pottery, they made things that were all a bit of a spectacle, a great display.
Collinsons also sold balsa wood, and …
Tell me more about your shanghai. I want to know about that.
We used stones for projectiles. Cheap and plentiful. For long range we used roller bearings. One favourite entertainment was firing bearings onto the neighbours' tin roofs. A steady barrage would bring the housewives out — screaming and shouting and waving the frying pans. We had a secret firing position behind a 6 foot high fence. It was our hidden artillery bunker. We bored observation holes through the fence with a brace and bit. All very military — Yes Sir! And we had a concealed escape route through the back fence. We had watched far too many war movies.
Your ‘V’ shape was unusual for a shanghai.
We imagined it gave more power. A flick of the wrist.
Ours were made more like a fork, with 3 legs. One acted as a handle to hold. The two up-sticking prongs had rubber bands attached, heavy, stout rubber bands. Very elastic. Good and stretchy.
Goodness me! You should have used airplane rubber. Ours would fire over a hundred yards. Hi-tech. Early 50s.
Ours did okay. 1930s. Pull it back and BANG! No matter how good you think you aimed it, a catapult was a pretty chancy kind of weapon. If you were lucky you might hit a bird — or someone else, which wasn’t very popular.
I took a shot at a bird perched on the phone wires. I knew I couldn’t hit it no matter how hard I tried, so I just took rough aim and loosed off a shot. Whack! The bird looked stunned for a minute — then fell. I felt bad about that. I thought I could rely on not hitting it. Didn’t mean to kill it. It was a fluke shot.
Weapons like that, ones that fling stones and whatnot, they’re even mentioned in the Bible. Slingshots. David had one. Hit the giant, Goliath. It’s in the Bible.
Another fluke shot?
Changed the course of history. It’s in the Book!
Previous story. 31. You Should Get Paid. Next story. 33. Another Fluke.
What’s he up to?
He works for Penguin Books. Loves it.
And what does he do?
Marketing, websites and all that. Rob and his sister both love a good yarn. Beth keeps asking, ‘Any more of Peter’s stories?’
I’m pleased they like them. Some of the young ones are interested, but my memories are ancient history.
Sometimes ‘the young ones’ don’t know what on earth we’re talking about. I happened to mention to Rob I had a ‘shanghai’ when I was a kid.
We all had them. Everyone knew about them. ‘Be careful with your shanghai.’ ‘Put your shanghai away.’ Warnings. ‘Watch out you don’t break someone’s window with your shanghai.’
Well, the word has lost that meaning. Rob asked, ‘What’s a shanghai?’ He associates the word with the Chinese city or …
… or the old practice of ‘shanghai-ing’ blokes into the navy. They’d Just grab them and fling them onboard.
But our shanghais got to be called ‘catapults’ or ‘slingshots’. What was your one like?
Mine had a ‘V’ shaped frame, with long strips of rubber attached to the top of each side of the ‘V’. We used the long strips of black rubber made for model aircraft — the stuff model-makers used to wind up and drive the propeller. Collinson and Sons sold it. Remember them?
Yes, the old store with the up and down wooden floor. I remember that wooden floor. All ‘make-do’. Open-beam ceilings they had. Rafters. Very primitive.
Yes, and tables of big ceramic vases with bright glazes, and with a rope around the neck which went up to the ceiling and over a beam. As a kid I figured the rope was to stop people stealing the vases. Never thought much about it.
I’ve no memory of the ropes, and it’s only a guess — a bit of imagination — but if something is cherished, and those sorts of things were, then they probably had them strung by the neck in case of a knock, or an earthquake. Earthquake protection, I’d say.
Quite possibly. The vases were just past the model-making department. I’d go and stare at the colours.
I definitely remember those glazes. Could have been Blue Mountain pottery, they made things that were all a bit of a spectacle, a great display.
Collinsons also sold balsa wood, and …
Tell me more about your shanghai. I want to know about that.
We used stones for projectiles. Cheap and plentiful. For long range we used roller bearings. One favourite entertainment was firing bearings onto the neighbours' tin roofs. A steady barrage would bring the housewives out — screaming and shouting and waving the frying pans. We had a secret firing position behind a 6 foot high fence. It was our hidden artillery bunker. We bored observation holes through the fence with a brace and bit. All very military — Yes Sir! And we had a concealed escape route through the back fence. We had watched far too many war movies.
Your ‘V’ shape was unusual for a shanghai.
We imagined it gave more power. A flick of the wrist.
Ours were made more like a fork, with 3 legs. One acted as a handle to hold. The two up-sticking prongs had rubber bands attached, heavy, stout rubber bands. Very elastic. Good and stretchy.
Goodness me! You should have used airplane rubber. Ours would fire over a hundred yards. Hi-tech. Early 50s.
Ours did okay. 1930s. Pull it back and BANG! No matter how good you think you aimed it, a catapult was a pretty chancy kind of weapon. If you were lucky you might hit a bird — or someone else, which wasn’t very popular.
I took a shot at a bird perched on the phone wires. I knew I couldn’t hit it no matter how hard I tried, so I just took rough aim and loosed off a shot. Whack! The bird looked stunned for a minute — then fell. I felt bad about that. I thought I could rely on not hitting it. Didn’t mean to kill it. It was a fluke shot.
Weapons like that, ones that fling stones and whatnot, they’re even mentioned in the Bible. Slingshots. David had one. Hit the giant, Goliath. It’s in the Bible.
Another fluke shot?
Changed the course of history. It’s in the Book!
Previous story. 31. You Should Get Paid. Next story. 33. Another Fluke.