HAIRCUTTING BY POST
A correspondence course in two pages by A H Bush
My Grandpop and his barber's shop in Sydney Road, Gosport in the 1960s.
Around years ago my Grandpop was retired from the navy and started up his own barber's shop. In the navy, amongst other things, he used to cut his shipmates hair on request, and he decided to take it up as a profession when he left The Navy for Civvy Street.
To help my Mum save money he suggested that he teach her to cut our hair (my two brothers and me). So, he gave her some of his cast off equipment, electric clippers, scissors, combs and a cutting cape, and developed the most important part of the training, his correspondence course. The complete course was just two sides of a sheet of letter paper. The actual letter is shown in the pictures below (both sides!!), the text (as I read it) follows:
HAIRCUTTING BY POST By A H Bush — Page 1
Herewith I have prepared a few tips which may help your tonsorial trials.
It is roughly my own routine, giving the various stages.
Stage I
Comb hair down straight on temples & back of neck. With clippers set on coarsest cut work from right temple over ear & round back of neck to left temple cutting no more than one inch above hairline.
Stage II
Work back from left temple an inch or so above stage I cut with comb lifting hair slightly & cutting over the comb with clippers set fairly fine. Do not hold comb flat on scalp or cut will be as close as Stage I. † See note overleaf.
Stage III — Page 2
With comb & scissors work from right-side round to the left-side above Stage II cut lifting hair well up & cutting to required length.
Stage IV
Lift top hair with comb working across head from parting.
Grip each mesh of hair lightly between fore & second fingers (You remember how I used to cut my own hair during the war with your assistance) & cut to required length longest near the parting. Comb hair forward over forehead and cut to suit, longer near parting.
Stage V
With clippers set fine trim round edges over ears & round back of neck.
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† By cutting over the comb I mean lifting the hair with the comb at right-angles to the scalp & cutting the protruding hair with the clipper using the clipper along the length of the comb.
So, now all you need is an electric clipper, a pair of scissors and a comb and you can cut hair just like my Grandpop!