Bob, at 08:51 on Sun, Jan 15 1995, you wrote to Bill Grimsley ...

BG> in Melbourne there is (or was) an artificial limb and prosthetics 
BG> manufacturer named I. Grocock! True! You couldn't make up a funnier 
BG> name IMO. |-)

BL> (chuckle) I have a feeling that we've been this before, which led 
BL> to an outrageous claim that you were related to Thomas Crapper, the 
BL> alleged inventor of the flushing shithouse, and a long line of 
BL> famous Yorkshire crappers, poopers, farters, and flatulators  :-).

 Once again, my great grandmother was Patty Ellen Crapper, the
daughter of William Atkinson Crapper, brother of Thomas, of the flushing
dunny fame.  And it wasn't just dunnies he patented either.  To this day,
he (or his descendants, presumably) still hold the patents for the S-bend,
and kick plates on stairs (amongst other things), and there is even a
manhole cover in Westminster Abbey which is moulded with his name.  Steve
(whom you met at PB) spent years in the UK tracking down all this
wonderfully useless info, and I wish I'd remembered to mention your doubts
to him while you were there.  |-)

BL> There was no way I could top that, and I refuse to be caught a 
BL> second time, even though my own famous Irish ancestor Seamus O'Bog 
BL> is on record as the first man to take a newspaper into a toilet, 
BL> thus leading to the phase: "I'm going for a bog." 

If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just made that up!

Regards, Bill

--- Msgedsq/2 2.3á