What is a "housewife" ?

[Anne Lothian]

Thanks, teamtamer, for adding more to this thread.
It may be a 5 year old thread but your reply moved the topic up to the top of the list of "active" conversations - I wouldn't have found it otherwise!
And very interesting it is - I learn something new almost every time I'm on rootschat.
Back to the original post, what is an OPC project?   O maybe stands for overseas, but the rest? I might not be firing on all cylinders today as it may be glaringly obvious what OPC stands for.
Look forward to being further educated!
Anne

[Jebber]

Anne, OPC stands for Online Parish Clerk, many counties have websites where volunteers post  transcriptions of records relating to the county.

Google the name of a county of interest to you followed by OPC and see what you find.

Jebber

[Lisajb]

Quite possibly the latter   

 - though the soldiers probably didn't want to say 'Housewife' too clearly - mightn't sound good!!   

And how many other words don't sound like they look/spell!!

Going completely off topic here - my daughter is a veterinary nurse, the practice she works at employs a lot of foreign vets. When asked what they call a female sheep, the answer is invariably "Eee Weee"....

[Anne Lothian]

Thank, Jebber, for the explanation. I've never heard of OPC.
Will give it a try on google right now!
Thank you.
Anne

[cpercival]

Back to the original question - an item of the original kit I was issued with when I joined the Royal Navy in 1963 was a "housewife".  As previously described a sewing and darning kit in a roll tied with a ribbon.  When I described it to my mother she exclaimed "oh you mean a hussif!" and she had never been involved with the services.  It seems to have been quite a common term to a certain generation.

CP