British understatement: The letter to the school authorities (London)

(from googling)

Quote

British understatement is a cultural communication style that deliberately downplays significant events, emotions, or achievements, often using dry humor, irony, or self-deprecation. It emphasizes emotional restraint, stoicism, and polite understatement over hyperbole, often making extreme situations sound trivial, such as calling a massive disaster "a bit of a nuisance". 

Unquote

Talking on the phone with old friend Simon Hearnden (BA Geography, 1980, SOAS [School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London]) about visiting him in his new house brought on all sorts of spontaneous reminiscences, started by him recalling how he'd first met me.

    He was a member of the SOAS Students' Union at the time.  I'd walked into the Students' Union office for something (can't remember what now), and found the Secretary (or President) of the union at the typewriter, typing out a newsletter or something.  Not only was he typing with one finger, he was, to start with, having trouble finding the right keys, hunting down each one laboriously.  (This is something quite inconceivable for the younger generation these days.  How life has changed.)

    I said to him, "I'm a trained, qualified and experienced secretary, so I'll be happy to take over this task for you, if you like.  You can leave whatever needs to be typed up in an in-tray for me, and I'll come in regularly to dispatch them."  He was most relieved.  (Ha!  Unconscious anticipatory word play!)

    One of the letters that made me laugh and still remember it to this day was to the SOAS authorities about the quality of the loo paper provided.

    A bit of background here:

(from googling)

Quote

The notorious waxy, scratchy toilet paper issued by local councils and public institutions in post-war Britain was primarily Izal Medicated Toilet Tissue. Often described as thin, beige, and shiny-on-one-side, it was non-absorbent and felt like tracing paper, used extensively in schools, hospitals, and outside loos until the 1970s/80s.

Key Aspects of Izal and Post-War Toilet Paper:

• Manufacture: Made by Newton Chambers & Co. in Sheffield, it was "medicated" with disinfectant, offering a clinical, antiseptic smell.
• Texture: It was famously stiff, shiny, and non-absorbent, often making it "not fit for purpose". It was notoriously difficult to use, particularly in cold, outside toilets.
• Usage: Commonly stamped with "Government Property" or "British No 1 Thin" to prevent theft.
• Alternatives: Another brand, "Bronco," was also commonly used, which was similarly harsh.
• Cultural Legacy: The paper was famously repurposed by children for drawing or in comb-and-paper musical instruments. 

Izal was largely phased out as softer, absorbent toilet tissues became popular in the 1970s and 1980s.

Unquote

    The letter from the Students' Union to the SOAS authorities requested that the School replace the loo paper "as it is causing students a bit of discomfort to use".

(London, 1978)