Web Page  No 2370

13^th May 2017

Top Picture: Washing Line

 Second Picture: Wooden Ironing Board and Clothes Horse

Third Picture: Car ignition switch on dash board

Forth Picture: 1950s telephone

Another of those I Remember When Pages

When we were young things were so much simpler. Something small like a clothes line full of laundry blowing in the summer breeze, which really doesn't mean much now, but thinking back it signified the simplicity of the 50s and 60s. Boys and girls holding hands in public then was an intimate gesture between a couple. Wearing each other's ring around your neck meant a commitment. Doors were left unlocked at night as it meant you trusted your neighbours. Keys left above the car sun visor or even in the ignition of a car was a common thing in many small towns without fear of your car being stolen. If it was stolen you walked to your insurance agent who probably lived round the corner, there was no need to compare car insurance rates, you knew he would look out for you. 

Shops like Woolworth's were popular.  They had almost anything you could want to buy some even served sandwiches, cokes, pies and so much more. 

My mother hand washed all our clothes and then hung it on the clothes line. I can still picture her wiping the clothes line off with a wet rag to get rid the line of dirt and bird droppings. The clothes would be hung with wooden clothes pegs, often bought at the door from a travelling Gypsy lady, that clipped the clothes to the line. After she hung the clothes up she would prop the line up with a line pole and the clothes would just blow in the summer breeze. When the clothes were removed from the clothes line, I still remember how fresh they smelled. I also remembered the clothes being frozen on a cold winter day as they were taken from the line. I had never seen a clothes drier until I visited a laundromat in Cosham.  I also remember my mother using a lemonade bottle with a stopper with holes in it which she would fill with water to sprinkle the clothes before ironing. There weren’t any steam irons back then and she used a wooden ironing board. These boards were really popular in the 30s, 40s, and 50s but families continued to use them during the 60s. Many folks still use them today. They are considered antiques now. She also used a wooden clothes horse.

Most houses had only one bathroom, cars had gear levers or column change, some had overdrive but very few had automatic transmission Some had bench seats and the dip switch was a pedal on the floor: hand signals were still a recognised part of the Highway Code and had to be learnt. The ignition switch was always sited on the dashboard and the indicator switch on the centre of the steering column or on the dashboard.

Milk came in glass milk bottles delivered to your front door before you were even out of bed. The only person that heard the milkman arrive was the dog. You left your empty bottles on the front porch with a note inside the bottle telling the milkman what you wanted that day.

We had a dress code at school. Boys hair could not be over the ears and shirt tails had to be tucked in. Girls' skirts could not be above mid knee but many a lass got away with it especially if she had decent looking legs. The girls wore skirts, not trousers and no pupil was allowed to wear jeans. The teachers also seemed to have a dress code. The male teachers all wore collars and ties and either suits or a sports jacket. The lady teachers were either in a dress or skirt and top (never trousers or jeans) and very often for the younger teachers high heels and some subtle make-up. The only teachers who deviated from this dress were the PE teachers who wore tracksuits or sportswear during the lessons but still dressed conventionally when not teaching their subject. No pupil came to school driving a motorbike, a moped or a car, the bicycle reigned supreme. In fact, I cannot remember any of my school colleagues being brought to school or taken home by car! 

If you had a telephone at home, there was only one in the house and it was normally in the hall and had a rotary dial on it plus a little drawer underneath for notes and dialling codes. It was also probably shared with a party line.

We always had our meals together as a family, sitting around our dining room table, never in front of the fire, radio or(when we eventually got one) the TV. Meals were family times. I still remember those special Sunday dinners my mother and grandmother cooked, it was always a roast and the delicious smell always filled the house!

That’s enough for today, that last bit has made me hungry!

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this day 13th May 1960-1965

On 13/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1961 the number one single was Blue Moon - The Marcels and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Film star Emilio Estevez born

On 13/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1965 the number one single was Ticket to Ride - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.