Web Page  No 2216

2^nd December 2015

Top Picture: Typical blackboard and easel of the 1950’s

 Second Picture: Frozen Milk

Third Picture: Prof. Jimmy Edwards administers the cane to Taplow in an episode of the TV series ‘Wacko’.

Off to School

We all have strong memories of our first few days at infant  or primary school, although nowadays most children tend to go to pre-school, so it is not such a shock to the system for them as it was for the children of the 1950s!

In the 1950s there were no state pre-schools or nurseries, although there were a couple of elite private education facilities, the prep school. But for most of us children just turning 5 years old, our first day at school was the first time they had been on their own, away from home. Our mothers did not work so for many children this was also the first time they had been apart from their mothers. Consequently the first day of school was a very tearful event for both child and parent!

I remember starting infants school in the Methodist Church Hall in Station Road, Drayton. My mother and I walked along Central Road with Keith Conlon and his mother. However we soon discovered that Keith and I could happily travel to school on out scooters which our long suffering parents brought home again after we had gone in and brought them back after school for us to ride home again

.

Having got over the first pangs of separation, school life soon fell into a predictable routine. School milk was part of this routine, uniformly detested by all children. In Post War Britain school milk, a third of a pint per child, was introduced in schools to supplement the child’s diet. In 1971 school milk for the over-sevens was withdrawn  by Margaret Thatcher, then Secretary of State for Education – for this she was dubbed 'Thatcher, Thatcher, Milk Snatcher' in the press. During the harsh winter of 1962-3, or the big freeze as it became known, it was a common sight to see the small crates of milk outside the school gates with the shiny bottle tops standing proud above the bottles on a column of frozen milk. Of course the only way to defrost the school milk was to place it by the radiator, and then the poor children were forced to consume watery, lukewarm milk. And forced they were – “milk is good for you child, you WILL drink it!” we were told.

Infant school was a world of blackboards and chalk, sand trays and crayons, singing and a little bit of learning. Some schools tuned into programmes broadcast by the School Broadcasting Council and the wireless played a great part in the education of some school children in the 1950s; although I never ever remember listening to a radio programme throughout the whole of my school life.

Music and Movement was popular and it seemed to be a requirement that at least one of our teachers could play the piano. This form of musical expression and exercise was common all over the country and in halls everywhere, children could be found leaping and stretching to the commands given by the teacher. ‘Now children we are going to sway like trees in the wind’ would be the instruction and all the childrenwould begin to sway with their arms in the air. There was no ‘gym kit’ in primary schools so the children just removed their outer clothes and did P.E. in their vests, knickers or underpants and bare feet or plimsoles (usually purchased from Woolworths).

Singing was another common lesson and the class would sing lustily such traditional folk songs and sea shanties as ‘Oh soldier, soldier, won’t you marry me’, ‘A-Roving’, ‘The Raggle-Taggle Gypsies’ and ‘Oh No John’. However, when as an adult you examine the content and meaning of some of these old folk songs, whether they were indeed suitable for very young is another question!

Visits from the school nurse would break up the daily routine but I have spoken about ‘Nitty Norah the Bug Explorer’ before! There was also the polio vaccine, given at school to every child on a sugar lump. Measles, German Measles and Mumps were not vaccinated against; most children contracted these diseases in childhood. German Measles, can affect unborn babies if contracted in pregnancy so if a girl caught German Measles, it was not uncommon for her mother to throw a party for the rest of the girls so they could also catch the disease.

Class sizes in the 1950s and early 1960s were large, often over 30 children to a class, as these were the ‘baby boomers’, children. There were no classroom assistants, just the teacher so discipline was strict. It was quite common for a disruptive child to be rapped over the knuckles or on the palm of the hand with a ruler. 

In the 1950s reading, writing and arithmetic (the Three ‘R’s) were very important, as was learning by rote. Times tables were learnt by chanting aloud in class and poetry such as Wordworths’ I wandered lonely as a cloud’ would be learnt by heart for homework. Neat hand writing was seen as very important and practiced daily (mine never improved much!). Nature study was popular and often the only science taught at primary school.

Being just post war there was also a strong sense of being British; of singing traditional folk songs and learning about the history, geography, flora and fauna of Britain and the Commonwealth. But this was also the age of the 11-plus, a series of tests and exams which included writing an essay, a maths paper and reasoning papers all designed to test a child’s IQ. This was always a contentious method of school selection, the 11 plus system did make it possible for pupils to travel to attend places at the grammar schools as these were allocated according to the results of the tests and not on the ability to pay. 

We have all now experienced the school experience ourselves and many of us have suffered along with our children as they progressed through their school life and now many of us are experiencing it all over again with grandchildren. It never seems to go away!!!!!

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Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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On this day 2^nd December 1960-1965

On 2/12/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 2/12/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 2/12/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 2/12/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was 119 killed in Montreal jet crash.

On 2/12/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 2/12/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news of the month was that Mrs Mary Whitehouse formed the National Viewers Association

Web Page  No 2214

25^th November 2015

Top Picture: A London Bus struggles through the smog

Second Picture: On the Isle of Dogs the only safe way to proceed was to have someone walk in front of the car.

Third Picture: One of the easiest things to see were flares and here a LT man guides buses through the streets of London.

The Great Smog of 1952

Here in Portsmouth beside the sea we were lucky to escape the plaque of the great smogs.

A fog so thick and polluted it left thousands dead and wreaked havoc on London in 1952. The smoke-like pollution was so toxic it was even reported to have choked cows to death in the fields. It was so thick it brought road, air and rail transport to a virtual standstill. This was certainly an event to remember, but not the first smog of its kind to hit the capital.

Smog had become a frequent part of London life, but nothing quite compared to the smoke-laden fog that shrouded the capital from Friday 5th December to Tuesday 9th December 1952. While it heavily affected the population of London, causing a huge death toll and inconveniencing millions of people, the people it affected were also partly to blame for the smog.

During the day on 5th December, the fog was not especially dense and generally possessed a dry, smoky character. When nightfall came, however, the fog thickened. Visibility dropped to a few metres. The following day, the sun was too low in the sky to burn the fog away. That night and on the Sunday and Monday nights, the fog again thickened. In many parts of London, it was impossible at night for pedestrians to find their way, even in familiar districts. In The Isle of Dogs area, the fog there was so thick people could not see their feet.

Britain has long been affected by mists and fogs, but these became much more severe after the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s. Factories belched gases and huge numbers of particles into the atmosphere, which in themselves could be poisonous. The pollutants in the air, however, could also act as catalysts for fog, as water clings to the tiny particles to create polluted fog, or smog. When some of the chemicals mix with water and air, they can turn into acid which can cause skin irritations, breathing problems, and even corrode buildings. Smog can be identified easily by its thick, foul-smelling, dirty-yellow or brown characteristics, totally different to the clean white fog in country areas.

There are reports of thick smog, smelling of coal tar, which blanketed London in December 1813. Lasting for several days, people claimed you could not see from one side of the street to the other. A similar fog in December 1873 saw the death rate across London rise 40% above normal. Marked increases in death rate occurred, too, after the notable fogs of January 1880, February 1882, December 1891, December 1892 and November 1948. The worst affected area of London was usually the East End, where the density of factories and homes was greater than almost anywhere else in the capital. The area was also low-lying, making it hard for fog to disperse.

How the smog of 1952 formed

The weather in November and early December 1952 had been very cold, with heavy snowfalls across the region. To keep warm, the people of London were burning large quantities of coal

 in their homes. Smoke was pouring from the chimneys of their houses.

Under normal conditions, smoke would rise into the atmosphere and disperse, but an anticyclone was hanging over the region. This pushes air downwards, warming it as it descends. This creates an inversion, where air close to the ground is cooler than the air higher above it. So when the warm smoke comes out of the chimney, it is trapped. The inversion of 1952 also trapped particles and gases emitted from factory chimneys in the London area, along with pollution which the winds from the east had brought from industrial areas on the continent.

Early on 5th December, in the London area, the sky was clear, winds were light and the air near the ground was moist. Accordingly, conditions were ideal for the formation of radiation fog. The sky was clear, so a net loss of long-wave radiation occurred and the ground cooled. When the moist air came into contact with the ground it cooled to its dew-point temperature and condensation occurred. Beneath the inversion of the anticyclone, the very light wind stirred the saturated air upwards to form a layer of fog 100-200 metres deep. Along with the water droplets of the fog, the atmosphere beneath the inversion contained the smoke from innumerable chimneys in the London area.

During the period of the fog, huge amounts of impurities were released into the atmosphere. On each day during the foggy period, the following pollutants were emitted: 1,000 tonnes of smoke particles, 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 140 tonnes of hydrochloric acid and 14 tonnes of fluorine compounds. In addition, and perhaps most dangerously, 370 tonnes of sulphur dioxide were converted into 800 tonnes of sulphuric acid.

The fog finally cleared on December 9th, but it had already taken a heavy toll.

• About 4,000 people were known to have died as a result of the fog, but it could be many more.
• Many people suffered from breathing problems
• Press reports claimed cattle at Smithfield had been asphyxiated by the smog.
• Travel was disrupted for days

A series of laws were brought in to avoid a repeat of the situation. This included the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968. These acts banned emissions of black smoke and decreed residents of urban areas and operators of factories must convert to smokeless fuels.

People were given time to adapt to the new rules, however, and fogs continued to be smoky for some time after the Act of 1956 was passed. In 1962, for example, 750 Londoners died as a result of a fog, but nothing on the scale of the 1952 Great Smog has ever occurred again. This kind of smog has now become a thing of the past, thanks partly to pollution legislation and also to modern developments, such as the widespread use of central heating.

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Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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On this day 25th November 1960-1965

On 25/10/1960 the number one single was Only the Lonely - Roy Orbison and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Britain launches first nuclear submarine.

On 25/10/1961 the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

On 25/10/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 25/10/1963 the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division.

On 25/10/1964 the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street  and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 25/10/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street  and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page  No 2212

18^th November 2015

Top Picture: 1950’s kitchen cabinet

Second Picture: 1951 Hoover advertisement

Third Picture: Knitting pattern of the 1950’s

How our Mothers Lived

This following article is a bit of an eye opener, not that all of the events listed below happened in my family but some certainly did.

The author writes:-

I was just four when the 1950’s started, living at home with my Mum and Dad, but what a different world it was, especially for Mum. A married woman’s life was very different then.

In the 1950’s a married woman was not allowed to have a mortgage in her own name nor could she sign a hire purchase agreement in her own name and virtually, if any, woman had her own separate bank account. For the most part Joint Accounts did not exist. Even for women who did have full-time jobs there would be the second shift to be tackled on arriving home. Very few men in those days would ever consider shopping, cooking, washing up, making beds, laying the table or clearing away plates. It was quite common for a husband to never clear the table, wash a single dish, do the washing and ironing or even get out the vacuum cleaner. In the average household it would not have been expected and often such work would have been considered unmanly.  Similarly, you would never catch a man changing or washing nappies, or even pushing a pram. This was possibly the era of the captive wife, housewives kept by a man. What was worse was that the woman of the house was not her own person she was always referred to as the doctor’s wife, the butcher’s wife, the farmer’s wife, the vicars or the baker’s wife.

These were the days when in the evenings the radio reigned supreme, or maybe the family might play games such as Monopoly or cards.

Very few women were qualified for a profession and those who were nurses for example, had to leave when they got married (this is what happened to my mother. Peter). It was taken for granted that girls would grow up to be housewives. They might have been allowed to train as secretaries or receptionist but as late as the late Fifties only a tiny minority of girls went on to higher education.

Although women had proved themselves by doing men’s jobs during World War II, when peace was declared, they were moved back into the home.

Lone women were not allowed into many restaurants or hotels, and those who ventured into pubs by themselves were considered ‘fast’ and not quite respectable. This was a time when in some areas men-only pubs were not uncommon. The myth that the 1950’s woman would spend her evening with a Martini, were a misnomer as on the whole hardly any women drank alcohol, they were all too busy knitting and darning torn clothing.

Housework was hard, washing machines had not been invented so it had to be done by hand. And yes, women baked cakes — not in a Nigella way, but because it was an essential way to fill up the family relatively cheaply. Most housewives had a baking day at least once a week. Meat and fish were still scarce and there were no ready meals. Very few families had a fridge or freezer, so sour milk, smelly fish, rancid butter and bad eggs were a daily fact of life.

As for clothes, most girls just dressed like their mothers and like her friends the average girl looked forward to the day when I would be old enough to wear nylons and a smart suit or ‘costume’, just like Mum’s. Special designs for teenagers did not come in until the mid-Sixties, with designers such as Mary Quant. This was a period of time when young ladies pulled themselves into old-lady underwear. Elastic roll-ons, or girdles, were worn even by the thinnest girls. Tights had not been invented and ever-laddering nylons were held up by metal suspenders that dug into your thighs and left marks.

Early marriages were the norm, usually to the girl’s first and only boyfriend. Even so, unplanned pregnancies were not uncommon and often girls left school rather quickly at 16, only to be seen pushing a pram down the high street not long afterwards. Abortion was illegal and unmarried mothers were regarded as a disgrace. Here the double standard applied because no such shame was attached to unmarried fathers, of course, he was regarded as ‘a bit of a lad.’

Polite society would also shun a divorced woman, though a divorced man was considered again to be ‘a bit of a lad.’.

Now for something completely different

When you look back there are so many unexpected and maybe surprising things around in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Take rural bus services for example.

One odd thing that comes readily to mind is the Southdown bus garage in Hambledon. I suppose it was built as the terminus of the service. If I remember correctly it only had room for one bus and was most certainly one of the most remote outposts of the Southdown Motor Company. Its lasted into the 1960’s but by the 1970’s it had been was knocked down to make way for houses. The same fate befell the small Southdown garage nestled next to Fareham railway station and the one at Wickham.

Keep in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

Pat Short Writes: I found your article about the airlines very interesting as I worked for BEAand British Airways from 1965 through to 1987 so saw the change from propeller aircraft through to Concorde. I was on duty at West London Air Terminal on the day that Michael Caine was filming and was very lucky to have taken him for tea and cakes with some of my colleagues.............I don't think we got over the thrill for days! Wonderful times as so many of the places I was able to go are no longer possible for us to visit.

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On this day 18th November 1960-1965

On 18/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Take Your Pick (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 18/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 18/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was First broadcast of That Was the Week That Was.

On 18/11/1963 the number one single was You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was JFK shot dead in Dallas and we all remember where we were on that day the 22^nd November 1963!!!.

On 18/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 18/11/1965 the number one single was Get Off Of My Cloud - Rolling Stones and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Take Your Pick (AR) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Mohammed Ali beats Floyd Patterson In Las Vegas.

Web Page  No 2210

11^th November 2015

Top Picture: BOAC Shoulder Bag

Second Picture: The BEA West London Terminus

Third Picture: Steward service aboard Lufthansa

Taking to the Air

Flying is not what it used to be. In the 60s it was glamorous and stylish. To fly meant you had arrived, you were part of the jet set. Certainly flying was still for the privileged few, but was it that glamorous?

In the 1969 film, "Billion Dollar Brain", Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) received a telephone call on an old Bakelite black telephone. A talking computer told him to go to West London Air Terminal and pick up a package from a locker. He took a taxi to West London Air Terminal at Cromwell Road, Kensington. In the locker were a thermos flask and an air ticket to Helsinki. The West London Air Terminal, was built in 1963 and was a modern, efficient looking building. It had a departure lounge and check-in desks, but no aeroplanes ever landed or took off from there. After check-in passengers and their luggage were transported by bus to Heathrow. The terminal was used exclusively by British European Airways (BEA).

Air travel had an image of glamour and excitement in the 60s. Air travel was for the rich and famous. The phrase "Jet Set" conjures up an image of well-healed and sophisticated international travellers. Today air travel seems far from glamorous. Yet even as far back as the 'fifties flying was opening up to ordinary people as well.

The effect of this change was that by the end of the sixties the actual experience of flying was already losing some of its appeal. "Which?" magazine picked up on a few of today's favourite moans: queues, crowding, delays whilst waiting for luggage and damaged luggage. The airlines themselves have been wrestling for years with the problem of transporting increasingly large numbers of people.

In the early 'fifties there was only one class of travel: first class. Such luxuries as cocktail bars, and even beds had been provided on transatlantic flights. Fares were expensive and passengers were either very wealthy or claiming the trip on expenses. By the end of the fifties, there were four classes of travel, deluxe, first class, tourist class and economy class.

Deluxe services gave passengers the best that the airlines could offer. On the new jets, there were no flat beds or separate bars. Passengers, instead, had wide reclining seats and gourmet catering. BOAC's Monarch service was flying from London to New York with Boeing 707s in 1960. The advert stressed the Rolls Royce engines that powered the 707, confirming that BOAC was still buying British. The 707s had just replaced Comets on this route. BOAC claimed that it was the finest service in the world.

The four class arrangements did not last long. Pan American only offered first and economy on its transatlantic jet service by 707 from 1958. In the sixties economy and tourist were much the same. Most European flights offered passengers first or economy/tourist. BEA offered passengers first and tourist. Tourist class passengers were given a seat with 34" pitch. First class passengers enjoyed 42" pitch and greater seat width, together with better food and drink.

How much more was it? A flight from London to Helsinki cost £114 first class return and £80 economy by SAS in 1967 (this equates to £1277 and £896 adjusting for inflation). The same trip costs £289 economy and £820 business today. Certainly, the trip cost more in the sixties to travel in economy than it does today to travel business class, but business only offers the same legroom as economy did in the sixties. Another factor is that the price differential is much greater today. If you were able to afford the sixties' economy fare, you might think it was worth paying about 40% more for greater comfort and better food.

First class menus from the 60s were fantastic. This is from a Swissair menu, from 1966:

Hors d'oeuvre

Imported Malossol Caviar, Melba Toast, Butter

Slices of Foie Gras de Strasbourg, Pumpernickel, Butter

Fresh, Cold Lobster Bellevue, Chef's Sauce

Glaced Asparagus Spears, Air-dried Ham, Sauce Mayonnaise

Thin Slices of Smoked Salmon, Fluffy Horseradish Sauce

New Zealand Shrimp Cocktail, Cocktail Sauce

Soups

Cream Soup

Real Turtle Soup

Cold Vichyssoise

Main Courses

Prime Filet Mignon with Truffles, Potato Balls, Artichoke Bottoms, Grilled Tomato, Salad

Veal Steaks, Swiss-Italian Style, with thin Layer of Swiss Cheese, Noodles in Butter, Braised Lettuce with Chipolata, Salad

Poached Breast of Chicken in Curry, Pilaw Rice, Buttered, early June Peas, Salad

Chops and Cotelette of Spring Lamb, Miniature Potatoes, Buttered String Beans, Salad

Roast Pheasant en Cocotte, Sauce Smitane, Mascotte Potatoes, Leaf Spinach, Salad

Swiss Speciality of Minced Veal with Button Mushrooms in Cream Sauce, Spaetzlis in Butter, Salad

Saute of Filet of English Sole with Truffles, Diced Artichokes, Olive Potatoes, Salad

Travelling economy in the sixties could vary from airline to airline. Free food for tourist and economy passengers had become common in the sixties. The seats in BOAC's VC10s had a reputation for being particularly comfortable.

One innovation from the sixties that made flying more bearable was in-flight movies. There had been experimentation with in-flight movies as early as 1925. However, TWA was the first airline to regularly show in-flight movies. Passenger experience of in-flight movies in the 60s was vastly different from today. They were only shown on popular long-haul routes. Not all airlines did them; although there was increasing pressure to do so. There could only be one movie per cabin. It was either a video, or a 16mm cine film. United offered a 16mm colour cine system and the choice of several audio channels as well.

At the end of the 60s there were two developments that promised to shape the future of air travel: jumbo jets and supersonic travel. Concorde demonstrated supersonic travel in 1969 and the airlines were primed to take up Boeing's new 747 jumbo jet. At the time it seemed that supersonic travel would soon be a part of our lives, but it was the jumbo that really set the pace for the future. The first airline to fly the Boeing 747 was Pan Am. Their first commercial flight was in January 1970.

So was air travel in the 60s more glamorous? If you were flying first class, yes. First class was more affordable in the 60s than today.  There were fewer people flying in the 60s, so there was a greater chance of being next to an empty seat in economy. But with limited in-flight entertainment and no free drinks, it was hardly that much better than economy travel today. It was more a question of attitude.  Flying then was exciting, today it is common place.

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Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

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On this day 11th November 1960-1965

On 11/11/1960 the number one single was Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was US places embargo on goods to Cuba.

On 11/11/1961 the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 11/11/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 11/11/1963 the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 11/11/1964 the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 11/11/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.