Web Page No 2502

19th August 2018

1^st Picture. Clip round the ear

2nd Picture. Seat on a Bus

  

3^rd Picture. Family Meal

4^th Picture. Rebel Without a Cause

Children's manners and etiquette in the 1950's

Having had a couple of pages that featured memories I thought I would look at our manners and behaviour in the late 1950s.

Many people, especially those under the age of around 45 will often hear 'us oldens' say "If I'd have spoken to my parents like that, I'd have got a clip round the ear" or sent to bed with no supper. If you gave a child a clip round the ear nowadays, they'd probably sue you and put you up in front of the European Equal Rights Committee or something similar! The same with withdrawing a meal from the little darling.

But in most cases it's true what we say, you would never answer back, you would do as you were told because that's how it worked. Possibly part of the reason was that for the last 100 years, the vast majority of us were children of those who fought in the Services during the two Wars and this brought about a form of discipline. There again, discipline goes back many centuries before that even.

It is best to write how things were back in the 1950's by just giving examples and the 'rules' which existed, most of which are long forgotten I'm afraid.

1. When any adult, excepting your Parents, entered the Room, you would stand up. If you didn't you'd get ticked off for sure.

2. You would always vacate a Bus or Train seat for a Woman or someone in senior years. You would also offer them your place in a Queue when alighting from a Bus

3. You would never leave the Table without seeking permission first. In fact, you would usually not even bother asking, in the 50's most families would eat as a group and then leave the Table together.

4. "Please" and "Thank you" were compulsory and unlike nowadays, if you didn't say it, it wasn't a case of the Adult saying what an impolite young child you were after you'd left, they would tell you face to face.

5. At School, every Teacher was referred to as 'Sir', Miss or 'Madam' and upon entry into the Classroom, everyone would stand and unanimously say "Good morning Sir or Miss"

6. If you wore a Hat, you would never wear it indoors or at Home or in a Shop. You would take it off if you met or you were talking to a Lady.

7. "I want" were two 'no no' words, it was always "I would like" or "may I have" (followed by the mandatory Please and Thank you of course.

8. You would always open a door for someone, a woman or adult and allow them entry or exit before you.

9. 'Speak when you're spoken to', another expression us oldens often say. You would not normally make the first comment other than to ask how a person was, you would sit politely when you had Guests and wait for the question - and that was usually based around your Schooling!

10. Going back to Buses and Trains and even walking down the Street, if you saw a Lady struggling with her Shopping, you would offer to help, even if that meant going out of your way to take them to her home.

11. If a funeral drove by, if you were wearing a cap or hat it was the done thing to remove it.

12. The maxim of the early 1950s was that ‘children should be seen and not heard’ this was starting to be relaxed at the 1960’s came over the horizon but it did lead to some rebellion later of in the decade.

I'm sure there are many more you'd be able to find, but a dozen is a nice round number.

Much of the above would remain for some years to follow, but the main change in 'youth' came about in the mid 1960's. Sure there was the James Dean 'rebel without a cause' attitude and the 'Teddy Boys' later to become 'Rockers' and nowadays known as 'Bikers', although I must add it's hard to find a modern day Biker without manners.

Manners and etiquette was just a part of the 1950's lifestyle, it was more disciplined, you wouldn't see so much rubbish in the Street, you would find it hard to find untidy front gardens, people wanted to show others that they had things sorted, they were leading a decent life, did the right thing and the Children's manners were one way of showing this.

Keep in touch

Yours

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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On this day 19^th August 1960-1965

On 19/08/1960 the number one single was Please Don't Tease - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) 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 19/08/1961 the number one single was You Don't Know - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Harpers West One (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 19/08/1962 the number one single was I Remember You - Frank Ifield and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. 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 19/08/1963 the number one single was Sweets For My Sweet - Searchers 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 19/08/1964 the number one single was Do Wah Diddy Diddy - Manfred Mann and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 19/08/1965 the number one single was Help - The Beatles and the number one album was Liverpool. 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 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. Watts race riots in US and the big news story of the day was Riviera Police (AR)