Web Page No 2508

9^th September 2018


Firstly the very last book Drayton Observer is now available through the usual sources

Secondly: The next get together in The George is on October 4th at noon. I have spoken to June and she is coming even though she still has her neck brace on. See you there!!!

1^st Picture. Tank traps on Ferry Road Milton

2nd Picture. UK solders during the Korean War

3^rd Picture. The building of Leigh Park

4^th Picture. The traditional view of a butcher

Britain in 1950

I came across this appraisal of the 1950s the other day, it certainly jogs the memory.

Britain in 1950 was very different from Britain today. The legacy of the War was still everywhere to be seen. In Portsmouth there were vacant bomb-sites, unrepaired houses, prefabs and gardens turned into allotments. The Marshes and the hill were covered with abandoned wartime installations and others reactivated because of the Cold War.

Most grandfathers had served in the First World War and most fathers in the Second, and most young men were being called up for two years of National Service. The armed services occupied a far more prominent role in life than they do today. There were four times as many servicemen in the early 1950s as there are today. A majority of them were conscripts, who were either elated, bored or appalled by their experiences. Many servicemen served abroad, especially in Germany or the Empire. 750 soldiers were killed and many more injured or captured during the Korean war of 1950-53. 

Britain spent 6.6 per cent of its GDP on defence: more than any major country except the Soviet Union. The RN and the RAF were second in size and power only to the forces of the United States and in 1952 Britain became the world’s third nuclear power.

The massive Labour majority at the 1945 general election was largely removed at the 1950 election. Very low unemployment helped ensure that over half of all male workers and a quarter of all women workers were trade unionists. Strikes were illegal until 1951 and the Labour government took tough action to prevent any interference with food supplies or exports.

Britain was left with a plethora of state regulations and high taxation. Some basic commodities like butter, meat, tea and coal were still rationed and although bread was now freely available, the de-rationing of sweets and chocolates in 1949 had to be abandoned because demand was too great. The continuance of rationing encouraged people to produce their own food in back gardens and allotments or to get food parcels from relatives abroad. There were also severe shortages of most consumer products. The standard rate of income tax was 9/- in the pound – more than twice the rate today so most Britons had little surplus money and even less to spend it on.

The war damage, the scarcity of manpower and materials created a serious housing problem. The New Towns Act of 1946 led to the expansion of towns, in Portsmouth note Leigh Park and Paulsgrove. Nearly half the population lived in private rented accommodation – often in dingy rooms or bedsits with little privacy, comfort or warmth. Less than a third of all houses were owner occupied. There were virtually no high-rise buildings and concrete was only widely used for military structures. All this changed in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Environmental pollution was the price Britain paid for its industrial success. In 1950 the UK accounted for a quarter of world trade in manufactures far greater than today. Britain was the foremost world producer of ships and the leading European producer of coal, steel, cars and textiles. Electronics and engineering were growing rapidly, as were oil and chemical refining. Britain led the field in civilian aviation with the first jet liner (the Comet). Rolls Royce was a worldwide symbol of excellence in aero and motor engines. The Labour government had nationalised the coal mines, the railways, the inland waterways, gas and electricity, the airways, the Bank of England and the iron and steel industry. By the early 1950s, state owned industries employed over two million people – most of them in coal or rail. Coal was still the main source of heating and energy and provided most of the fuel and much of the freight for the railways.

The population totalled about 50 million in 1950, the 1951 census showed that only 3% of the population had been born overseas. In 1950, the West Indies cricket team won a Test series in England for the first time and, in so doing, popularised the calypso.

Most shops were family businesses and traditional in character. The butcher wore a straw hat and a striped apron, used a thick wooden chopping block and sprinkled sawdust on the floor. The local shopping parade usually included a butcher, a baker, a grocer, a greengrocer, a confectioner and an ironmonger, so there was little necessity to go further afield for everyday purchases.

Our primary schools had to cope with the post-war ‘baby boom’ – and classes of nearly 45 were common. Children’s clothes were distinctively different from those of adults: shorts for boys and short skirts or tunics for girls. We wore short or long socks with shoes, sandals or canvas plimsolls. Most children walked to school and, like their parents, used public transport for longer journeys.

Many people today regard post-war Britain, nostalgically, as a golden age and opinion poll evidence suggests that in 1950 Britons were generally happier perhaps because they had more security and less stress in their personal and professional lives. Nevertheless, they were, on average, much less well off than today and many lived in straightened circumstances. In 1950 Britons generally accepted their lot, but – just like us today – they wanted the future to be even better.

Keep in touch

Yours

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

Griff Writes:

"Only 2 weeks ago I was driving a friends newly restored and immaculate 1958 Ford 100E exactly the same colour and spec. as shown in Peter's MC picture. 

            For all you misty-eyed people looking back at these cars from yesteryear it has to be said that they were what they were and there is no comparison to today's modern cars especially from a safety point of view. It was good fun to drive the 100E and plenty of people pointing at it as we drove around town and when we stopped people wanted to know all about it. Good fun and that's about it really.  I wouldn't want one of these cars now especially on a long drive down the motorway.....lol

           My  Dad had a Standard Vanguard car as shown is Peter's picture. Also known as a "shooting brake"  (Google for info. ) car. I know my Dad loved it as they were big and spacious and powerful and a huge step up from his 1937 Austin 7 !

Take care everyone. Regards   Melvyn Griffiths.

News and Views:

On this day 9th September 1960-1965

On 09/9/1960 the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide 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 was Grandma Moses is 100-years-old.

On 09/9/1961 the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton 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. The big news story of the day was TUC votes against Unilateral Nuclear Disarmament

On 09/9/1962 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  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 09/1963 the number one single was Bad to Me - Billy J Kramer 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.The big news story of the day was Sussex win first One Day Cricket Tournament

On 09/9/1964 the number one single was Have I the Right? - Honeycombs 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 09/9/1965 the number one single was I Got You Babe - Sonny and Cher and the number one album was Help - 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.