Web Page No 2552

2^nd February 2019

                                          The year that was… 1953

1st Picture. Just William in shorts and cap

2nd Picture. Gymslip and Knickers

3rd Picture. 1950’s Eiderdown

In 1953 I was seven and at Solent Road Infant School along with others of my age. My father was working in Trincomalee in Ceylon and would be for the next two years and my grandmother had moved down to stay with us from London. This short stay lasted over 50 years

In 1953 the highlight was the crowning of the Queen, an event we watched on the Hill family TV over the road from us as we did not have a TV set until 1956. Also Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing became the first people to scale the summit of Mount Everest.

But the everyday life of the ordinary citizen in Britain was, by the standards of today, quite basic and very simple. But it was all about to change.

For the first time since the war petrol was un-rationed, this did not bother us as we did not have a car but it appeared that a huge influx of cars took to the roads, some of them in less than roadworthy condition. The new cars were very state of the art, but they still didn’t come fitted with seat belts, heated rear screens, radios or efficient heaters. The relatively quiet country lanes became more congested of course, so major new roads were being planned to stretch to all parts of the country. By the end of the decade a new word was to enter the English dictionary …motorways.

It was at this time that rationing had ceased this was very noticeable amongst the fashion conscious because the clothes that the average person wore before the war were very different to those being sold after the war. Whilst some women still wore corsets, the younger women favoured a far more relaxed waistline.

The fashion for young women’s ‘Sunday best dresses’ at this time was for full-skirted dresses, with a stiffened petticoat underneath. These were very difficult to hang in the wardrobe, as the doors wouldn’t shut properly due to the bulk of the skirt. Woman wore ‘Pancake Make-up’, this was applied with a damp sponge, and scarlet lipstick was the norm. I hasten to add I had no experience of these items!

Trousers or ‘slacks’ as they were called, were only worn very occasionally by women, as the feminine look was the thing. Ladies teetered along on very high-heeled shoes, as the flat-heeled ones were too reminiscent of the A.T.S. and the W.A.A.F. and other service uniforms.

Most men wore suits …together with waistcoats, ties and white shirts. Trilby hats were common, worn of course at the obligatory rakish angle, approximately 10 degrees from horizontal. The working man still wore his flat cap!

And everybody smoked!

Young boys at school wore short trousers and knee length socks, held up by elastic garters; (which could also double as a catapult when necessary), and peaked school caps were obligatory. How well I remember shivering in those short trousers and I was still wearing them during the first year at senior school.

For the young girls there were the gymslips and accompanying knickers which were hated by  most  young girls.

If she was very lucky the 1950s housewife had recently taken delivery of her new washing machine with its detachable and very heavy mangle, very popular, especially on Mondays.

Duvets hadn’t been heard of; so all beds had sheets, layers of blankets topped off with a nice thick eiderdown and a counterpane, as most bedrooms were very cold indeed …we all remember the ice on the inside of the windows! Central heating in houses was very rare at this time. It was coal fires downstairs and electric fires upstairs and the odd paraffin heater in the bathroom or hall.

Whilst still beyond the reach of most families until the 1960s, holidays abroad were beginning to become popular as prices became more affordable, and the aircraft journey was an adventure in itself. The air hostess brought round barley sugar sweets for passengers to suck during take-off, and ear plugs deadened the roar of the engines. The aircraft cabins were not pressurised in those days and take-off and landings often caused severe earache.

Television sets started to appear, taking up their now familiar place as the focal point of the ‘living room’, and outside strange looking H- or -X shaped aerials were clamped firmly to the chimney stacks.

Some things hadn’t changed at all though: murderers were still executed for their crimes, and the pubs closed at 10 o’clock or 10.30 as usual.

Looking back now to 1953, life perhaps appears hard, but it did have several good points. There was virtually no vandalism, swearing in public places was an offence, and gentlemen still gave up their seats to ladies in buses and trams.

Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers.

Of course I talk to myself. Sometimes I need expert advice.

Actually, I'm not complaining because I am a Senager. (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later.  I don't have to go to school or work.  I get an allowance every month.  I have my own home.  I don't have a curfew.  I have a driver's license and my own car.  And I don't have acne.  Life is great.

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Peter

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On this day 2^nd February 1960-1965.

On 02/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. 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 02/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley 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 02/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & 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.

On 02/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra.

On 02/02/1964 the number one single was Needles & Pins - Searchers and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) 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. The big news story of the day was USSR tops medals at Winter Olympics.

On 02/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. 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