Web Page  No 2394

5^th August 2017

First Picture: News Reel Mast

Second Picture: News Reel Camera

Third Picture: Radio Licence

Fourth Picture: Children’s TV Logo

TV News

For many of our parents in the late 1940s and early 1950s Television Newsreel took over from the Pathe, Universal and Gaumont News they were used to seeing in the local cinema.

Television Newsreel was the first regular news programme to be made in the UK. It was produced by the BBC and screened on the BBC Television  Service (the only service available) from 1948 to 1954 at 7.30pm, it was made in  the traditional cinema newsreel form but directed at the television audience. It covered news and current affairs stories as well as quirkier 'human interest' items, sports and cultural events. The programme's opening title sequence, featuring a film of the transmission mast at Alexandra Palace with the title revolving around it and it became a well-known image of the time. The theme tune was "Girls in Grey" by Charles Williams and played by the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra was also popular.. It was published by Chappell on one of its mood music records - it was not specifically written for the newsreel but composed during World War Two for the Women's Junior Air Corps.

Previously, the BBC had screened cinema newsreels from British Movietone News as well as sound-only news bulletins from BBC Radio. Following the resumption of the television service in 1946, after World War II  a BBC Film Unit was set up to produce items on film, as opposed to the vast majority of the BBC's output of the time which was transmitted live via the electronic cameras of the Alexandra Palace studios.

The first Television Newsreel was shown on Monday 5^th  January 1948. Each edition was fifteen minutes long, and would consist of a number of different items and they tended to be fewer and longer in length than in cinema newsreels, most of which ran for only ten minutes. The items would have different presenters, and would be linked by a narrated voiceover. Editions would initially be broadcast on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings. From April 1950 a special Children's Newsreel edition would be shown on Saturday afternoons, for the benefit of the younger audience.

Items from the United States produced by the NBC network would often be used, as the BBC had a film exchange deal with the American broadcaster where they would swap film reports they had produced. From 1951, a weekly Newsreel Review of the Week was produced to open programming on Sunday evenings, compiling highlights from the previous week's newsreel features. These weekly editions would be presented by Edward Halliday, who sometimes appeared on-screen to link the various items.

Due to the pre-prepared nature of the Newsreel, topicality and coverage of breaking news stories was impossible, and it was not a true news programme as we would understand it today; it was regarded more as entertainment, with more serious news bulletins being produced by BBC Radio and sometimes broadcast on TV in sound only. The final edition was broadcast on Sunday 4^th  July 1954. The following Monday 5 July 1954, the first BBC News programme was broadcast, presented live in the studio by a newsreader (who was, however, initially unseen and unnamed, because it was felt that identifying the news with one personality would detract from its seriousness), who linked the reports in the manner now familiar for news broadcasting. The new programme was initially titled News and Newsreel, but after a short while the Newsreel portion was dropped, severing the last link with the Television Newsreel strand.

Children's Newsreel, which unlike the later Newsround made no pretence at being a serious news report, had begun in April 1950 and would continue until September 1961, outliving its adult parent by seven years.

Given that the programmes were pre-shot on film as opposed to being shown live, unlike most of the BBC's output from the late 1940s, examples of Television Newsreel do survive in the archives, some of the oldest pieces of BBC-produced television programming. Complete editions with the original linking narration are rare, however, as the individual reports were designed to be re-used in shows such as Newsreel Review of the Week and the end-of-year review Scrapbook, so reports were archived separately rather than as complete editions of the programme.

Many of the reports survive due to the negatives having been donated to the National Film Archive at the British Film Institute in the early 1950s – the first ever television material to be acquired by the archive, which now has an extensive collection of broadcast programmes. The BBC donated these on condition that they could have access to them whenever they desired, and more subsequently made copies of the donated films for their own archives.

Stay in touch

Yours

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

Chris Writes

Great story about your fishing experiences, brought back many memories, thanks for that.

I recall having very little luck off the Eastern Road bridge, I preferred the bridge near Hilsea  bus garage and the Lido - not off the bridge, but it had a sort of buttress which was relatively flat. The bridge was quite narrow and as the tide went out the flow of water was quite fast. So repeated casting with a large float was the method as it went with the flow. I caught many a very large eel that way. I even asked a policeman one day if he had a sharp knife as I couldn't get the hook out of an eels mouth! At high tide the method was to walk a hundred yards or so along the path of the inner creek, then use standard weight tackle, cast out into the middle. Flounders of a decent size were easy to catch that way.

Your tale of digging for the rag worm reminded me to, you had to watch out for the front end of those things as they had particularly strong and sharp pincers which would give you quite a nip if you weren't careful.

Happy days!

Jonathon Writes:-

Hi Peter I attach a photo of two I-spy books I recently obtained. Both I-spy on a train journey.

One issued in the late 1950's by the News Chronicle and one in 2016 from Collins 60 years on.

The theme is the same the new product more glossy and surprisingly less interactive. It was harder to get your feather/certificate back then requiring 1250 points out of a possible 1500. Today its only 1000 points needed out of 3000. I think that says a lot!!!!!!!

Now the cost. The old one is one of the black and white issues costing six old pennies. The new edition Three pounds. The old coloured I-spy books were a shilling. So the coloured version has inflated by a whopping 600% !!!!!!!!!!

Now I began to think what other every day items have inflated at the same or similar rate. 

Houses..... a semi detached house in Portsmouth in the 50's cost about a thousand pounds today that same house (40 Rectory Ave) might sell for 250 thousand so a 250 % increase and we know how out of line house prices are.

What else????? Fish and chips at Drayton was about a shilling for a good portion. Today that will cost you maybe one pound fifty. That's 300 %.

Not sure what the retail price index has done generally but it is certainly not 600% up in that period.

So those old I -spy books were a great buy back then. Fun, educational and got you walking around......something the kids of today need!!!!!

News and Views:

On this day 5^th August 1960-1965.

On 05/08/1960 the number one single was Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd & the Pirates 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 05/08/1961 the number one single was Well I Ask You - Eden Kane and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Top Secret (AR) 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 05/08/1962 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 05/08/1963 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. The big news story was Derby doping riddle.

On 08/08/1964 the number one single was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles 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 08/08/1965 the number one single was Help - The Beatles and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Riviera Police (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.

Web Page  No 2392

29th July 2017

First Picture: Mud Flats

 Second Picture: Eastern Road Bridge

 Third Picture: Slimy supports

Fourth Picture: Road inspection by the Council before the opening of the Eastern Road.

Fishing

Unless we missed it when we were growing up in the 1950s and 60s, apart from a small stream that ran along the back of the houses on the south side of Old Manor Way there were no fresh water streams in the area. This meant that for the average lad who wanted to go fishing it was a trip to Portscreek for sea fishing; not like the Shirley Abicair song of 1956 ‘Little Boy Fishin’ off a Wooden Pier’!

Here we had three choices, fish from the creek bank, fish from the Eastern Road road bridge or at low tide clamber out and fish from under the bridge arch itself. But this was just the end of the story because a fishing trip started a couple of days earlier with the studying of the Tide Table Chart which we purchased from Martins the Fishing Tackle and electrical shop in Cosham High Street right next door to the railway station.

Having decide that we would go fishing it was essential to read the Tide Table to find out when it was low tide, because this is when we would go out bait digging.

On the day in question, having dressed in old clothes, thick socks and Wellington Boots we would tie an old garden fork to the cross bar of our bikes and with a small bucket hanging from the handlebars. It is very tricky riding a bike with oversized Wellies! We would cycle off down the Eastern Road. Over the railway bridge and then off along a track on the western side, past the old Council tip until we reached the water’s edge between the road and the railway bridge. The vista would be acres of grey mud covered with sea weed and other detritus.

First find your spot for digging which would be marked by worm casts on the surface which were always well away from the edge. Having found the casts, it was plunge the fork into the mud. Instantly the fork moved the mud it turned black and a foul smell started to fill the air, it was at this stage that many colleagues found themselves sinking into the mud and had visions of a muddy death until their mates pulled them out. However not being deterred we would dig away for Ragworm and place them with a portion of mud into our buckets ready for our fishing trip. It was time now to try and wash off the worst of the mud, clean the Wellies and go home and get cleaned up and risk the wrath of Mum.

The next high tide we would be off but this time with rod and line, the bucket of Ragworms and various floats and weights. The favourite place for fishing was off the Eastern Road bridge and this is where you found little groups of hopeful fishermen. It was rumoured that it was possible to catch Bass and Flounders here but I have to tell you, dear reader, that I personally cannot remember, ever caught a fish, several crabs, yes, but never a fish. However  Peter remembers me catching a small Whiting and that we used it as bait when the worms ran out!      

                                                                             

Between tides it was possible to get down below the bridge and sit underneath the arch. This could be fraught with danger as the slopping concrete supports were covered in green slime and very slippery.

My biggest haul here came one day in the early 1960s when I was bait digging in the mud close to the bridge on my own for once; and I came home with a very strange collection of weapons. The previous night the police had been called to and broken up a vicious fight between two rival gangs who had decided to settle their differences on the bridge. Once the police arrived and not wanting to be caught with offensive weapons in their possession most of the fighters threw their fighting instruments over the bridge. The following day I was unaware of this as I ferreted in the mud for Ragworms. Instead I came away with a quantity of knuckledusters, coshes, bicycle chains and flick knives. I only found out later where they all came from and I forget what I did with them  all when I got home and how I eventually disposed of them but I do know that I still have one of the flick knives somewhere in the back of my garden shed. 

There were also times when we went out into Langston or Portsmouth Harbours in leaky boats for a days fishing, or another boat based adventure was sailing or rowing from Portscreek to Portchester where we would spend our time clambering all over the derelict submarine beached outside Harry Pounds scrap yard and trying to explore the furthermost reaches of the vessel. But these are stories 

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this day 29th July 1960-1965

On 29/07/1960 the number one single was Please Don't Tease - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Elvis Is Back - Elvis Presley. 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 Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/07/1961 the number one single was Temptation - Everly Brothers and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. 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 £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was No Hiding Place (AR).

On 29/07/1962 the number one single was I Remember You - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Pot Luck - 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 29/07/1963 the number one single was Confessin' - Frank Ifield 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/07/1964 the number one single was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/07/1965 the number one single was Mr Tambourine Man - Byrds 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page  No 2390

22nd July 2017

First Picture: The Church of Marilyn Munroe

 Second Picture: Tommy

 Third Picture: Fire

Fourth Picture: The Restored Pier

TOMMY A ROCK OPERA, THE WHO.

I know that some of our number were extras in the filming of Tommy and they have their own tales to tell of the experience. Must of us know that it was the filming that caused the fire on South Parade Pier, but there were several other local venues used during the filming. Some may surprise you. 

Read on:-

During the summer of 1974 a lot of scenes from the film Tommy were filmed in and around the Portsmouth area, with many local people appearing in the film as extras. The director, Ken Russell, had used the area previously, filming scenes for The Boyfriend in 1971 starring Twiggy and Christopher Gable, at the New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk.

Some of the locations used:- Hilsea Lido swimming pool was used to portray Bernie’s Holiday Camp swimming pool

Whilst the Church of Marilyn Monroe was actually St. Andrew's Church in Henderson Road, Eastney. This church was built to serve the Royal Marines Eastney barracks and was dedicated at a service on 17^th  November 1905 by the Lord Bishop of Winchester, it was built to the design known as 'Admiralty Pattern Churches'. Following the closure of Eastney Barracks in 1991 this building has now been redeveloped into private housing. I'm sure the present residents realise the buildings religious background, but I wonder if they have seen the scenes in the film when Tommy is taken to the church by his mother Ann-Margret to be cured and where the congregation take part in a communion consuming both drugs and alcohol?  I would think not!

The King's Theatre in Albert Road is where the scene when Tommy battles against Elton John, wearing a massively high pair of Doc Marten boots, for supremacy as the Pinball Wizard,  was filmed.Tommy of course won the competition. The boots modelled on the classic cherry red, Doc Marten, were 4ft 6½ inches high and constructed from glass fibre. Elton John kept the boots after filming as this was one of the conditions he laid down to appear in the film. He later sold them at one of his famous auctions in 1988, they were bought by a director of R Griggs, the makers of Dr. Martens. 

Two of the most unlikely locations for filming were in Fort Purbrook on Portsdown Hill when it was made up to look like Tommy’s Holiday Camp, it was also used for other scenes and Pounds Scrapyard. The history of the forts is well documented so here is a short history of Harry Pounds Yard. The scrapyard at Tipner was opened just after the 2nd World War and is where much of the discarded military equipment from Portsmouth Dockyard ended up. It is now mostly empty although some items can still be see them from the M27 motorway. The scene filmed here was the climax to the film, scrap maritime marker buoys were spray painted silver to depict giant pinballs, Tommy navigates his way through a surreal scene of giant pinballs and collections of burning pinball machines, after his followers riot and destroy the holiday camp.

However the most famous location was when South Parade Pier was used to represent Bernie’s Holiday Camp Ballroom. As we all know fire broke out during filming when Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed, Tommy's mother and stepfather were dancing in the Gaiety Show Bar, disguised as the ballroom of the Holiday Camp. The fire resulted in serious damage to the pier estimated to be £500,000. Ken Russell's crew continued filming whilst the fire was being fought by the fire services and the fire scenes were used in other sections of the film notably the destruction of Bernies Holiday camp.

The cast list of ‘Tommy’ makes interesting reading. 

• Roger Daltrey as Tommy Walker
• Ann-Margret as Nora Walker
• Oliver Reed as Frank Hobbs (Uncle Frank)
• Tina Turner as The Acid Queen
• Elton John as The Pinball Wizard
• Eric Clapton as The Preacher
• Keith Moon as Uncle Ernie/Himself
• Paul Nicholas as Cousin Kevin
• Jack Nicholson as The Specialist
• Robert Powell as Group Captain Walker
• Pete Townshend as Himself
• John Entwistle as Himself
• Arthur Brown as The Priest
• Victoria Russell as Sally Simpson
• Ben Aris as Reverend Arthur Simpson
• Mary Holland as Mrs. Simpson
• Gary Rich as Rock Musician
• Dick Allan as President Black Angels
• Barry Winch as Young Tommy
• Eddie Stacey as Bovver boy
• Ken Russell (uncredited) as Cripple 

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this day 22nd July 1960-1965

On 22/07/1960 the number one single was Good Timin' - Jimmy Jones 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 Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/07/1961 the number one single was Temptation - Everly Brothers 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 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 22/07/1963 the number one single was Confessin' - Frank Ifield 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/07/1964 the number one single was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles 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. The big news story of the day was Postal strike ends.

On 22/07/1965 the number one single was Mr Tambourine Man - Byrds 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

Web Page  No 2388

15th July 2017

First Picture: Pre War Golly

 Second Picture: Ali Jam Jar

 Third Picture: Special Naval edition

Fourth Picture: Golly Watch

Box Tops and Badges

Looking back a lot of our childhood involved collecting things and sending off for items. How many of you collected the plastic bandsmen in the cornflake packets or the plastic trains inside the tubes of toilet rolls? I-Spy badges and feathers and all sorts of things. Most of us I guess.

We all collected the paper golly’s off of Robertson’s Jam and marmalade and then sent them off to swap them for metal pin on badges and there seemed to be an endless variety of them to collect. So, let us look at the history and demise of the Robertson’s Golly.

The origin of Golly is shrouded in mystery and has been accredited to several different sources. Golly is probably best known in England, appearing during the 1920s in the form of pin badges as the advertising logo for the Robertson's Jam and preserves company.  The badges became so popular that other items of Golly advertising merchandise became available and each year bought more and more new items to add to your collection.  

It is a little-known fact that the Robertson's badges and memorabilia became a great strain on the company as nearly all monies raised from sales were donated to the various charities that the Robertson's Company supported.  These charities included Cancer Research, Cystic Fibrosis, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Leukaemia Research and the 2001 Children in need Appeal.

Robertsons were way ahead of their time when they decided to use the Golly badges and merchandise to support several other worthwhile causes, these included the Viota Scheme (promoting healthy eating and baking) their own brand of organic mincemeat, road safety (the green cross code) promoting recycling with the Ali Jamja badge and there was even a badge commissioned for HMS Critchton to thank the sailors for their efforts protecting the nation. 

When it came to world events Robertsons were no back number here either, creating badges to commemorate the likes of many historical events from 1910 to 1990, The Barcelona Olympics 1992, The World Cup 1998,  Euro 2000, and even a special Millenium badge.

Eventually though Golly suffered the fate of the PC brigade as the continual habit of crediting Golly to the word "Golliwog" finally saw him off.  This is almost incomprehensible to fathom as anybody who takes the time to examine the history and paperwork of the Golly sensation will soon realise that even as far back as 1920s the word "Golliwog" was not used, Robertsons simply referred to their beloved iconic logo as just Golly.

It is believed that Robertsons were so taken aback that anybody could even think their company brand stood for racist views that they didn’t even attempt to defend themselves and instead chose to retire Golly even though several surveys supported the view that Robertsons should ignore the dissenters and continue to use their Golly logo.

So one of the greatest ever supporters of charities who stood for healthy eating, recycling, our children's safety whilst promoting sport and fitness, was finally seen off because his face was the wrong colour and people continually mispronounced his name as Golliwog.

Golly was as much a victim of racism as any other, he was a large part of most children's childhood and stood for no more than jam and the fun of collecting his many friends and bright coloured collectables, as such he should have been recognised as the pride of his era!

In 1999 a Robertson spokesperson said, "He's still very popular. Each year we get more than 340,000 requests for Golly badges. Since 1910 we have sent out more than 20 million." Serious Robertson's collectors may have thousands of Golly badges in their collections. Nevertheless, Robertson's Golly badges still remain highly collectable, with the very rarest sometimes selling for more than £1,000, and even comparatively common and recent badges being worth £2.00–£3.00.

Other Robertson's Golly memorabilia include such things as clocks, watches, tableware, porcelain figurines, jewellery, aprons, knitting patterns, playing cards, dolls, children's silverware sets, pencils, erasers and, of course, the Golly tokens themselves.

Robertson pendant chains were introduced in 1956, and, soon after, the design of all Robertson Gollies changed from the Old Golly with pop eyes to the present Golly with eyes looking to the left. The words "Golden Shred" were removed from his waistcoat, his eyes were straightened, and his smile was broadened.

How well I remember Golly!

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this day 15^th  July 1960-1965

On 15/07/1960 the number one single was Good Timin' - Jimmy Jones 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 Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/07/1961 the number one single was Runaway - Del Shannon and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. 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 Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/07/1962 the number one single was I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles 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.

On 15/07/1963 the number one single was I Like It - Gerry & the Pacemakers 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was UK Ministry of Defence proposed to replace War Office.

15/07/1964 the number one single was It's All Over Now - Rolling Stones and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Labour 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 15/07/1965 the number one single was Crying in the Chapel - Elvis Presley 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Mont Blanc Tunnel officially opened.

Web Page  No 2386

8th July 2017


First Picture: Wrap Round Apron

 Second Picture: One bar electric fire.

Third Picture: Early Washing Machine

 Fourth Picture: Was it really like this?

Had this sent to me recently, was this your Mum?

The 1950s Housewife

The life of the average married woman in the 1950s was very different from that of today’s woman. This was the age of respectability and conformity. Very few women worked after getting married; they stayed at home to raise the chil-dren and keep house. The man was considered the head of the household in all things; mortgages, legal documents and bank accounts. Only the family allow-ance was paid directly to the mother. Should a woman find herself in a loveless or violent marriage, she was trapped; she had no money of her own and no ca-reer.

It was still unusual for women to go to university, especially working class women. Most left school and went straight into work until they married. Sec-ondary schools - even grammar schools - prepared girls for this life: lessons were given in cookery, household management, darning, sewing and even how to iron a shirt properly. Girls were trained to look after their husband, their children and the house.

The house itself was very different from that of today. There was no central heating; the downstairs rooms were heated by coal fires and then later, after the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968, by coke or gas fires. Upstairs the heating was provided by paraffin stoves and electric fires. During the winter night-time routine was hot water bottles in the beds and undressing downstairs in the warm.  Thick dressing gowns and slippers were essentials. Every home had a coal bunker from where the coal was taken by coal scuttle into the house.

In the kitchen, fridges were becoming more common although freezers were unheard of. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that local shops started stocking fro-zen foods such as frozen peas and fish fingers. These were purchased and cooked straight away as most people could not store them. Many people had only the pantry with its cold shelf, where butter, milk, cheese etc. was stored. 
Shopping for food in the 1950s was done every day as storing fresh food was difficult. The housewife would visit the baker, the butcher, the greengrocer and the grocer individually, carrying all her shopping home in a basket. She would pride herself on budgeting and keeping within the weekly allowance that she would receive from her husband. 

Monday was washing day in most households. If you were lucky enough to have a washing machine, it would be a twin-tub with mangle on top. This had to be filled from the tap. After the clothes had washed they were lifted out of the hot water with large wooden tongs, fed through the mangle the whole kitchen would fill with steam as first the whites were washed and then the col-oured clothes as the water cooled. In the winter or when it rained, clothes were hung on clothes horses or airers around the fire or in the kitchen where it was warm. On other days clothes were pegged out to dry on clothes lines with wooden pegs.

Most households had a vacuum cleaner and a cooker. Entertainment was pro-vided by the wireless or gramophone and more and more people were acquir-ing televisions. These were rented, not owned.  All television programmes were  in black and white and there was only one channel.

Clothes were often homemade, either sewn or knitted. Knitted items when out-grown were re-cycled by being unravelled and re-knitted into something else. When collars on shirts became frayed, they were unpicked, turned inside out and sewed back on. All buttons and zips from old clothes were saved and socks and stockings were darned.

Dinner would be on the table ready and waiting for the man of the house on his return from work. Housework and the care of children was considered wom-an’s work so the man would expect the house to be clean and tidy, meal ready, children fed and washed and his clothes all ready for the next day at work.

There was a succession of callers to the 1950s house. These would include the rag and bone man who would mend your pots and pans when the bottoms went through. There was also the ‘pop man’ from whom you would buy lemonade, dandelion and burdock. Alcoholic drinks could be bought from the off-licence, often part of the local pub; you would return the bottles in exchange for a few pence. The milk man came daily and delivered your milk to your doorstep. The local shops would also deliver your groceries, bread and meat, the delivery boys using bicycles to make their rounds. The dustbin men carried the metal dustbins on their backs from the  back door to the cart and back again.

For the 1950s housewife there was no need to go the gym; her day-to-day jobs kept her physically active. She walked to the shops and took the children to school every day on foot; the housework she did was very labour-intensive without gadgets and there were no convenience foods or fast food outlets. Sweets and plain crisps were treats rather than everyday foods.

The 1950s housewife had been prepared both at school and at home for her role in life; she took pleasure and pride in looking after her home and family to the best of her ability. However on the other side of the coin, she didn’t have a career outside the home and she had no income of her own, which left her de-pendent on her husband.

Best of times or worst of times? Bit of both it appears.

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Peter
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On this day 8th  July 1960-1965

On 08/06/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Broth-ers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) 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. The big news story of the day was Bing Crosby presented with a platinum disc by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for estimated sales of 200 million records.

 On 08/07/1961 the number one single was Runaway - Del Shannon and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box of-fice 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 be-coming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 On 08/07/1962 the number one single was Come Outside - Mike Sarne with Wendy Richard 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 Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 08/06/1963 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 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 Martin Luther King denounces JFK's civil rights policies.

On 08/07/1964 the number one single was House of the Rising Sun - Ani-mals and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Room at the Top (ITV) 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 One champions

 On 08/07/1965 the number one single was I'm Alive - Hollies 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.