Russethouse Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6676967.stmGolden age or grey, grey grey ?Interesting comments about conscription in the article........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCanary Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hmm...I was born at the end of 1948 and thus had my early childhood in the 50's. It's not that easy to be specific about life then, but it did seem to have a warmer 'family feel' to it - a bit like that which we all believe is still enjoyed in France today. But I guess whatever age we are now, our early childhood would feel like that.The BBC article says......"No schoolboy was without a cap and shorts; every woman is a housewife; hair-cream, corsets and pipe-tobacco are advertised everywhere." At the age of 11 (so, about 1960/61) I started at a boy's grammar school in Norwich where woe betide any of the boys who were seen outside the school grounds without their hat on! The teachers all wore gowns and were not teachers at all - they were masters and all-powerful. The head-teacher of this school of about 1200 male pupils taught me English when I was in the second year (my favourite subject). One morning he walked into our classroom to start the lesson. As was the norm, we all instantly fell silent and stood up. "Good morning boys..." Good morning Sir..." We were told to sit down, which we did absolutely silently as he sorted his books on his desk. Then he looked up, glanced around the room inspecting everybody from a distance before his eyes settled on me.... Referring to me only by my surname, he told me to get out of the classroom and wait for him in the corridor. He obviously set some work for the class, then came out, closing the door behind him. Pushing his face close to mine and holding his arms behind his back with his gown gathered over it like a tail he said, "What is that stuff on your hair, boy?" "Brylcreem," I very nervously replied. "Well boy, do not ever let me see that on your hair again. If I do, I will take you to my study and personally scrub it off......"Happy days!Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 [quote user="Russethouse"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6676967.stm[/quote]"It was also the time of Roger Bannister and his four-minute mile"Oh for the days when BBC reporting could be relied upon for accuracy - Dr B never ran a 4 minute mile - his was the first sub-4 min mile. Pedantnot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Like Mel I had similar experiences in the 1950s, East London Grammar School which I hated with a vengence - many of the Masters were sadistic (in later life I met one of the good Masters who regretted the way the school attracted the bas88rds) and a couple were serial child abusers. Beatings were frequent, even the prefects could beat the lower form boys, vicious and violent atmosphere and we were supposed to be the better kids.I was at school not far from - though a bit before Di - of John and Di fame. At that time East London was still covered in bomb sites (debris' as they were known), Stepney had wonderfully named streets like Paradise Street - which it wasn't - the docks were still a community for the working classes, not posh people with lots of money, Tate and Lyle's Lion still stood at Silvertown, etc etc etc. I remember Sparrers Can't Sing being filmed (may be early 60s) at the new high rise flats in Stepney near school, they've been demolished now. Smog and real problems getting home - I lived 12 miles away from the school - on the Green Line 721 bus.I was lucky, Mum and Dad were fairly well off, we had holidays every year and that sort of thing.I even remember Brumus the Bear, the Festival of London and Coco the Clown, the annual circus at the Olympia, Xmas parties for the school I was at for most of the 50s.But it still seems dark and grey back then - truly for me a foreign country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastines Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Was everybody's 50's the same?Having read Brenda Blethyn's book and Liz Smiths,and a few others., I can only conclude that an awful lot of us had the same lifestyle in the 50's but basically didn't bemoan our lot. Having read Tony's posting there are lots of things that I can can say "Yes, that rings a bell". In Brenda Blethyn's book she says how they used to take their box cart to the station to take holiday makers luggage to the hotels/guest-houses to earn pocket money. When I relate things that were normal to EARN pocket-money in those days to my children and grandchildren they think I'm making it up. The main point being ,did it do us any harm,.? Did we need the counselling that seems a prerequisite today? When we think back about the things that happened to us in our formative years,do we ever think if only I'd had counselling etc.etc. I believe that most of us just got on with our lives. Many things we aren't allowed to mention now for fear of the Human Rights brigade but I wonder who's rights they protect or is it just another wallet liner for the lawyers who follow that route and for the MP's stroke lawyers who bring in the legislation.Anyway,I don't believe what many of us thought of as a normal life in the 50's did any of us any harm and probably gave us a more balanced view of life. I don't doubt many of us have had to deal with the bully,the suspect teacher and learnt how to pay our way through life without resorting to the many avenues of complaint and compensation now so readily available and resorted to. I think I may have passed the date I can be arrested for this offence.. My eldest brother and a few school -pals found out that the local bakers vans were parked in a yard near our Junior School after their daily rounds and that the unsold cakes/buns etc were then dumped in bins each day. This seemed an awful waste!!! So we[ I was the younger hanger -on to the group being about 8 yrs old ] decided that we would creep into the yard and liberate[pinch,steal ] a few cakes before they went into the pig bins. We used to take them down to the sea front by Boscombe Pier and eat them. Well, we got caught. The punishment, believe it or not, was the entire school was lined up in the assembly hall,all teachers in attendance,police with note books in hand. A lecture from the Headmaster, the cane for the offending boys and their names entered in the police book.I was let off the cane as I was the youngest . I wonder what counselling I should have had after that episode?Like that generation, I survived, and that I can think off ,didn't pinch anything ever again.Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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