Did anyone grow up in the 50's? (and 30's and 40's if you are on here!)

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

I've been reading with great interest the thread on growing up in the 80's but wondered if there were any posters on that were brought up in the 50s and could explain what life was like then? Just very interested in what life was like around the country then and what attitudes were like before exploding into the 60's.

[nildesparandum]

I was born near the end of WW2 so spent my schooldays in the 50s
All the other posters have already described living in the 50s so really got nothing much more to add as I experienced the same.
Things that stand out for me were hearing of the death of King George VI when I was at school this had a great effect on me because it was only then I realised that death comes to us all!.I remember my mother complaining because all radio programmes that day were cancelled and solemn music played instead.There was no TV so y mother, who did not go to work at that time relied not on the radio to relieve what she called the boredom of housework.The coronation the following year I remember very well.We all got the day off school and I watched the service on my grandparent's brand new TV which my uncle had bought them.My grandma had most of her neighbours in th watch it and revelled in being the first in her street to have television.The H shaped ariel on the chimney was a status symbol then as it announced you had a telly.
I walked to school, which was about five minutes away from our house from my second day there, my mother took me first day.I was the oldest child and when my younger siblings started I was responsible for taking them and bringing them home safely.
I have a memory of sugar coming off the ration making sweets freely available.Every child under the age of five was entitled to a free pint of milk a day, our doorstep was crowded with milk bottles delivered daily by the milkman.We lived next door to a corner shop and every Sunday my mother would buy ice cream from there as no fridges or freezers.We were only allowed if we ate our Sunday dinner which was always roast beef ad Yorkshire pudding with vegetables all home cooked no meals out.
When we were ill the doctor paid a home visit.If this was winter we were brought downstairs to lie on the settee by the open coal fire as no central heating then and the bedrooms were freezing and only used for sleeping in, with old coats piled ontop of the bed in winter.Baths were once a week as the fire had to be "banked up'" to get hot water from the boiler which was behind the fireplace.In the summer it made the house stifling hot when it was weekly bath night.On none bath days washed with water heated in the kettle.
All other things have all been described on here.I left school in 1960 and started work fur weeks later.I was unusual in this as most of the others started their first job the Monday after leaving school but I wanted to be a nurse and had already had a place in a local hospital as a nursing cadet but the next intake was four weeks after I had left school so my parents had to keep me for another four weeks.My wage the was £3.50 a weekend I had to give it all to my mother. She would give me my bus fare to work and back.I got free meals while training.My mother was not as hard as I thought she was though, she would keep some of my wage back and if I wanted e.g new clothes she would give me the money most of which she had saved from my wages.Within reason of course!
I must say I enjoyed my 50s childhood.The 60s were better though.

[nildesparandum]

Sorry for typos. Blame my failing eyesight.

[SlocombePooter]

Great post nil !

[GiantKitten]

Just remembered that chicken was a luxury!

Sunday roast was generally beef or lamb, & we'd have rissoles or shepherd's pie with the leftovers on Mondays, minced with crusts of bread through my mum's spong mincer screwed to the kitchen table

[magimedi]

Another 50's baby checking in.

So many of the posts resonate with me.

My penny worth is that the vast majority of men wore hats or caps.

I remember, at about the age of 5, being with my father & he met a friend & the friend raised his hat to me. I felt 10 feet tall!!

I can still picture it & remember his name.

[missclimpson]

I was a baby when the fifties started. Lots of the same memories as others. Horrible dentists, playing outside, tiny black and white TV, squares of chocolate etc.
Also my mum (who worked full-time) scrubbing my father's white shirts to get rid of the soot from the trains he took to London every day. Toothpaste in a round tin, gentian violet, cod liver oil. The freezing outside loo and the tin bath in which we all had a bath every day. The pattern on the ceiling from oil stoves, which frightened me.
My school was very arty-farty and we did lots of dance, pottery and painting. My mother made all out clothes and created fabulous costumes for me from leftover scraps of fabric.
Sadly in our house lots of tension and unhappiness. My father never recovered from the PTSD of his wartime experiences and six years apart had badly fractured the family.

[Japonicaflower2]

I was born early 50's, I remember spending hours outside playing in the fields or by the river with friends and when I was 7 being allowed to cycle around the lanes to a nearby village with my younger sisters and a friend for a picnic. My parents never knew where we were, you were just told to be home by X time for dinner (not lunch!) or tea and off you went!
I remember Peyton Place being on the television and mum's friends coming in to watch while we were banned from the room- heaven knows what it was about (and my dad turning the TV off if there were people kissing, let alone anything more!) Mum took us to see Ryan's Daughter at the cinema and dragged us out at the love scene under the trees 😳😀
Walking alone a mile across the fields to school from the age of 6, before then I went on the back of my dad's moped, walked home for lunch every day.
My mum scraping my long hair up into a ponytail, so tight it hurt and drying my hair in front of the fire - no hairdryer in our house.
Little money, home cooking for everything, never had ready meals.
Sex education was zero, given the Kotex leaflet and that was that. I thought you bled permanently- my sister thought it was a one-off event.....
It all seems very uncomplicated and innocent looking back.

[QueenBeee]

I walked or cycled to primary school every day. Must have been a couple of miles at least. We went across the estate, past the big house, sweeping grass meadows, carp pond, ornamental bridge, huge wrought iron gates, lime avenue. No one's allowed to go that way now, you have to go round.
It fostered my love of the countryside, I was absorbing it without realising.
I was in Scotland in a country school. 3 classrooms. 7 in my class. Very good education, still reciting tables in P7.
We did interpretation every week in P7. Study text and asked questions on such exciting things as describing an armchair, how to make a cup of tea. So boring but probably good for your english.
Nit nurse etc as mentioned before. Don't think the dentist, who came in a surgery caravan round the schools, was as bad as those mentioned above.
I find I pine for the quiet life there was then. An hour of kids tv, if that. Didn't see the newspapers much, delivered by postie I think. Had to amuse yourself. Funny, I can only picture the sunny days except for 1962, the snowy winter, 7 foot snow drifts. River frozen over (we kids of course had to walk over it!). Can't imagine what we thought about with such a quiet life.

[StealthPolarBear]

I love this thread

[EngTech]

I often wonder how I survived my childhood compared with today I.e.Elf and Safety 😳

Life was far better IMHO, but things change, some for the better some not.

How did we cope without the internet ? 😎

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

EngTech totally agree that some things change for better and some not. I was talking about this thread to my DM this morning and whilst I'm not looking at things in the past through rose tinted spectacles and know things weren't all great I do think that life on the whole was more wholesome. I grew up with the band of computers and the development of the internet (an 80's baby) and think that whilst it's great things have gone too far in the opposite direction and they have had a massive negative impact on life too. Communities don't really exist any longer and people don't interact any longer. The huge downside for me is the amount of debt you are able to now acquire (myself included) I really wish to some extent that you couldn't borrow so much for things and had to go back to saving until you could afford it. I know that is also a mindset but it's got so many people and society into so much trouble except for mortgage costs for obvious reasons. Life struggles are different now as are work stresses etc just due to the development of life but I don't envy my kids growing up with the battles they are going to face going forward and things getting more and more complicated. The simple life is what I yearn for! (Out come the rose tinted spectacles! Doh)

[GiantKitten]

When I was 12-13 (forget exactly) a friend & I were able to hire ponies for a “day ride” which was a regular thing - we went off ON OUR OWN all day.

Around UXBRIDGE!!!

Imagine children being allowed to do that now

(I can’t remember if we had to get parents’ written permission, but they certainly weren’t involved in the arrangements.)

[SlocombePooter]

Kitten that sounds awesome!

[GiantKitten]

Oh it was, Pooter

Like actually having your own pony (just for the day)! I remember no details at all, just how great it was!

Riding (not lessons) was 5 bob an hour so the day must have cost close to £2. I would have used birthday money I imagine.

[SlocombePooter]

Just remembered, Singing Together, on the radio!

[Idratherhaveacupoftea]

Listen with Mother was another radio favourite.

[SlocombePooter]

I seem to remember that it was followed by Woman's Hour, by which time Mum had dozed off!

[nellyitsme]

At school we did musical movement ( I think that's what it was called) and country dancing.

[Japonicaflower2]

I remember Listen with Mother, Mrs Dales' Diary, Two Way Family Favourites and there being few if any tv programmes before 6pm (or was that because the TVs didn't get switched on until Childrens' programmes started at 5pm)

[Roussette]

Think it was music and movement, I remember that!

[user1471452691]

I’ve just remembered being taken to the hairdresser and sitting in a curtained cubicle (like a shop changing room) to have my hair cut! I assume it was to protect the privacy of the customers looking less than their best with their hair in rollers. The hairdresser was a creepy man too..
I remember that the postman was always dressed very smartly in uniform and cap.
Another very random thing - whilst no shops were open on Sundays, if we ever got low on milk, there was a ‘milk machine’ on the platform at the railway station that dispensed a pint of milk in a carton.

[nellyitsme]

Billy cotton on tv at 8pm Saturday or maybe - his catchphrase was to shout wakey wakey - that was a sign for us to get home

[GiantKitten]

There was almost no daytime TV early on - just a women’s & children’s bit mid-afternoon. There were gaps between programmes too.

I looked it up when The Crown had the King with a TV (instant image, no warm-up ) in his bedroom, showing - at 7am - film of Churchill at No 10 in 1951! As if!!!

This link has Radio Times schedules from 1923-2009. Fascinating!

[nellyitsme]

Maybe Sunday - missed a bit

[GiantKitten]

Billy Cotton Band Show was Sat I’m pretty sure. Sundays didn’t get much in the way of light entertainment in those days