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.

[Chottie]

I loved country dancing at school 'strip the willow' and the 'gay gordens' are the two dances I remember.

We used to have gym as well, running along and bouncing on to the spring board to do a somersault over the horse, climbing the ropes and hanging upside down on the wall bars.

I can remember the big freeze of 1963 too, all the schools were closed and my sister and I (aged 8 and 5) went skating at the local common as the lake had frozen over. I don't remember being cold though.

My sis and I wore Chilprufe vests and pants, woollen tights and hand knitted jumpers and cardigans and corduroy pinafore dresses or trousers. My mother used to make most of our clothes, she would set one day aside a week as her sewing day. During the winter, my sister and I used to sit down with our mother at weekends and make clothes for our dolls. I had a Sindy and my sister had a Patch doll (she was Sindy's little sister). I had a lovely childhood. :)

[GiantKitten]

Chottie, you had tights??? What luxury!

I don't remember tights being a thing at all where I lived - it was all knee socks in the winter (& chapped knees above them )

[MrsFezziwig]

Children’s TV:
Monday - Picture Book
Tuesday - Andy Pandy
Wednesday - Bill & Ben
Thursday - Rag, Tag & Bobtail
Friday - Woodentops

Mum used to send me round to the chip shop for “a fish and two sixes” (two portions of chips at 6 old pence each) - she wrote the order on a piece of paper and wrapped it round the coins so I didn’t lose it. I was too small to see over the counter! It was normal to go off unaccompanied then, we used to roam the streets & woods with our friends & the alarm would only be raised if we were late for tea.

You’re going to have to throw a cloth over me to get me to stop!

[SlocombePooter]

When I went to secondary school we had to wear lisle stockings, so suspender belts too! We had regulation navy knickers and the gap betwixt stockings and knickers was horribly chafed in winter. Torture!

[MrsFezziwig]

Going to the big Coop in town where your money was despatched to the central cashier via a container on a pulley, like a mini ski lift, and she would then send back your change in the container. Fascinating to a small child!

[cooksomeeggs]

Fascinating thread. Placemarking to read with a cup of tea later :)

[Knittedfairies]

People were served in shops - no supermarkets where I lived.

[nellyitsme]

I remember lots of things got hushed - teenage girls going for a D and C or a scrape as it was called locally - for period troubles - we'd all be told, or they'd disappear for a few months then return looking a bit pale and wan. Women in their late 40s or 50s who became the mother to to their daughters child. A married man who it was rumoured slept with his daughter; The father of 6 kids our age who would a teenage girl out to the picture house and then buy her presents - he didn't buy for his own kids. Dirty old men that tried to touch you that you made sure you avoided. Neighbours who had Fancy men or women. Children who were badly beaten by their parents - one we knew got shut in a cupboard as a punishment. There was a peeping tom, and someone stealing knickers off lines. Drunks, madmen, gamblers, etc etc Such is the rich tapestry of 50s life

[PancakeAndKeith]

I was born in the 70s so I remember some of these things.

I’ve got a question though, can anyone tell me their memories of when the money changed? I can’t understand how confusing that must have been.

[GiantKitten]

I was 19-20 & at college for decimalisation. Because some of the values were equal & the coins stayed the same size (1 shilling = 5p, florin = 10p) it wasn’t too bad. Prices were converted as equally as possible initially, although some amounts had to be rounded (generally up )

It was suggested though that they should have waited “until all the old people died”

[SlocombePooter]

I'm still a bit shaky with metric, I think in feet and inches. Always have to doublecheck when doing centimeters and mm, although of course I do use them.

[derxa]

Am I allowed in? I was born in 1959.

[SlocombePooter]

Yes you are proper old like us!!

[Roussette]

I remember decimalisation distinctly, luckily I was young enough to not struggle too much. I, too, am hopeless with metric, not much good at cm and mm!

Hi derxa ! Yes you are a child of the 50s and welcome

The stigma of unwanted pregnancies was absolutely awful. My very best friend who was only days different in age and we'd been friends all our life... was just 15 when she had a baby. My parents banned me from seeing her ever again as they said she was a bad influence. In those days you did what your parents told you to do. To add a happy note to this story, we finally, by a huge coincidence too long to go into, met up with each other a year ago, nearly 50 years later. It was very emotional.

[SlocombePooter]

Roussette that is so poignant. And a common thing, sadly.

[Emmapeeler]

Loving this thread.

I think my Dad said he got paid two and sixpence for being a Saturday choir boy I sadly can’t ask him now. Does that sound realistic? And is a bob a shilling?

My mum still can’t do cm.

[GiantKitten]

Yes, a bob was a shilling - 5p now. It would buy you 2 Mars bars.

2/6 was also called half a crown (a crown being 5 shillings) & yes, that sounds eminently reasonable - generous in fact - for a choir performance (do you mean at a wedding, as it was a Saturday?)

I'm not very good at metric either. I know that 1m is about 40" & 15cm is about 6" & 500g is a bit over 1lb & 500ml is a bit under a pint but I can't think in random metric numbers

[Emmapeeler]

Thank you! Yes I think it was for weddings at Coventry cathedral (the one next to the bombed one).

Me and mum were measuring something last week. I used one side of the tape measure and she used the other... And she said “I know a metre is about 40 inches”

Funnily enough though I always bake in lb/oz, because she taught me to make cakes.

[GiantKitten]

Oh well, for a cathedral wedding 2/6 sounds fair! (I bet his mum had to iron his surplice though )

My brother used to get about 1 shilling (maybe a bit more, can't remember) for singing at weddings at our church, & I was dead jealous because girls weren't allowed in church choirs in those days.

I love that your mum has the same metric benchmarks as me!

[HazelBite]

I grew up in North London in the 1950's. 50% of the pupils in my class were not of British ethnicity, I grew up with children with exotic names, from the Indian Sub Continent, Africa, Jamaica, Turkey, Italy Poland, Cyprus and many more.
As children we were very accepting of any differences our classmates had, it was a wonderful experience/education, and I consider myself fortunate.
I remember my father buying my Mum a washing machine, in 1956 a huge "English Electric" top loader with an electric wringer (no spin dryers) Our first refridgerator was purchased in 1957 an "Electrolux" with a tiny ice box, oh the luxury of ice cubes and homemade orange squash lollies.
We got our first family car in 1959, and we had always had a home telephone "Stamford Hill 7292" was how you answered!
My much older brother and sister listened to records Elvis and Cliff Richards, to this day I know all the words to many of their early songs.

[Chottie]

@GiantKitten

Chottie, you had tights??? What luxury!

I don't remember tights being a thing at all where I lived - it was all knee socks in the winter (& chapped knees above them sad )

Yes, I was very cosseted (and warm!). I wore red, blue or navy tights at the weekend and brown tights (which matched my school uniform) during the week. I was fortunate to never have chilblains or chapped knees. I had hand knitted gloves and mittens and scarves and bobble hats as well.

[Chottie]

I still cook in pounds and ounces too. Partly because I use my mother's hand written recipes a lot,

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

All I know about the change from decimal was from my late grandparents, they said it literally was swopped over like for like as written, so they always complained that lots of things had a huge price hike overnight!! So much became really expensive.

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

Kitten that link to the radio times is bloody AMAZING!! Love it!

[Greenteandchives]

The day we changed currency was 1971, Feb15th. I was working in a department store and it was utter chaos. Everything changed overnight. We had had a lot of training, but of course the general public hadn’t. People were so confused, and kept asking to pay in real money. The coins only changed gradually, so what was sixpence one day, was 5p the next, then a shilling was 10p. We weren’t allowed to tell them the price in old money. It was awful, and very very confusing especially for older people who really struggled with the changeover.
It made adding up sums of money at the end of the day a whole lot easier though, as we only had pounds and pence, not pounds, shillings and pence.
Sorry to derail the 50s thread slightly, but someone upthread asked.