Other '50s discussions

Children's Annual Puzzles

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:21:21 GMT

When I was very young there used to be many puzzles in between the stories and pictures in children's annuals by way of variety. The popular one I remember was of a word picture puzzle which consisted of a page of small illustrations, say of something like an arrow, and then above it a large letter N - so the word became "narrow".
Perhaps a picture of a book with the letter B scratched out and a letter L put in its place - making "look".
This sort of thing...

Army surplus

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:04:05 GMT

Following on from the "off to work thread:" What did your dad or even you carry your lunch in. My dad always had one of those ex army satchell type bags. The sort that would have carried the gas masks in them. They were just big enough for all he had to take to work for his lunch. When I started as an apprentice I also had one. They were made of a very thick canvas with a cover flap that had a small belt sewn to it and a buckle that you closed them up with. The buckle was brass and...

Bouncy, Bouncy

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:40:02 GMT

Do any of you recall the little balls that were attached to an elastic band? The odd thing about them was that they were filled with something like a wood straw. I can't recall what the straw was contained in. Was it cellophane or tinfoil? I know they were very colourful but really didn't last long as the straw used to burst out of it's packaging. I was a sort of elasticated yo-yo but I am not sure of it's purpose anymore. Any one recall it?

Off to work

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:14:52 GMT

In the 50s what did your dad or mum take for carry out. It is and was called snap in Yorkshire, I believe. It was the sandwhiches or perhaps a pie for dinner at work. My dad used to take in the early 50s, jam butties, as I don't believe there was much else to put on them. They would be wrapped in the previous loafs greaseproof paper. He was very picky over his food so the likes of cheese he wouldn't eat anyway. Along with his butties he would take his brew making facilities. This was...

What's for afters?

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:02:21 GMT

Following on from salmon for tea. What did you have for afters in the 50s? I recall going to an aunts sometimes to a party and having blancmange and also jelly and custard. Like a trifle but without the sponge and fruit. There would be some fairy cakes and biscuits. Another aunt used to do a lot of cake making and they were wonderful fairy cakes or larger sponge cakes. At home I can't really recall much in the way of afters except maybe a tin of mandarin oranges. I also liked a half an...

Excused Boots

feeds@yuku.com (RoginOz) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:36:49 GMT

Back in the high and far-off days of my sprog-hood, one of the most hated chores was the weekly, mandatory chore of shoe cleaning.

Newspaper on the kitchen table, or in summer, outside, the brushes, rags, tins of Kiwi, Nugget and other brands the names of which escape me, and the interminable time it seemed to take to get an approved degree of shine and finish.
I'm given to believe that those of us with parents who had seen military service were subject to a greater...

Salmon for tea

feeds@yuku.com (ossiedales) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:03:14 GMT

It just came into mind - as things do - that, I'd say in the alte 40s - on a very rare occasion Mum would get a tin of Salmon and we'd have it for tea - usually on a Sunday. Only a smallish tin and it had to go round four of us. Boy, did I like tinned salmon, even the tiny white bones that had gone soft in it. Such a rare treat was it, that, when in 1951 I went with Wakefield Grammar School to the Festival of Britain (we slept in Clapham Deep Underground Shelter - but that's...

Ellisdons Jokes

feeds@yuku.com (MrWobbly) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:00:11 GMT

Does anybody remember this company advertising in the daily papers selling jokes and tricks?

Anything from Itching Powder, Stink Bombs to X-Ray Specs - they had everything a lad could possibly want!

What happened to them?

Bring it all back I say - in these depressing days we could do with a "bit of fun"!

Mr Wobbly

What Was It Called?

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:50:17 GMT

I think we may have discussed these before - ages ago, but what was the name of these puzzles?
They were sold in Boots in 1952. They were in a little, flat, square cardboard box with word puzzles that you had to make on the back of the box. They were a plastic square about 3 inches by 3 inches (approx) and they had 15 plastic letters which slid about and one space the same size as all the other letters. You could only move one letter at a time, sideways, up, or down to get it to its...

Fifties Fashion

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:31:59 GMT

I once spent ages on here trying to find out what year this look was and I never found a really satisfactory image.
Lo and behold it has now turned up on the Music thread.
I am seeking the exact year for this look girls. Any precise answers, please? The only thing missing is a little white cloche hat.

Tea For Two

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:33:09 GMT

Do you remember the little grocery stores that were once everywhere - Liptons.
(Not sure if Robin once said he worked for them as a boy)?
We used to have our groceries delivered every Saturday by a boy on a bike and we would give him sixpence (last of the big spenders) for the hundred yards or so he had to pedal to get it to us. I remember if we had a particularly large grocery bill it would come to about seven pounds. For two adults one toddler and a baby.
Then in about the...

railway carriages........

feeds@yuku.com (cyclista) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:25:15 GMT

Did any of you live in a railway carriage after the war?

Vince Eager

feeds@yuku.com (earl138) — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:04:42 GMT

Since Vince is not one for blowing his own trumpet I'll do it for him. If you're in the Grantham area on Saturday 5th July, Vince will be in concert at Great Ponton with his band. Still in Grantham, If you're in the area on Saturday 12th July he'll be appearing at 'Americana' at the Newark Showground. Another top line act will be 'Asleep at the Wheel' who without doubt is the best western swing band around all the way from the USA. To read the latest about...

shop till you drop

feeds@yuku.com (ossiedales) — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:34:51 GMT

Mention has been made somewhere else about local shops versus supermarkets and how it's cheaper in the long run (if using a vehicle) to shop locvally and pay a little bit extra. And this brought to mind when I was a mere lad and sent to do the shopping on a Saturday morning. Kitsons, the bread shop was the first port of call, then it was Armitages the Greengrocer, and Oldroyds newspaper shop to pay the paper bill. On to the Co-op, and that was a time trial in itself. It had seperate...

those handwritten boards

feeds@yuku.com (ossiedales) — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:09:37 GMT

I realised today that you rarely see those boards outside greengrocers, fishmongers etc on which special offers were advertised. What I am referring to is the style of writing that was used. Magical scrawls making up the simple figure of - say - 2/6d, there seemed to be a special art to the figures - where did the people who wrote them learn it? - or am I simply letting my imagination run away with me? William Brown must have the answer - they probably still do it in Wales - but not round...

Jamboree Bags

feeds@yuku.com (cfsargeant) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:37:21 GMT

Can anyone remember these, available from sweetshops, and what they contained?

Sooty

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:08:13 GMT

Songhounds thread about Harrogate theatre in the theatre section mentioning Sooty reminded that back in the early 50s I sent Sooty 2/6d for his Children In Need fund. Yes, it was for Children In Need even then. As I recall though it was just a small appeal and having sent the money I received a nice letter back from Sooty thanking me for my contribution. Unfortunately, over the years I seem to have lost the letter having kept it until just a few years ago.

Owzthat

feeds@yuku.com (ossiedales) — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:10:33 GMT

Have I mentioned this in a previous lifetime - can't remember, but how many of you in the 50s had "Owzthat". It was a way of playing cricket by rolling a six sided piece of metal (how best to describe it?) which had eigher the number of runs on it or Owzthat. if that came up you rolled the other metal piece which either said Not Out / Stumped / Bowled / Caught etc. I even had a score book to play imaginary matches. Luckily I soon got over it when I realised that the real...

RetroWow!

feeds@yuku.com (malcyb) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:07:13 GMT

Well, I was searching in google for some history on the Watney's Brewery and Watney's Red Barrel when I was led to this Site I don't think I've seen mentioned here before "Retro Wow". If it has been mentioned it was a while ago.
So I hope you will enjoy this museum of 50s, 60s and 70s nostalgia:
http://www.retrowow.co.uk/index.html
Malcy B

This Wont Hurt!

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:08:51 GMT

Back when William was a little nipper, the middle ages were well past. And so, come to that, were the diabolical and fiendish medieval tortures such as being branded on your naked flesh with a red hot poker pulled straight from the hot coals of a brazier.
But not quite!
Back in the days of the forties and fifties such fiendish torture and indescribable pain was still available to the young lad (or lass I imagine), who happened to be unfortunate enough to fall over and badly cut or...