My Memories from the 50's
I was born in 1950 , and grew up with a dad in the Royal Navy and my mum didn't work , fairly typical as most of my mums friends didn't work.
By to days standards we would be considered poor some foods including sugar and eggs were still on rationing and most dinners were based around beef mince, and up till I was 8 we lived in Navy married quarters .
The shops were very different to today most housing estates would have a local butcher, a greengrocer, a sweet shop, A hardware shop, a newsagent and general store.
Things like TV were just starting to appear but it was quite a while before my parents could afford one so I went to friends houses who had a TV to watch, more often than not all that was on was the test pattern.
My mum's contribution to family income like many other thousands of others was selling Avon as an Avon Lady,
Toys were fairly basic and as kids some of the games we played included Uckers ( navy name for Ludo ), Snakes and ladders, Patience, Gin Rummy and other card games or board games, any bike I had as a kid was second hand which my dad would fix up and would be my Xmas present.
Many may be surprised to hear that Christmas was very different in those days to today , things like oranges and nuts were considered a luxury due to the cost and not being readily available and were a major part of my Christmas presents in my stocking
Food consisted of anything made of mince and any vegetables that were in season, no such thing as frozen foods or fast foods available in those days.
The other memory that I recall is when we would take a trip to visit relatives ( Aunts, Uncles Grandparents )etc. who lived 120 miles away my dad would do a full service on the car including oil water and would carry A large toolbox in case of breakdowns , and so that the car didn't overheat we would stop half way to give the car a chance to cool down.
Like most families we were a one car family and my mum didn't drive so any time we went to the nearest town it was on the local bus or walk or cycle
I suppose the other major difference was the amount of discipline parents exerted over children if I did anything wrong my mum would send me to my room and if I did anything really bad my dad would wallop me with a slipper , rules in our house were to be obeyed at all times.
I thought I would just mention one other thing that strikes me from my memories and how unusual it would be by today's standards , my dad was a Radio Operator in the Navy and during the nuclear testing done on the Christmas Islands him and many other ordinary sailors were put "on a safe place on the island" to describe the nuclear explosion to officers many miles away in safety on the ship. And when the sailors came back and were all discovered to have a form of radiation poisoning the navy were surprised.
Well I hope you enjoyed my memories af my life from 1950 - 1959 if I get time I will write something about
my time in the 60's
Memory Posted By: Baby Boomer
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