Mum's Notes from the Early 60s

Mum's notes from early 1960s.

When I was a kid I stumbled upon these old notes in the back of a pocket Oxford dictionary. They were my Mothers and she had aquired the book on 11th October 1958. The front page reads:

Miss Shirley Hayward

52 Gough Grove

Poplar

London. E14

My Mother and Father were married in 1960 and I was born in February of 1961. Today is 14th February 2010 - one day after my forty nineth birthday. The next one is the big 50. Today I visited my mother and she dug out the old dictionary and gave it to me. I was pleased to recieve this because I thought it was lost back in the late seventies, because that was the last time I remembered reading it. I have come home and photocopied the pages and pasted them on this blog. They might be of interest to some people who like such rum little ditties. They are written blogs on each year - small notes of things in her life and mention of the bad winter snow of 1963, the US President's assasination in 63 and Winston Churchill's death in 65, plus other things concerning our family. To me, these notes are special because they start just before my first birthday in January 1962. I was so pleased my Mum came upon these and it was a nice little unexpected suprise when she dug the book out and gave it to me for a keep sake.

You will need to click on each page to see whole page layout. When you have done this, if you click onto page along the top lefthand tool bar, go down to zoom and click 150% then you will get larger text and be able to read the writing more clearly.

My Dad Always Seemed to be Messing About with Cars.

My Dad's 1947 Austin 16

My Dad and I about 1962/1963

An old Austin 16 made 1947. The picture is taken in 1963 with my Dad and me. I can't help thinking what these old cars would be worth now. I would love to go back in time and get one of them and bring it back in such condition.

My Dad and me in the early 60s

Dad and Me

My Dad and I in the early sixties. I've been wading through photos and thought I might play safe and not lose them if I put them in a blog space. I was born in 1961, so I'm guessing this is about 1963. I'm obviously enjoying the day, but I don't know where it was taken. In the background, there are a lot of other people who seem to be enjoying a day out. It might be Theydon Boyes, Essex, England - we used to go there a lot.

My Dad's Wolseley 680 (1954 Model)

My Dad, my Sister and Me

When I was a kid I thought this car was very big. We lived near Limehouse but we would always go away to places in Kent. Not many of the other kid's parents had cars but my Dad always seemed to have one and he was always tinkering about with them. That's me on the right of the picture and my sister and Dad on the left. It was a Wolseley 680 and was built in 1954. The picture is about 1965. I wonder what a car like that would be worth now? It was probably an old banger by then, but now it would be a vintage classic car. I can remember them well when I was a kid, but they did seem to vanish from the roads very quickly. I can't recall seeing many by the 1970s. I really like the retro look of the old British Cars and back then, almost every car on the roads of Britain, where British made motors. I would love to see one that has been restored to its former 1950s glory - they looked great.

Dad on left, Bushie Cauldroy in middle and unknown friend on right

The year is about 1958 and the man with dark hair on the left is my father Alan Powell. The three squaddies are at a British Army Barracks in Germany (Herfad) and he is doing his national service. The man in the middle is called Bushy. I think it might be Bushy Couldroy or something like that. He remained friends with my Dad when they both left the army. I think he worked on fruit and veg running a stall or shop along Burdett Road near Mile End station in East London. I can vaguely remember him in the 1960s as a kid, but by about 1968 they had lost contact.

I don't know who the bloke on the right is, but he obviously does - he has written 'ME' on the photo with an arrow pointing to himself. All three were great Army buddies and spent their national service together. My Dad on the left is now 72 years of age and his hair is white, but still very thick with a Teddy boy bung hanging forward from the top - he has put on a little more weight, as can be expected, but he is still fit and up and about in Hornchurch, Essex.

Le Mans Disaster 1955

Le Mans 1955

Le Mans in France is a great motor racing venue and in 1955 many of the top car makers were competing tenaciously against one another. The best and most skilled drivers of the time were employed to drive these great car manufacturers to victory.

Mike Hawthorn 1929 - 1959

Britain’s Mike Hawthorn was one of the old school Brits who chose to champion the Jaguar car making company. They were in a constant battle against all other car designers like; Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Maserati. The rivalry was bitter and none more so then the German constructor of Mercedes.

Pierre Levegh 1905 - 1955

The Mercedes team had a veteran Frenchman named Pierre Levegh driving for them with an American driver called John Finch ready to take over driving duties at a later stage of the race.

When the race started it was extremely fast and more lap records were being broken than normal. On the fatal lap 35, Mike Hawthorn was flagged for a pit stop and he hit his brakes upon reaching the stop. These new disc brakes made his Jaguar slow much quicker than usual for the other cars following – they still had the drum brakes. Another Brit named Lance Macklin in an Austin Healey was forced to brake and swerve. He did not see two Mercedes Benz 300SLR coming from behind as he swerved outwards to bypass Hawthorn's slowing Jaguar.   

Pierre Levegh's car smashes upon the mound scattering debris

The rear of Lance Macklin’s Austin Healy had a ramped rear design and as the Mercedes driver, Pierre Levegh, clipped the side;  his racing car shot upwards and became airborne. It twisted and smashed into a mound that separated spectators from the track. Fragments of the car flew off at high speed as the smashed vehicle somersaulted – wreckage sliced through the tightly packed spectators like a scythe – decapitating and killing 83 of them and leaving another 120 injured. It was one of the worst racing disasters in history. The French driver Pierre Levegh was killed too.

Aftermath

The race was continued because the French authorities did not want more spectators from other parts of the track congesting the accident scene where ambulances and other emergency services were at work.  Hawthorn and his teammate Bueb were pictured by French press celebrating their race win with champagne; this was looked upon with scorn and distaste.

The entire race of Le Mans 1955 is infamous because of the horrific accident. The inquiry found that Jaguar was not at fault, but that safety barriers were inadequate. Many nations stopped races being staged until new safety criteria were brought in.

Mike Hawthorn was killed in a motoring accident in 1959 when his Jaguar crashed into a lorry on the A3 Guilford Bypass. He was just twenty-nine years.

RAF WWII air craft - Bristol Blenheim

 

The Bristol Blenheim was a innovative plane when it was designed in the 1930s decade, but by the time of the second world war, it had become almost obsolete against the fighters of Germany. They men who piloted these smart looking aircraft had their work cut out for them. They were used mainly during the early stages of the war with limited success. When the battle of Britain started, squadrons of Bristol Blenheim's made daring raids into German occupied Europe in an attempt to destroy aircraft on the ground. There was some success, but there were also high casualties among Blenheim air crew.

 

Eventually it was developed as a night time raider and achieved a little more success in this role. The crews, like all RAF, were brave men and on one raid, in Denmark, there was said to have been a 100% loss. This aircraft was also used by the Finnish air force against the Soviet Union and the Canadians redeveloped it as a training craft and submarine hunter.  

 

Retro British Milk Chocolate TV Adverts, 1960s/1970s

My Mother and Father used to laugh at the bloke's antics in this advert - a James Bond type man of action performing all sorts of dangerous feats to deliver some lady a box of chocolates. I think sooner or later his luck ran out because they stopped making them.

Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids

A New Romantics band from the early eighties. Japan were good in their day and many say they were fore runners to the Duran Duran style that was yet to come. It only seems like yesterday, but it was thirty years ago. Blimey! where does all the years go? What are all these guys doing now? I thought this music would be around forever.

Retro deoderant ad in elevator

This advert brings a smile to any blokes face, at first, or would it? Imagine a real deoderant that makes a bloke irresistable to the ladies only. How much would you pay for a few gallons of it?  :)

Retro British Chocolate Advert.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Days-Thunder-Child/dp/1907140050

"Only the crumbliest flakiest chocolate,

Tastes like chocolate never tasted before."

Retro British confectionery advert from the 1970s decade. This was one of the best - simplistic, elegant and getting the smooth and desirable product across to an audience with fine music and kind serendipity discovery.

David Dundas - Jeans on in hot summer of 1976

I was fifteen when this song came out. I remember a jeans advert was using the song to promote its wears at the time. It was 1976 and every day was very hot. It was the six weeks holiday. My last one from school as I started work in 1977. This song was well liked at the time even though it might seem a little cheesy now. It brings back lots of memories, especially the very hot 1976 summer and the multitude of ladybirds that were everywhere.

Fall of Saigon 1975

I can remember watching this very clip of Sandy Gall on British television when I was fourteen years of age. The news was always showing the Vietnam War and it looked as though it would never end. Then this shock news left me dazed. 

I could not believe that the United States was giving way and the comunist NVA was entering Siagon. I could not concieve the notion that the United States would ever be in such a situation. It was the last days of the long Vietnam War, though it took some time for me to realise this.

Lepidopterologists - do you know this Moth?

My workmate, Glen Hilton, came upon this moth back in April/May 2010 last year. He had seen it upon a wall that he was cleaning cob webs from. Not wishing to harm the creature, Glen took the moth outside and put it on a tree. It was then that he called me excitedly to come out and look at his delightful discovery. 



The back of the moth looks like a pruned branch cut in this photo-below branch



I have to admit that I was very pleasantly surprised also. That is to say, when I finally realised what I was looking at. Glen kept telling me there was a moth on the tree, but I could not make the creature out because it was so well camouflaged. As the moth stood motionless on the thin tree branch, it looked like a small broken twig that had been pruned. When I did finally make it out, I was stunned.



The light part is the rear of the moth's wings. On the twig, it looked pruned.



We were studying the moth for some time and this caused an inquisitive neighbour to come out and enquire what we were  looking at. When we drew the ladies attention to the moth, her reaction was the same. We began to photograph it with the mobile and are wondering if any person interested in lepidopterology would know what type of moth it is. We live in United Kingdom, England, Essex and have never seen the like before. Does anyone know the species?   



When I first starred at the branches, I could not make out the moth





Does anyone know this species of moth?



I have never seen a moth like this in Essex, UK. Is it rare in this part of the country?

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno

Wo, wo, wo Geno! This was one of my favorites from my youth - Dexy's Midnight Runners and the song Geno.

The Charlatans - The Only One I Know

The Charlatans were one of my favorite Indie bands of the 90s. This track and video was the first time I remember seeing them. I was hooked straight away. 

(Radiogram Adventures) Dusty Springfield - Spooky

I always liked to play Dusty Springfield. My mother used to have a few of her albums and I can remember that she had a tv show in the late sixties. She faded from the limelight in the early seventies I think. I can't remember seeing her much after this time until she appeared with the Pet Shop boys on one of their singles. She has passed away since and is sadly missed. I particularly like this one - Spooky sung by Dusty in her hey day.

Beggars Opera - Time Machine (1971)

 A smashing track from Beggars Opera. So hop aboard the Time Machine and go back to 1971 and re-live this very good piece of contemporary rock music.

How to Murder Your Wife (1965) Jack Lemmon and Terry Thomas

This is a great movie with Jack Lemmon and Terry Thomas at their best - a smashing retro American comedy from the sixties with Terry Thomas playing the Gentleman's Gentleman to Jack Lemmon who has the perfect bachelor lifestyle. Then with the sudden and unexpected arrival of a gorgeous Italian women, everything goes pear shaped for our devoted bachelor. This film is an absolute giggle and I've loved this charming story since the first time I saw it as a kid.

(Radiogram Adventures) Sam the Sham & the Pharaos

 

When searching through the records of my parents radiogram, this one was always a favorite. Sam the Sham was born in Dallas Texas in the year of 1937. He had a few hits in the mid sixties but Wooly Bully was his most famous.

The Holy Spitfire (Our Lady of the Skies)

Where I live, in Leigh-on-Sea, there is a small flight runway called Southend Airport. There are many planes stationed there including a Vulcan bomber. Every last Sunday and following bank holiday Monday of May month, we have a two day air display. It is a fun time and the roads along the Southend-on-Sea seafront are closed off for the visitors and various stalls concerning the air display.

Usually, a few days before hand, some of the old planes are flying over head on test flights. I always delight in this because I often see, over the years, a Hawker Hurricane, a German ME 109 and our glorious Spitfire.

The Holy Spitfire: Our Lady of the Skies

Every Brit loves the Spitfire - she is our ultimate retro dream machine. We revere this gorgeous flying babe because of the iconic legacy she has left us. Everyone looks up and smiles knowing the airshow is coming to Southend when they see the Spitfire.

My Dad told me that when he was a kid he would look up into the sky and watch the dogfights. His house, where he now lives, was bought from my Grandfather and was built in 1952 by the old gates to Hornchurch airfield. When I was a kid I played on the abandoned and overgrown area of what had once been Hornchurch airfield - a major Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane base during the Battle of Britain.

The grand aeroplane is so wonderfully retro Brit and I can't think why it has taken so long into the blog collection to finally mention this dream baby. We Brits do, after all, owe so much to the dream machine. 

Hawker Hurricane (Workhorse)

The Hawker Hurricane was regarded as the work horse that could take a bit of punishment in air battles, but she lacked speed and maneuverability. The Spitfire was more nimble with a sharper over all performance. However, the Hawker Hurricane's durability should also be remembered and it is generally believed that both these aircraft complimented each other in the great air duels with Hitler's Luftwaffe during the 1940 Battle of Britain.

The Battle of Britain was a very desperate time for the United Kingdom. She had seen her land forces from the UK and Commonwealth almost driven into the sea by the advancing German army. The demoralized nation had seen its major neighbouring ally, France, fall before the Nazi Blizkrieg.

Britain needed time to recoup and Germany needed to push home her advantage by destroying British air power before launching an invasion. The Royal Navy was still formidable, but there were doubts about how the air force might perform. It was generally regarded as being under strengh and under maned to take on the German Luftwaffe.

Spitfire defending the shores of the UK

During the summer of 1940, Germany launched her air campaign over Britain and came up against stubborn and formidable resistance from the British RAF. One of the major contributing factors to this air battle was the Spitfire aeroplane. This little machine was pivotal in intercepting the German air force along with the Hawker Hurricane and the radar stations, which had a highly skilled operative staff of dedicated women and men. They could direct our Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons to key intercept positions.

Intercepting the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain

After months of bitter fighting, the Luftwaffe had to back away from the contest and Germany abandoned the idea of invasion. This coupled with mistakes of a later invasion in the Soviet Union caused the eventual demise of Hitler's Nazi Germany. The USA entered the war and Britain had two new allies. Because of the Spitfire's brave fight during the Battle of Britain, the new alliance had a spring board platform (the United Kingdom) to mount a liberating invasion in the years to come.

RJ Mitchell left us his legacy before passing away in 1937 aged 42.

Most people in the UK look upon the Spitfire in a glorious and romantic way today. The flying machine is viewed with a wonderful celebrity and style - a beautiful lady that one must treat with devotion and respect. She was designed by a man named RJ Mitchell and he worked on the plane from 1928 until his death from cancer in 1937. He never saw the great service his elegant mechanical lady would perform for his country, but he had a firm belief in the quality of his dream machine. After his death, Mitchell's friend and colleague Joseph Smith became the Chief designer. The Spitfire plane started off with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine and then progressed to a Rolls Royce Griffon engine during her life of service. In 1935 the armament was changed from two 303 in Vickers machine guns in each wing to four. This increased the machine ladies' temper very significantly for the dreadful future that was to come.

  

The Teardrop Explodes - When I Dream

I used to love this song and it is from about 1980 or 1981. It was my favorite track from an album called Kilimanjaro by The Teardrop Explodes. There were many other great tracks on this album and I can honestly say it was a rare LP where every song was quality. There was not a single suspect track.

(Radiogram Adventures) The Kinks - Sittin On My Sofa

I used to enjoy this track by the Kinks. It was one I would to make a beeline for and usually when indoors on my own. This is because I could play it many times without annoying everyone else. There was nothing better than being indoors alone with the radiogram and its records for my soul attention.

I used to drift into all sorts of worlds and imagine I was on stage doing these songs. I thought the world was turning through music bands on Top of the Pops. Things seemed much more simplistic then.