Back in the 1950s, a smart phone was one that had been newly installed in the public phone-box down at the end of the street and a widescreen television was one that measured about 14-inches and produced a 405-line, grainy, black and white, and flickering picture. Up until September 1955, the BBC was responsible for all television transmissions and there was only one television channel, it didn’t seem necessary to have any more than one. Not that any of this mattered a jot to the majority of the population because few people at the time could afford the luxury of a television set or home telephone. In 1950, two out of three people in Britain had never seen a television programme let alone own a television set. The cinema was the main source of entertainment outside of the home and on wet Sundays and cold winter nights it was the deep comforting tones of radio broadcasting that helped keep everyone content. These were austere times and many lived very basic lives, often in harsh conditions.
It was not at all unusual to see kids in bare feet playing out in the street, and others clambering around in their elder siblings’ cast-offs, which were several sizes too big for them. For these children, a classy pair of shoes was a pair without holes in them. And yet, even with the cold and damp living conditions that most families had to endure in wintertime, somehow family life still seemed quite cosy. Not comfortable, dry, and warm, but cosy in an old fashioned way. It was something to do with the closeness of families and the kindness and camaraderie of trustworthy friends and neighbours. The hardships and sufferings of wartime were still fresh in everyone’s minds and there remained a great sense of national pride and loyalty, which was especially noticeable at the time of the Queen’s coronation.
Even with the enormous differences in living standards between the lower, middle, and upper classes, the post-war mood of solidarity remained evident throughout the country and everyone seemed to share a common purpose in life. To the children of the 1950s, the atmosphere was sort of homely – yes, it did feel quite cosy. It is amazing to think that it was these innocent and unspoiled children, the post-war baby boomer generation, who dragged our weary nation out of the greyness of the 1950s into the colour and excitement fuelled 1960s, changing our whole outlook on life forevermore. They became the revolutionary teenagers who created the atmosphere of the ‘swinging sixties’ and helped make Britain the envy of the World. They let the genie out of the bottle and broke all of the traditional rules. The mood of the ‘swinging sixties’ was infectious and thereafter there was a relentless desire for more and more innovation and change, and life would never be the same again.
‘From Ration Book to ebook’ by Paul Feeney is available now