Family and home Life - Margaret Court

People went out with rollers in with a scarf over the head

First mini I had cost £495 - was red everyone thought I was the bees knees.

When ironing trousers we put carbolic soap inside, with paper and water on teh top this would create a sharp crease.

Used to sharpen knives on teh front step on a Sunday morning

Used a bigplate to warm the bed up - we wrapped it up in a sheet

We used to take bottles back to the shop for 3p they took them out the back  - we then went and got the bottles out again and took them back to the shop again!

Family and Home life - Stallard Court

Carbolic was good for boils – you put it on with lint with sugar and this would draw out all the badness.

“Out of the blue comes the whitest wash – Reckitts Blue” – and it did.

We went to Llandudno in May for the Victoria Day – with all the old fashioned things.



Family and Home Life - The Ley

Remember going to the cinema watching the King and I and Dad used to carry me home on his shoulders.

One person remembered working in a shop from the age of 12.

We would go hop picking in Kent from London and that was a week’s holiday for us.

I remember sweet rationing finishing on a Sunday because I was part of a cycle club and at the end of the ride we descended on a sweet shop and cleared out the shelves!

We didn’t have a fridge – you had a pantry with a cold slab.

You’d use Reckitts Blue Dye to make your clothes white.

We always used A1 powder for washing – we never used anything else.

Mum was really excited about getting her first washing machine – in fact she wouldn’t use it at first!.

We’d get saving stamps from the Post Office with

6d – Prince Charles on

3d – Princess Anne

Family and Home life - Meadcroft

Every Monday was washing day. You wouldn’t cook, you’d have a cold meal or leftovers from Sunday or soup so you could get your washing done.

We had a big tub in the corner of the kitchen called a “cobbler” to get hot water.

I used to go to the public baths for a wash. You paid your money for a certain amount of time.

You weren’t properly dressed unless you wore gloves.

When your clothes were worn out they were made into rag rugs.

I worked as a bookbinder in Manchester – it was family concern and made Basildon Bond paper. I had to undertake 8 years of training.

Family and Home Life - Wellington Library

I lived in Liverpool and I left school in 1952 going to work for Liverpool Public Transport for 2 years after which I went to do my National Service. I started in Portsmouth and then went to Deepcut in Surrey and then stayed for 3 years in Didcot, Oxforshire. We lived in temporary accommodation that had been built in 1915 with 24 to a room and the only heating was a potbellied boiler in the middle of the room – it was freezing! Then I went to Germany in the ammunition depot and spent a few years there and moved to Verden. In 1959 I went to Aiden and then Bahrain. We earned 28 shillings a week.

I worked as a secretary and earned £2.45 a week.

I remember we had to take our ration book on honeymoon with us. We lived in a flat first and it cost us what would be £1.50 a week

Family and Home Life - frizes Leasowes 18/5/12

I remember my first sliced bread – it was wonderful.

We had green pea powdered soup.

My Grandmother used to make   ginger beer in stone bottles.

Mostly the shops weren’t open on Sundays.  If you bought any tinned goods they charged you an extra penny.

There was usually half day closing in the week.

We had a copper boiler for washing the clothes.

We used sunlight soap and a board and mangle.

I remember my Mum drying the clothes in front of the fire and they caught alight!

As a married couple with lived with my Mum and dad and we had a small tv on the sideboard.

We made some of our own clothes.

You had to still save your clothing coupons.

Memories of Family and Home Life - Hallcroft

I got married in the 50’s. I had a long dress and veil. My husband came me his extra clothing ration coupons so that I could buy my wedding dress. It cost 13 guineas.

We didn’t have fringes – you had a cold slab on the wall in the pantry to keep your food and milk cold. When it was really hot you’d put the milk in a pail of cold water to keep it cool.

You’d hang your bacon up in there too until it stank! You’d still be able to eat it.

We had a wind up record player and the radio needed batteries called an accumulator. You had to take it to the garage to  get it charged so you had 2 - one that you’d have in the radio and one that you walked down to the garage to get charged.

We had to walk to Bloomsbury garage to get ours charged.

We used to walk miles with the pram.

Washing took all day. We had a boiler with a fire underneath.  You’d rinse the washing into the blue bag to keep your clothes white.

If you had a wasp sting you’d use the blue from the bag.

Memories of Family and Home Life - Churchway

I think we had a wonderful life then. We looked after each other and Mum and Dad were always around for us. If someone was ill we looked after them; did their shopping, cooking and whatever we had we shared.

I grew up in Glasgow. There were 9 houses on 3 levels where we lived. There were 3 bathrooms for all these houses. The only place I could read the News of the World was on the loo as Mum wouldn’t allow it in the house.

We had wind up gramophones and I remember one scout/guide dance where we had to all sing Waltzing Matilda together when the gramophone broke so that we could carry on dancing –we were too busy singing for much chatting up that night. 

I was brought up in the Glaswegian slums and at the age of 16, 17 and 18 I was a member of the scouts. We had a canny scoutmaster that had great foresight and organised us to save money each month and when we had enough money organised rail trips abroad to international scout rallies. When I left school I got a job to pay my way. We went to Switzerland for one.  Another time we visited Rome where the scoutmaster had contacted the Scots College and they chaperoned us around the city and I can remember taking Blue Ribbon chocolate biscuits that they’d never seen and loved. After our first departure at the train station we remembered to say cheerio at home as our parents ended up crying when saying goodbye.

You didn’t envy people – no one had anything.

We were hard up and happy.

You didn’t have to lock the door; we had nothing to take.

When the gas man came to empty the pennies from the meter you’d always hope to get some back if you’d over paid – so that you could go and buy some food.

We always had a best front room; it was cold.  I can’t remember ever using it. We can’t have had any posh visitors! After I got married we lived with my Mum and Dad. I saw a 3 piece suite and just wanted something that was ours so I persuaded my Mum to let us store it in the front room even though they had their own it there.