Description
Recollections of the 1950s Paperback Book
HOME, FAMILY AND NEW HORIZONS
By STEPHEN F. KELLY. Foreword by Neil Kinnock. 306 pages. 16 Pages of Black & White Images
The 1950s saw a major shift in the lifestyles of many in Britain. Employment levels rose to new heights, white consumer goods appeared in shop windows for the first time, television replaced the radio in many homes, rock ‘n’ roll was born, the National Health Service provided free healthcare to the nation, families went on holiday, and the new Queen was – bringing in a glorious new Elizabethan age.
Recollections of the 1950s will appeal to all who grew up in this post-war decade. With chapters on schooldays, television and radio, trips to the seaside, music and fashion, these wonderful stories are sure to jog the memories of all who remember this exciting era. The book includes chapters on family life, childhood, working men and women, television and much more. Each chapter begins with an outline of the subject covered, followed by specific memories from contributors such as: former Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock; footballers Bobby Charlton, Wilf McGuinness and Terry Venables; Lord Stan Orme; Dennis Gilligan, writer and broadcaster Clare Jenkins; journalist Max Easterman. Subjects as diverse as laundry, street games and toys, cinema, skiffle, industry and trade, football, the Coronation and fashion are covered in a book which travels the length and breadth of a country which, according to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan had ‘never had it so good’; despite rationing, shortages, inflation and ongoing crises in international trade. However, there was a housing boom, the new-fangled television, innovation in aviation, affordable travel and the beginning of modern life as we know it today.
