Half a century ago... what were you up to?

I was a stay at home mum with a four year old and a toddler of 18 months living on a new estate. Where we lived there was only a school, no shops, no telephone box so life involved a lot of walking and carrying. We did not get a car for another seven years.
DH worked long hours and in any spare time he worked as a special constable in the police force.

Started full time Secretarial course in September’73 and Dad died October 73- awful time…
had my first crush on one of the ‘brickies’ at the college on day release which made the whole year just bearable..started going to Top Rank with fake id as u had to look/prove u were 18 and wore fake eyelashes🤩

I was 16 and had just left a job working in a furriers in the then posh street in Liverpool. It was an interesting varied job which included making brooches with ermine tails assisting the furrier in the cellar and some window dressing. I learnt a lot about furs and the fur trade I was the junior and never had anything to do with customers. Ladies who only entered the shop by appointment and had one to one attention from the owner and his assistant. It was poor pay and cost me a lot just to travel there. I asked for a pay rise and was refused so I handed in my notice. I was rather shy but I was very forward when it came to work it was the way I was brought up to speak up for myself.
I enrolled at hairdressing college and started an apprenticeship in a salon. The pay was still meagre but it was only a mile away from where I lived. So I walked and had no bus fare to lay out apart from college one day a week. I thought at the time hairdressing was my future but it changed before I completed my apprenticeship.

I was 36 and still a stay-at-home mum with my two sons who were now 9 and 13. We took in foreign students throughout the summer months so that I need not go back to work yet.
The following year was much more interesting. I started work again, in a sub post office just around the corner from home, took driving lessons, passed my test and bought a car. And I began to grow up. 1974 was a turning point in my life as I claimed back some independence.

Dancing to Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple and madly in love with Richard Gillan who I still think is the most handsomest man to walk the planet.

Married too young in 1972,had made my bed and had to lay in it.
July 1973 would have seen my ex,leaving me,for him in to work in a holiday camp in Filey,we lived in East London,he came back a few weeks later,he had had his hands in the till,very turbulent marriage,divorced in 1975 aged 23.
I met my 2nd husband working a second job in a bar to pay for the divorce,and debts I had been left with.
Life got better in 1976.

I had two babies and we were about to emigrate to Australia because we were sick of the cold and the politics.

Looking after DD, who was 14 months, pregnant with DS!

I'd just got my first teaching job, having finished the 3yr course a month ago.

Pregnant with my first child!

I had just finished my final year of primary school. I was excited to be starting my summer holidays but nervous to be going to senior school. We moved house in the summer holidays as well to a different part of the town.

I was celebrating my twenty first birthday thank you . Seventy one is pretty good when you have finished with education and teaching and divorced the husband...

I was 28, married a year and living in a poky flat; saving up for our first house.
Teaching full time.
But most of all enjoying life with my lovely husband! Sadly he died 5 years ago, but so many happy memories.....

I'd just left school and got my first job as a trainee typist, typing out the orders for the production department in a factory - and earned the grand sum of £10/week. After 6 months I got a pay rise of 50p. I was 17, got up at 4.30 am and walked nearly a mile to the bus stop to catch the bus to town at 5.30. From the bus stop in town I walked another half a mile or so to the factory to be ready to start at 7 am. I had a really horrible boss who took her bad temper out on me but stuck it out for a year until I got another job in a lovely office with really nice people, a job I remember with a lot of affection. I had a group of friends I am still in touch with on and off. In another six months I would be getting engaged to someone I absolutely adored and in a year I would be getting my heart broken by my fiance. Good times, eh 😁

I was 14 obviously still in school . And going to West Wittering in Sussex for the summer . My mums boss had a second home there and we spent the whole summer there. My dad used to drive down at the weekends .

LRavenscroft

Dancing to Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple and madly in love with Richard Gillan who I still think is the most handsomest man to walk the planet.

Do you mean Ian Gillan? I was a big Deep Purple fan too!

In 1973, I was 14 and thought Marc Bolan was beautiful

I was 2 months married to my first husband and already realised I had made a mistake. Fear of failure made me stay 22 years. What a waste of my youth.
I'm all for living together as is now often the case.

I was 20 working as a nursery nurse in a SCBU at our local hospital and married for a year. I was very fashion conscious and wore maxi coats and shiny white leather boots and shamefully shirt mini skirts. I liked hard rock / heavy metal music and the year before had gone abroad for the first time when I went on my honeymoon. My monthly salary was about £25 a month

In 1973 I had my son aged 2 and my daughter aged 1, with a husband who was violent! Fortunately, with the support of my family and friends, I was strong enough to leave. Never looked back. Life is good. ♥️

Yes, I loved Marc Bolan too. 😊

Claretjan

LRavenscroft

Dancing to Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple and madly in love with Richard Gillan who I still think is the most handsomest man to walk the planet.

Do you mean Ian Gillan? I was a big Deep Purple fan too!

Oh, dear, yes, I mean Ian Gillan. Brain cells failing! Glad you like them too.

I was planning my wedding. I was hoping for stability, comfort and companionship which had never been in abundance in my life. None of these came my way with marriage as I'd hoped and so I remained lonely for a good few years. Life did eventually get a lot better after my divorce.

I was 25, just finished a shorthand/typing course and about to start a job in a bank.
I had been in England for just over a year, having followed a young man from Oz, where I had done a degree in microbiology. Third country in 4 years.
I was heartbroken when he dumped me a few months later. It turned out for the better as a year later I met my wonderful, kind DH.

I was one year old!

We lived in a semi in a cul de sac in Netherton, Dudley.

My mom didn’t work, but would soon start teacher training.
Before she had me she was a Demonstrator for the MEB.

My dad was an accountant at the MEB and studying for lots of qualifications.

We had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Emma, and the owls, of course.
We had a navy blue VW Beetle.

We would be going on holiday to Western Super Mare with my Nan and Grandad any time soon.
They had a green Beetle.

My Nan was a Teacher and my Grandad worked at a glass factory.
He had been in The Royal Engineers during the war.