Do you have memories of real 'history'?

A couple more things : my father remembered the beginning of the First World War in 1914. He was seven years old, and was at a railway station where trains were full of laughing young men going off to fight. The young men were laughing - but my father’s mother, my granny, was crying.

Some of you have mentioned the NHS. I was very ill in hospital with mastoiditis in 1949, the year after the NHS was founded. My parents often said how grateful they had been then for the NHS.

I remember when the TV station STV came on air as before that there was only BBC. The wee girl sitting at a blackboard that was used as a test site for TV engineers. It also was used as an intermission between TV programmes. Also when TV was switched off I used to watch the wee white dot till it disappeared

Earliest memory is Bay of Pigs and Kennedy Assassination and later mum made me watch Churchill's funeral

I remember a lot of things mentioned here.
I would add enjoying the big freeze of 1963 when I was young enough to like the snow.
Later around 1973/74 I worked in central London through the power cuts of the 3 day week and lots of train strikes making it difficult to get to and from work. The IRA were bombing London then. I saw Parliament on fire from my office and a friend died in the Tower of London. Offices were always being evacuated for bomb scares.

When there was a lit of hi jacked planes in 1980s. Man in wheelchair was shot and then pushed overboard on ship called achille Laura in the Mediterranean when ship was hi jacked by palestine terrorists

D Day (decimalisation day) 15th February 1971. I went to the Post Office to collect the Family allowance for mum. I was so excited to be given those new shiny coins! Two old ladies behind me in the queue were complaining, saying that the government should have waited until all the old people were dead, before decimalisation was introduced. When I told mum this she found it hilarious, but I didn't understand what was so funny!

I was born in December 1964, so my memories are from the end of the sixties onwards. I sen remember the first moon landing at all, but can remember the last one in the early seventies. My first memory of national importance is decimalisation in 1971, when I was just six and in my second year of school. I can remember seeing the old prices in shops and taking halfpennies with ships on to Sunday School, but never learned how to use the old money, going straight on to decimal currency. I remember the three day week and the power cuts. Also the interminable strikes throughout the seventies. I remember 1974 as the year when we had two general elections and Princess Anne's wedding the previous year. Blue Peter was the most popular children's programme, with the dream team of John Noakes, Peter Purves and Lesley Judd. Their Christmas appeals were a massive thing. I particularly remember one where we were asked to send in used postage stamps. My primary school, in common with hundreds of others up and down the country, sent in large numbers of stamps that we brought into school. With all the different TV stations and streaming devices, I cannot imagine that this would happen in the same way today. Finally, upthread, mastoiditis was mentioned. When l was ten, in June, 1975, I was in hospital for two weeks because I had mastoid surgery. It was an adult's ward because it was too big an operation for the children's hospital. I was off school for almost half a term. I remember that it was a very hot summer, but, of course, the next summer, 1976, was even longer and hotter and is the one that has gone down in the history books.

I remember when the cruise ship Lakonia caught fire and sank with the loss of over 100 lives in 1963.
A few years later, I met a friend of DH's who had been on board. He didn't generally talk about it although he had unburdened himself to DH.

polomint

I remember when the TV station STV came on air as before that there was only BBC. The wee girl sitting at a blackboard that was used as a test site for TV engineers. It also was used as an intermission between TV programmes. Also when TV was switched off I used to watch the wee white dot till it disappeared

^Who is the BBC2 test card girl, and what has happened to her?
WHEN the BBC were planning the test card in 1967, it was decided to have a child, because her clothes and hairstyle would be less likely to date. When professional models proved unsuitable, a BBC engineer suggested his daughter, and Carol Hersee, eight years old, became 'The Most Seen Girl on TV' - a special award given by Pye in 1971. She became a seamstress at Berman's, the theatrical costumiers, and subsequently worked in the wardrobe department at Shepperton studios.^
Guardian Questions

Ps Has appeared on television for an estimated 70,000 hours: more than any other person in history.

I was very small, but remember the catastrophic floods of 1953 (?) parents looking very sad and serious when the news came on the ‘wireless’. They told me in very simple terms what had happened.

My paternal GM once told me that she remembered the death of Queen Victoria - she would have been 6. The church bells were tolling, and her father said, ‘The Queen is dead!’ in such a deep and sombre voice, she thought the world must be coming to an end!

What a fascinating thread!
To me history only becomes proper History after 50+ years have gone by. It seems weird to now regard a lot of happenings in our time as History, when for us they are living memories.

I am thinking of Bijou who celebrated her 100 th a year or so ago, who had experienced so much in her long life.
She hadn’t been on here recently but if she’s reading this I send her my very best wishes. ,

I also thought of Bijou. I hope she is reading this and will post again soon.

I remember talking to my only grandparent who was born in 1882 about her parents and siblings…all 12 of them, living in a two up two down house w ith no tap or toilet, which would take me back to about 1850 and here I am, able to tell the tale.

Such a lot of memories here, some before my time but others I remember well.
Other things I recall are the Alpha Piper disaster, The miners Strike of 1984 and the subsequent destruction of coal mining in the UK, 9/11, The Falklands War, The Berlin Wall coming down.
There are many other things already mentioned that I remember too, or that I lived through but don’t really remember as I was too young to realise what was going on.
My parents and grandparents recalled events that happened in their life times which are, indeed, a part of history.
It’s interesting to recall changes, too - things that were common place occurrences that just don’t happen any more. Fascinating.

Witzend

I was very small, but remember the catastrophic floods of 1953 (?) parents looking very sad and serious when the news came on the ‘wireless’. They told me in very simple terms what had happened.

My paternal GM once told me that she remembered the death of Queen Victoria - she would have been 6. The church bells were tolling, and her father said, ‘The Queen is dead!’ in such a deep and sombre voice, she thought the world must be coming to an end!

I remember the floods of 1953, seeing photos of them in the newspapers and reading stories of heroism.

Dandylion

My uncle was in Bomber Command in the RAF and promised my Mother (his sister) that he would fly over the house to say Goodbye when they were going back to their base in Scotland. On the day, she heard the plane, and lifted me and rushed outside - then an ENORMOUS plane came really low over the garden, everything went dark, it waggled its wings and rose into the air again and left. The noise was so awful, I was terrified and burst into tears. So did she.

My father was a fighter pilot in WW2. My mother travelled round the country with him, finding lodgings when necessary. My father flew low over the place where she was staying to let her know that he was still alive but the neighbours complained!

His name is on the fabulous Battle of Britain monument in London.

Have you been to the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial, Liz46?

Most interest in a memory of mine from great grandchildren ( teens ) was concerning my foster Mums purchase of a fridge. Local shopkeeper turned up in a large van with 6 x red fronted fridges so she could choose the one identical in colour to her newly red painted, kitchen and back door.

Callistemon213

Have you been to the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial, Liz46?

No, I haven't. It's probably something that I should have done when I was younger.
I have a letter that my father wrote to his mother on the day that war broke out. In it, he tells her not to worry as he had the proper training but men coming after him would not.

Liz46

Callistemon213

Have you been to the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial, Liz46?

No, I haven't. It's probably something that I should have done when I was younger.
I have a letter that my father wrote to his mother on the day that war broke out. In it, he tells her not to worry as he had the proper training but men coming after him would not.

FIL's name is on the memorial at Runnymede.
DH has the letter his father wrote to MIL in the event of him not returning.

@Allsorts

What do you mean '8 never did'?

Oreo

I was born in the 60’s so no memories like the ones on here that are fascinating.
I guess we are all living history, as time goes on 2024 will seem very quaint.

Don't forget we are all living at a time when the world wide web became available. Also smart phones, hard to imagine life without one now but it wasn't so long ago.
Recalling a problem from 15 years ago I was desperately trying to work out why I just hadn't sent a photo ................. no smart phones until 2010!!

I remember the twin towers event. As a theatre nurse I was at work. I was drawn to the staff room where colleagues were gathering. The television was on and we all stood there watching the events unfold.

One colleague became very panicky and would not stay at work, she insisted she needed to collect her children from school and take them home. It was no use persuading her otherwise and she was allowed to go.

Obviously the surgeons, anaesthetists and the staff allocated to assist them had already started their lists and would be unaware of what was happening. So as not to compromise patient safety and allow them to concentrate fully on what they where doing we were advised not to say anything until they came out of theatre of their own accord.

Yes, Apartheid- very recent. And with disatrous effects for my OH's family. So so recent. And Mandela, Tata Madiba, of course.