Hannah Howe

Monday 8 July 1963

Ten men were arrested last night at a meeting addressed by Oswald Mosley in London’s East End. Over 250 policemen were on guard at the event.

A new high-speed automatic technique for transcribing books into braille has been invented. A large book can be copied in a few days instead of several months. 

The Mini is proving to be a great success in Australia. The Morris 850 and the Morris Mini Cooper recorded 1,861 registrations in May compared with 1,819 for the nearest rivals.

Prediction Spot: Brian Poole and his Tremolos are certain to have a hit with their latest disc, Twist and Shout.

Personal advertisements: leatherette gents corsets made to measure. From 56s 6d. – Barnsbury Square, London.

It has been a rotten Wimbledon. One of the reasons is a complete lack of class amongst the men players. To survive, the tournament must admit professional players. Miss Margaret Smith is the only great player at the championships, man or woman.

Despite requests from the BBC, there will be no rise in the licence fee this year.

Television highlights: The Patch Card – play about death by computer. The Borodin String Quartet. Fireball XL5.

Radio highlights: Letter from Great Britain. Shanty Time.

Weather: scattered showers and sunny intervals. Outlook – similar. 21c, 70f.

Tuesday 9 July 1963

Is property racketeer, Peter Rachman, boyfriend of Mandy Rice-Davies (pictured), really dead? Or was there a switch of bodies? Rachman built a slum empire exploiting his tenants. Ben Parkin MP said, “All Fleet Street is alive with the idea that Rachman is not dead.” However, Miss Rice-Davies said, “Even though I was in Paris when Peter died, I’m fully convinced he is dead.”

Transport Minister Ernest Marples has announced that parking meter charges in Central London will go up to 3s an hour – an increase of 2s 6d. A spokesman for the RAC and AA said, “We see this as the first step in pricing motorists off the roads of Central London and other big cities.”

Despite a last minute attack of nerves, Miss Margaret Smith beat Miss Billie-Jean Moffitt 6 – 3, 6 – 4 to win the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles title. Miss Smith also won the mixed doubles with Ken Fletcher, but along with Robyn Ebbern she lost the women’s doubles final to Darlene Hard and Maria Bueno.

Cricket – Third Test at Edgbaston, fourth day scorecard: England 216 and 226 – 8, West Indies 186. On a wicket as capricious as a flighty widow, England have placed themselves in a position to win. The ball is turning and if it turns tomorrow the West Indies are doomed.

University Challenge has brought a new lease of life to television quiz programmes. Instead of its late night slot, the programme deserves a place at peak time. Maybe it should swap places with Coronation Street. This would give several million viewers a shake up.

Television highlights: Polo – live from Ham Polo Club. All Sorts to Make a World – Britain in 1963, the mass producers. On Safari – around our gardens.

Radio highlights: Workers’ Playtime. The Reshaping of British Railways.

Weather: cloudy with some rain. Outlook – similar, but cooler. 20c, 68f.

Wednesday 10 July 1963

Rally driver and show jumper Pat Moss married fellow rally driver Erik Carlsson yesterday. In black tails, a green waistcoat and a grey topper, brother Sterling Moss arrived on a lilac coloured motor scooter. Sterling recently failed his L test, so his scooter was still sporting L plates.

Fire destroyed goods and property valued at £55,587,000 last year. This is £11,000,000 more than the previous peak figures in 1959. To counter this trend, the Fire Protection Association is recommending an increased use of automatic alarms and sprinkler systems.

Sir Charles Musgrave, 49, who advertised for a wife after his recent divorce, received a reply from Miss Dior Angel, a New York striptease dancer. Miss Angel said, “I’m willing to give up my career to marry you.” However, Sir Charles said, “I don’t know any Americans and I’m not sure that Miss Angel and I would be on the same mental wavelength. My next wife will be the outdoor type.”

The BBC has been given the go-ahead to broadcast its second channel to three-quarters of Britain from the end of 1966. The new service will come on air in London next April. Ten million people will then have the choice between two BBC channels and one ITV channel.

Cricket: the West Indies were bowled out for 91 at Edgbaston yesterday with Fred Trueman taking 7 – 44. On a “sporting” wicket England won the Third Test by 217 runs to level the series. Now it’s all to play for at Headingley and the Oval.

Television highlights: Gardening Made Easy. Professional Boxing From Cardiff. Taxi! New series with Sid James.

Radio highlights: Jazz Session. Modern Greek Poetry.

Weather: cloudy, mainly dry. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

Thursday 11 July 1963

A lucky rabbit’s foot hanging from the dashboard sways slightly as the little red sports car touches 90 mph on the A10 out of London. “Sterling Moss’ father gave it to me,” explained my driver, motor racing ace Jim Clark. He added, “I’m not really confident about anything. My nerves are all knotted up. The only time I’m relaxed is when I’m in the driving seat. I race because I like doing it more than anything else in the world.”

Spot-checks revealed that seven race horses were doped between mid-April and the end of May this year. Around 100 tests were made, sometimes on heavily backed beaten favourites. Two of the doped horses were steeplechasers, the other five flat racers.

Agony Aunt: Margaret from Newcastle writes, “Whenever friends call round for the evening, my husband will insist on showing them our holiday films. We’ve seen these films 28 times and I’m going bonkers. What can I do?” Jane Adams’ advice, “You can either put up with his hobby with good grace, or try telling him that he’s a big bore.”

Thought for the Day: Nothing can be purchased which is better than a firm friend – Tacitus. 

Cricket: Knockout Cup Semi-Final Results – Worcestershire beat Lancashire by 9 wickets, Sussex beat Northamptonshire by 105 runs.

Television highlights: Try Out Your French. Golf – the Open Championship. Road Works Report.

Radio highlights: Thanks for the Melody. Greek Serenade.

Weather: showers, rather cool. Outlook – cool and showery. 17c, 63f.

Friday 12 July 1963

A planned £7,200,000 take-over bid by the Wellcome Foundation for British Drug Houses, makers of the no-birth pill, has been called off. The news sent BDH shares down 2s to 16s 3d, knocking £720,000 off the company’s value on the stock markets.

Postmaster General Reginald Bevins said Britain must not be rushed into a decision on colour television systems. Britain, he said, must wait and see what technical system was chosen by the rest of Europe.

Renee Shann on the modern romance novel: “You can be a bit franker nowadays. A little realism has crept in. You can actually mention sex. But just the same you’d be mad to have the heroine doing anything about it. You can take them to the bedroom, even through the bedroom door, but never, never into bed – until they are actually married.”

More international matches will be played under floodlights, the Football Association announced. The FA believes that evening matches will attract bigger crowds than games played on weekday afternoons.

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Television highlights: For Deaf Children. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Pepote – Spanish film.

Radio highlights: Non-Stop Pop. Take Your Partners – old time dancing. 

Weather: cloudy with rain, cool. Outlook – cool and showery. 18c, 64f.

Saturday 13 July 1963

Some local Tories are using race hate for political ends, the Labour Party has claimed. Labour said the Tories are promoting the slogan, “If you want a n****r neighbour, vote Labour.” Labour has challenged the Tories to hold an immediate inquiry into this slogan.

In an exciting experiment, dogs are being trained to assist the deaf. The dogs are being taught how to obey sign language, warn people that there is someone at the front door, alert owners if there is an emergency, and respond to notes on a dog whistle. There are 45,000 totally deaf people in Britain today, of whom 5,000 cannot speak. Ten thousand children are amongst the deaf.

The biggest problem for the duck breeder is that drakes go terribly queer. Once they “go off” lady ducks it’s a fearful business getting them interested again. However, the good thing about ducks is they are divine when eaten with a cherry sauce.

Housewife Kathlyn Ridyard walked into her bathroom and found a council electrician wearing only his trousers and washing two pairs of his socks in her bath. The council sacked the electrician. Twelve of his colleagues have now gone on strike in protest.

Top spins this week: Heinz – Just Like Eddie, The Springfields – Come on Home, Sing Along With JFK – President Kennedy.

Television highlights: Summer Grandstand. Juke Box Jury. Maigret.

Radio highlights: Joe Loss Band Box. Pet From Paris – records played by Petula Clark.

Weather: cloudy, showery and cool. Outlook – rain. 18c, 64f.

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Wednesday 26 June 1963

Cricket: The Second Test at Lord’s yesterday, on its fifth and final day, achieved the incredible, the nigh impossible. With nerves already on edge, the game boiled to a mighty crescendo. England needed 234 runs for victory. Came the last over with eight runs the margin. Hall to Shackleton. A scrambled single off the second ball – seven wanted for victory.

Allen, a single to leg. Six wanted. Shackleton swipes, misses, starts late for the bye. The ball is hurled to Worrell who whips off the bails. Shackleton run out for four. Enter Colin Cowdrey with his broken arm in plaster. A word to Allen – play safe; I can’t face a ball. Allen jabs at the penultimate delivery. Still six runs to win for England, one wicket to win for the West Indies. 

Worrell tells Hall – don’t bowl a no-ball. Hall tears in and puts his heart and soul into the delivery. Allen defends. A draw. A glorious draw. Overcome with excitement, the crowd invades the field. The result was a draw, but the game of cricket was the winner. 

A court heard yesterday that toffee bars were used to dope racehorses. One of the doped horses, St Paddy, ran at Ascot. The intention was to slow the horse down, but he won by twenty lengths. Giving evidence, “Michael” said, The dope must have been a goer, not a stopper.” The case continues.

The prices of almost all “pop” records are to go up from Monday. EMI have put up their “single” prices by 5d to 6s 8d. Extended-play records will jump by 8d to 10s 9d. “Pop” long-play discs will go up by 1s 1d to £1 12s. EMI said the increases are due to rising costs. The Pye company is not increasing prices at the moment.

London Transport is now short of 3,000 bus drivers and conductors, despite a 10s wage rise in March. Currently, there are 27,000 busmen in Greater London.

Television highlights: President Kennedy in Europe – four programmes, four hours. Men of Our Time – Mahatma Gandhi. Glamour ‘63.

Radio highlights: Scandinavian Dances. Postal Bingo Show.

Weather: sunny intervals and showers. Outlook – similar. 18c, 64f.

Thursday 27 June 1963

Charles Houghton, the head porter who was coshed when bandits stole £250,000 worth of gold bullion from a London warehouse four weeks ago, has been sacked. Mr Houghton, his wife and two daughters must also leave their flat above the warehouse. They must be out by tomorrow. 

Wives who work should think twice about accepting promotion because the additional responsibility makes them irritable. Dr Amy Cohen said, “Over-conscientious women at work take their business worries home with them – and take their home worries to work.”

There’s been a five percent drop in cigarette smoking. Britons now consume 3,000,000 lbs of tobacco a year. This is the first significant drop since 1950. However, cigar and pipe smoking has increased.

After the thrill-packed Lord’s Test Match, a West Indian cricket supporter appeared in court in north London, accused of being drunk and disorderly. The magistrate, Mr Frank Milton told him, “You had reason to celebrate. There has not been a Test Match like this in a hundred years, so you are discharged.”

Is Elvis on the slide? His new disc, Devil in Disguise, will either confirm or deny it. Highest new entry this week – number nineteen, Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals.

Television highlights: Don’t Say a Word – gameshow with Michael Medwin and Maxine Audley. Alfred Hitchcock Hour with Robert Redford. News, weather and road-works report.

Radio highlights: Listeners Answer Back. Swinging UK. 

Weather: sunny intervals and showers. Outlook – similar. 19c, 66f.

Friday 28 June 1963

Nearly one-third of all households in Britain had the use of a car in 1961. And seven in 100 had the use of two or more cars. The average mileage over one week was 135 miles according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Transport.

The Conservatives have pledged that the channel ITA 2 will be on the air by 1966. The BBC’s second channel is due on air in April next year, in the London area, and will probably extend to the Midlands by the following year.

The typhoid outbreak has spread to St Thomas’ Hospital, Waterloo. Further cases were also confirmed in the North East and Norwich.

Twenty women in Rome’s telephone exchange fainted yesterday when temperatures climbed into the mid-90s.

Englishmen in their holiday togs are an embarrassment. They should realise that baggy flannels went out with silent films, and tweed jackets and braces are not a sight for the beaches. Undone shirt buttons revealing string vests are also off-putting, and don’t get me started on knotted handkerchiefs worn on sun-sensitive heads.

The New Musical Express’ half-yearly poll places Cliff Richard at number one followed by the Beatles, the Shadows, Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Springfields. Elvis Presley has dropped from number one to sixteenth place.

Stirling Moss, one of the greatest motor racing drivers of all time, failed his motor scooter driving test yesterday. He said, “I am not so much disappointed as frustrated.”

Television highlights: Wimbledon. Robin Hood. Dad, You’re a Square.

Radio highlights: Play – The Mating Season. Continental Melodies.

Weather: showers or rain. Outlook – probably dry. 18c, 64f.

Saturday 29 June 1963

Scientists are trying to talk with dolphins. The scientists claim that the dolphins can say the words “no”, “okay” and “food”. If we learn to talk with dolphins then the scientists believe it will be easier to communicate with any creatures we might find on other planets.

Giving evidence at the Stephen Ward trial, Mandy Rice-Davies told the court that Ward said they ought to get married sometime. She also said that at Ward’s suggestion she entertained gentlemen and, by accident, she broke a two-way mirror that looked into a bedroom from the lounge.

Exclusively for Women: Win an Hillman Imp de Lux. Six new super mini-cars, taxed and insured for a year, to be won. In Balmoral grey this super car could be yours. Details on Monday.

Tennis: this year’s Wimbledon has been the dullest for years. The seeding committee botched their job and seeded the wrong players; the matches, bar the odd exception, have been one-sided, and now the weather has intervened bringing rain, which has descended like a plague on the Championships.

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Television highlights: Juke Box Jury featuring John Lennon. The Winifred Atwell  Show. Lucky Stars Summer Spin with the Beatles.

Radio highlights: It’s Latin. Motoring and the Motorist.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – probably little change. 16c, 61f.

Sunday 30 June 1963

In the Stephen Ward trial, Mandy Rice-Davies told the court that she had “relations” with Lord Astor. Mr James Burge, defending Ward, said to Miss Rice-Davies, “Do you know that Lord Astor has made a statement to the police saying that these allegations of yours are absolutely untrue.” The crowd erupted with laughter when Miss Rice-Davies replied quickly, “Well, he would, wouldn’t he?”

Lord Hailsham angrily lashed out yesterday at the people, who he said, were filling London with “the most extraordinary rumours” associated with the Profumo scandal. London, he said, “Has been filled with the filthiest rumours, seemingly systematically spread, affecting all manner of persons”. He added, “I am neither the man without a head (this was a reference to the Duchess of Argyll divorce), the man in the iron mask, the man who apparently goes about clad only in a Masonic apron, or a visitor to unnamed orgies.”

Housewives who want to aid Britain’s tragic thalidomide babies can now do so by collecting Green Shield Stamps. The Green Shield Stamp Trading Company will give £10,000 in cash in exchange for 15,000 full books of stamps. The stamps are available from a growing number of shops with one stamp given for every sixpence spent.

Music: the sick disc season is here. Following the American trend, the British charts might soon be invaded by songs about brides stranded at the alter because their fiancés have been killed in an accident. Tin Pan Alley has discovered that ghoulish death is a big money-maker.

Television highlights: Coronation of Pope Paul VI. The French Grand Prix from Rheims. Lorna Doone – serial with Jane Merrow as Lorna.

Radio highlights: Music Magazine. The Countryside in June.

Weather: cloudy with heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Monday 1 July 1963

A new do-it-yourself wine craze is sweeping Britain. The are now 164 wine-making clubs. Members are making wine from bananas, primroses, broad beans, marrows, spinach and rose petals. Wine-making sets are selling at 35s.

A female tennis player is being linked with a “black market” ticket racket at Wimbledon. “Miss X” is believed to be the key player in a five-strong syndicate. Players get free books of six tickets. It’s alleged that “Miss X” has bought twenty books at £10 a book, then sold them on to spivs who, at a higher price, sell them to spectators.

London’s most with-it pub is the Thomas a Beckett in the Old Kent Road. There, people like Stanley Baker and Richard Burton drink side by side with taxi drivers and dockers. However, the “Knees Up Mother Brown” days are over. Landlord Tommy Gibbons has installed a swinging band and a juke box which, for a shilling a time, also shows appropriate films.

Handwoven tweed ties with fringed ends are the top neckwear for German men.

Cut Your Own Hair. Penn’s Easytrim is easier and quicker than clippers. It cuts as it combs. For use with either hand. Suitable for gents and ladies. Send 7s 6d to Penn Ltd, Finchley, London.

Personal advertisement: Ursula – I know what has happened. I wish to help you. Write to your old address, Gordon.

Television highlights: Destiny 63 – play about neo-Nazis. The Choice is Yours – popular melodies. What’s New? Inventions and ideas.

Radio highlights: Housewives’ Choice. Top of the Morning.

Weather: showers and bright spells. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

Anticipated pattern of future blog posts: Marian and Robin – every six days, 1963 newspaper digests – every six days.

Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on over thirty occasions.

A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake

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