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1963

Social History 1963 #32

Thursday 6 June 1963

The prospect of Britons receiving colour tv has been pushed back from April 1964 until the end of 1965. Part of the delay is due to a debate over which system to use. Some sources suggest that we will have to wait until 1970 to see widespread colour television coverage.

Bank workers, shoppers and holidaymakers joined police in a battle with four bandits. The bandits stole £20,000 in cash from a bank in Brighton. Stones, dustbin lids and groceries were hurled at the bandits, but they escaped with £11,000 in a Jaguar.

Pat Finch, Miss Wales of 1963, has given up her title because she broke the rules, which state that contestants should be born in Wales, or resident there for at least five years.

Coalminers want a pay rise. Scottish miners are demanding an extra £1 a week. Nottinghamshire miners also want a rise, but have not expressed the amount.

Thirteen more people in Harlow, Essex have contracted typhoid.

Two more Scouse groups on the rise – the Swinging Blue Jeans and the Searchers. Expect to see them in the charts soon.

Football: Switzerland 1 England 8 (Bobby Charlton hat-trick).

Television highlights: cricket – England v West Indies, First Test Match. World of the Unknown – a survey of science fiction films. This Week – single women and sex.

Radio highlights: Talk – Lifeboatmen. Primitive Folk Music from Spain.

Weather: sunny periods, thundery showers. Outlook – similar. 22c, 72f.

Friday 7 June 1963

Britain will launch its own satellite, UK3, which will be built entirely by BAC. The satellite will weigh 150lbs, cost £1,000,000 and orbit the world 400 miles up, gathering scientific data and measuring space noises. Date for the planned launch – 1966.

Miss Julie Ayers will become the BBC’s first “weather girl” today. She will make her radio debut on the Light Programme at 8.55 this morning. She may be seen on TV later. A spokesman said, “It is a trial to see how people like a woman reading the forecast.”

A special £25 a head pilgrimage to the Normandy beaches is being arranged for next year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of D-Day on the 6th of June.

Greengrocers and housewives believe that the rounder and redder the tomato, the tastier it is. However, people who have been abroad and tasted them are now asking for lower grade “kinky tomatoes”. These tomatoes go well with French dishes like the salade de tomate.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. West Indies closed day one on 244 – 3 after a century from Conrad Hunte and a brilliant 90 from Rohan Kanhai. Kanhai was run out when both batsmen were stranded at the same end. With Garry Sobers at the wicket, the West Indies are strongly placed.

Television highlights: Welsh National Youth Eisteddfod. Flags Are Not Enough – “have” and “have not” nations. The Most Powerful Woman of the Century – Evita Peron.

Radio highlights: Bath Festival. Test Match Special.

Weather: sunny intervals, thundery showers. Outlook – rain. 25c, 77f.


Saturday 8 June 1963

Last night, the Great Storm brought chaos to London. Torrential cloudbursts flooded homes, snarled traffic and halted underground trains. The switchboard at London Fire Brigade Headquarters was jammed with flood calls. Firemen were called to the homes of Princess Margaret and Princess Marina where the basements were flooded.

The Queen’s Birthday Honours: entertainer Harry Secombe CBE, director Peter Hall CBE, jockey Fred Winter CBE, swimmer Anita Lonsbrough MBE, Coco the Clown OBE.

Bass draught beer will go up 1d a pint from Monday.

More cases of typhoid have been identified in Harlow, Essex. Typhoid has also broken out in Biggleswade and Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Bandleader Edmundo Ros and comedian Jimmy Edwards are to become Tory Party candidates. Ros said, “I am very serious about this and anxious to have a political career.”

Britain’s best known L-driver, Miss Margaret Hunter, 65, failed her driving test again. She tried to drive with the hand-brake on and drove the wrong way up a one-way street.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. Day Two score – West Indies 501 – 6 declared (Hunte 182, Sobers 64, Worrell 74 not out). England 31 – 0. West Indies batted cautiously and on this flat wicket it should be a doddle for England to secure a draw.

Television highlights: Trooping the Colour. Juke Box Jury. The Ken Dodd Show.

Radio highlights: Popalong. Big O Show.

Weather: fog, sunny periods, thunderstorms. Outlook – warm with thunder. 25c, 77f.

Sunday 9 June 1963

Women have been told to remove suggestive badges from their lapels at twelve holiday hotels in Margate. A receptionist said, “These badges are a long way from ‘Kiss Me Quick’. I think the women were just calling at the hotel and were not guests. I understand the badges were made in America.”

Snuff is making a comeback. New, delicately perfumed varieties are proving popular with young men and their girlfriends. The desire to cut down on smoking and the fact that snuff clears foggy heads has given the snuff cult a big boost. Women are taking to it because they are more adventurous than men. Officer cadets, university students and even beatniks are also trying it.

At 10s, a Sunday salad now costs more than a joint. One reason is there are too many “middle men” involved, each taking a cut, as the tomatoes, cucumbers, etc move from the grower to the shopping basket.

The Liverpool beat group The Swinging Blue Jeans have been added to Lord Montagu’s “all-jazz” festival at Manchester this weekend. Tip for the top – Moonlight Tango by Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.

Cricket: England crashed in the First Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford. They were dismissed for 205 and followed on 296 runs behind. Only Ted Dexter offered any resistance with 73. On a flat wicket, Lance Gibbs took 5-59 and Wes Hall 3-51. At the close of play England were 29-0 in their second innings.

Television highlights: Fireball XL5. Mozart – a Eurovision relay direct from Vienna. The Golden Rose of Montreau – the Swiss entry. 

Radio highlights: The Old Vic 1914 – 1963. Pick of the Pops.

Weather: very warm and sunny. Outlook – similar.

Monday 10 June 1963

Mr X telephoned Scotland Yard and informed the police that the £250,000 worth of gold bars, recently stolen in London, were on a motor-ship that left Shoreham, Sussex on Friday night. The Yard alerted Interpol and the ship was searched in Amsterdam. Nothing was found.

London outshines the hot spots. In the six days ending last Thursday, London enjoyed 61 hours 48 minutes of sunshine. Meanwhile, Nice notched up 54 hours 56 minutes, Majorca 50 hours and Biarritz only 43 hours.

The English language is changing. Beat language like, “I dig you the most, Dad” is out. Instead of “real swingers” use “rather jolly people”. And a lady is now a lady again, not a broad, doll or bird.

West Germany’s Foreign Ministry is studying the Argyll divorce case. Herr Sigismund von Braun, West Germany’s Ambassador to the United Nations, was named as one of the Duchess’ lovers.

The typhoid outbreak has now spread from Harlow to Bishop’s Stortford. Shared sandwiches are believed to be the source.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. Rest day. West Indies 501 – 6 declared. England 205 and 29-0.

Television highlights: World in Action – venereal disease. Deferred Terms – suspense drama. Adventures in Learning.

Radio highlights: Music for Dancing. World Top Pops.

Weather: warm and sunny with thunderstorms. Outlook – little change. 25c, 77f.

Cover reveal for Loot, book four in my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series. This one is about a train robbery.

Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63

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

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #28

Friday 17 May 1963 

Frank Derry, 68, received an X-ray for a persistent cold. The X-ray revealed that he had a bullet in his lung, the legacy of a wound inflicted in May 1917. Doctors at the time treated the wound, but did not notice the one and a half inch bullet. Mr Derry’s current doctors have advised him not to have the bullet removed.

Cucumbers are female, and they come in three shapes – straight, bent and hooked. But do they cause indigestion? The rind has fibrous tissue, which can be tough on the gastric juices. Also, a peeled cucumber can be fragile, and swallowed without chewing, can cause indigestion. The antidote – try a pinch of nutmeg.

Public houses where music is played will have to pay £2 to £11 a year higher music royalty charges to the Performing Rights Society. The society claims that the current charges are “trivial”. 

Derek Gaisford has eaten 3,000 sausages in eleven months. He has to eat a pound of sausages a day for another month to win a £1 bet with his wife, Florence.

Agony Aunt: My wife is more interested in our dachshund than me. Jane Adams’ reply: Time you proved yourself a more interesting companion than your dachshund.

Agony Aunt: Should I trust a rich man who wants to take me to the South of France and promises that he wants nothing in return? Jane Adams’ reply: Don’t trust him if he’s 19, 29, 39, 49, or 59. You might trust him if he’s 99.

Television highlights: The Sky at Night. Let’s Imagine…writing a pop song. Dr Kildare with Richard Chamberlain. 

Radio highlights: Cricket – Yorkshire v West Indies. Speedy Disc Show.

Weather: rain then sunny intervals. Outlook – rain with sunny intervals. 15c, 59f.

Saturday 18 May 1963 

TV stars come and go. There are exceptions, of course, like Eamonn Andrews who seems to go on forever, David Jacobs who popped up on both channels recently, and Peter Dimmock who is now a BBC executive. For most though fame is fleeting. The life of a TV star may be gay and prosperous, but it is also very short.

Britain’s first National Nature Week starts today. Throughout the week naturalists all over the country will plan to pinpoint the dangers threatening the nation’s wildlife.

Boxers knocked down at the end of any round – except the last – will no longer be “saved by the bell”. Instead the count will continue until the boxer rises or is counted out. This is a safety measure brought in by the British Boxing Board of Control.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Birmingham City face the prospect of relegation from Division One this afternoon while Chelsea, Sunderland and Stoke City are chasing promotion from Division Two. Sunderland are home to Chelsea and the players will receive a £600 bonus if they win.

Tiny tortoises are the tops! Tortoises measuring 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches stood up to the British winter better than those of other sizes. One owner wrote of a tortoise that has been in his family for 41 years.

Television highlights: Cricket – MCC v West Indies. Supercar. Alan Whicker Goes to Sweden.

Radio highlights: Saturday Club – Helen Shapiro. Hot Twenty.

Weather: mainly dry and bright. Outlook – showers. 16c, 61f.

Sunday 19 May 1963 

Britons seem to be suffering from a twentieth century social disease with the idea that possessions are more important than people. Sociologist Dr Howard Jones said there was reason to believe that the affluent society was a bad thing. He added that as people become more affluent society’s standards and behaviour will decline.

A fortnight ago the British housewife could buy a 2lb bag of groceries for 1s 6d. A week ago the price reached 1s 7 1/2d. Now it is at 1s 11d and may reach 2s 6d. Why? Because of the political upheavals in Cuba, sugar plantations have been neglected causing a shortage in world markets.

A reliable and harmless birth control pill for men will be available for sale within three years. The pill will cost no more than the ordinary aspirin, and will be taken every week or every month. The pill is now being tested by volunteers in an American prison.

The Duchess of Argyll speaks about her divorce from the Duke. “Wild rumours were being spread about me. One of the most vicious was about the supposedly sensational contents of my private diaries. The rumours suggested that my diaries were another Lady Chatterley’s Lover, but they were only a useful record of where I’d been and what I’d been doing.”

Police are hunting Hampshire’s New Forest for a “wild man” dressed in a loincloth.

Television highlights: 1963 Golden Rose of Montreux Festival. The Palladium Show with Tommy Cooper. Sword of Freedom.

Radio highlights: Shakespearean Songs. What Does Nature Mean to You?

Weather: cloudy and dry with warm spells.

Monday 20 May 1963 

Five French customs officers swooped on 200 British trippers yesterday as they travelled to Boulogne. Their haul? One bingo table and a basket of coloured bingo balls. The trippers, mostly women, were warned that bingo is illegal in France.

Emigrating to South Australia? Your new tiled roof, brick house, individually designed in Adelaide from £2,818 including land. Low deposit, mortgage facilities, 500 plots available.

Graham Nash is studying to become an oceanographer – that’s a cat who digs currents and tides. In the meantime he’s leading the Hollies group disc Ain’t That Just Like Me. It should transfer Graham’s interest to a different kind of chart.

Prediction – this will be in the charts in two weeks: I Like It by Gerry and The Pacemakers.

FA Cup finalists Leicester City have eight players injured and all are doubtful to play against Manchester United. In the league, Leyton Orient and Manchester City have been relegated from Division One.

Stanley Matthews has no plans to retire. After thirty seasons he is still scoring goals, this weekend against Luton Town. He said, “I will retire when I feel the rest of the team are carrying me, and I don’t think that has happened yet.”

Television highlights: Mr Magoo. The Major – the story of a giant oak. World in Action – insecticides.

Radio highlights: Talking About Music. World Top Pops.

Weather: cloudy with rain at times. Outlook – brighter with showers. 12c, 54f.

Tuesday 21 May 1963 

Housewives should be represented on the new Consumer Council the Government was told last night. The Council, which will act as a consumer watchdog, still has three places to fill. Labour and Liberal MPs backed the proposal, but no Tory MPs spoke in favour.

A plea for a temporary ban on Chinese frozen eggs was rejected yesterday by the Ministry of Heath even though it has been confirmed that the frozen eggs have led to outbreaks of para-typhoid. 

Britain’s shoe firms took a hammering last year because the “square-toe” look for women didn’t catch on. Over 200,000 pairs of “square-toe” shoes were left on the shelves. Instead, women opted for the pointed-toe styles of 1960 and 1961.

A television programme about a club where female and male homosexuals dance together has been shelved by the BBC. The club – The Link in Amsterdam, was filmed for Panorama. A BBC spokesman said the programme could not be broadcast in Panorama’s normal time slot, but might go out later as a Panorama Special.

Church leaders have protested to the Home Secretary about Tottenham Hotspur’s victory procession on Sunday. To celebrate the 5 – 1 victory over Athletico Madrid, fans dressed as Christ and as angels and carried slogans like “Hallowed Be Their Names”.

Television highlights: Giants of Steam – documentary about the railways. Chelsea Flower Show – preview. The 625 Show featuring Joe Brown.

Radio highlights: Stringalong. Record Review.

Weather: rather cool. Showers with thunder. Outlook – sunny intervals, ground frost at night. 13c, 55f.

Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63

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

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #27

Sunday 12 May 1963 

One of the world’s loveliest women, the Duchess of Argyll, is to tell her story to the Sunday Mirror. As soon as the Argyll divorce case is disposed of, she will reveal all. What is she really like? She is twice married, has a magnolia complexion, green eyes, chestnut hair and a 33-23-33 figure. She has been called the perfect woman with the loveliest eyes.

The Duchess considers sleep a waste of time. She is devoted to animals and is a music lover with a collection of over 3,000 records. What is the truth about the scandals raised in her divorce case? The Duchess will tell us when she is legally allowed to do so.

Greville Wynne, the businessman accused of spying, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by Russian judges, three years in jail, five in a labour camp. Some people in the court yelled, “Too little! Too little!” Mr Wynne will appeal for a pardon.

Sweden is to drive on the right, leaving Britain and Ireland alone in Europe to drive on the left. Cross-over Day will be in 1967. Every sign and road mark will be changed. Bells and sirens will sound to warn road users and speed restrictions will be in place for weeks.

Football: Everton are Division One champions. They beat Fulham 4 – 1 at Goodison Park while Tottenham Hotspur, their nearest rivals, lost 1 – 0 to relegation-threatened Manchester City.

Television highlights: Fireball XL5. International Soccer – Italy v Brazil. Play – Jungle Juice.

Radio highlights: Pick of the Pops. Show Time ‘63.

Weather: rain at times, sunny periods. Outlook – showery.

Monday 13 May 1963 

Grete Wiltschka, 22, from Vienna has offered to give Ray Charles her left eye. When Ray Charles heard of the offer, he said, “Her sacrifice would be too much for any man to ask. Life is still life, whether one is able to see people or not. Eyesight doesn’t bother me much.”

The Conservatives have been trounced at the Local Elections. If these elections are any guide to the General Election then Mr MacMillan and his bedraggled troops have had it. What is for sure is that the next General Election will see the dirtiest pieces of political in-fighting for a long time.

Jewellery valued at £11,000 was stolen from the country mansion of millionaire Malcolm McAlpine. Raiders climbed a drainpipe and entered through a bedroom window.

The rear-engined Hillman Imp has opened up a debate – where should the engine go? Even though rear-engined cars are becoming more popular, I forecast that the majority of the cars of the future will have engines at the front, driving the front wheels.

Aerosol cheese is a new idea. Processed cheese is packed in a can and, by gas pressure, is pushed out like toothpaste. The can and contents are guaranteed sterilised.

Television highlights: Panorama – unemployment in the USA. Coronation Street – Elsie is double-dated. World in Action – a report on charities.

Radio highlights: Woman’s Hour. Cricket – Lancashire v West Indies.

Weather: sunny intervals, showers, windy. Outlook – sunny spells. 14c, 57f.

Tuesday 14 May 1963 

Britain must stop treating nurses as Cinderellas. There is widespread discontent over the recent pay award because people who work in the City are having a ball on the proceeds of the affluent society.

Mr Hennicker Thorpe, who will be 99 on Friday, has mumps. His doctor said, “This is extremely rare. I’ve never heard of anyone at his age getting mumps.” Mr Thorpe said, “I’m fed up with being in bed. I want to get up. A fine thing having mumps at my age!”

The Duke of Edinburgh got a blasting yesterday for his “trigger-happy exploits”. The League Against Cruel Sports said the Duke shoots game birds “by the hundred for the kick of it. That he is President of the World Wildlife Fund is humbug.”

Milk-selling slot machines may vanish from Britain within two years. The sixpenny slot machines should contain just under half a pint, but some vendors are charging sixpence for a one-third pint.

The latest Chelsea fashions for men – pale blue flap-fronted denim pants, silk tailored jackets and pink gingham shirts. The conservative look is out. More jazzy styles are in.

A new floor covering has been declared Twist-proof. Women can dance on it without leaving stiletto heel marks. 

Television highlights: State Visit of the King and Queen of the Belgians. American Space Flight (three hours). Do It Yourself Democracy – Iceland.

Radio highlights: Songs For Everyone. Dancing Party.

Weather: sunny periods then rain. Outlook – changeable. 16c, 61f.

Wednesday 15 May 1963 

The Independent Television Authority is to control the content of programmes on ITV. They will be able to ban any item of which they do not approve. The main problem is not with British programmes, but with American imports, which are often considered too violent.

The Duchess of Argyll protested against the huge divorce bill she must pay – £50,000. She said, “I feel that as a woman I have the right to defend my fair name – without having to pay these vast costs.”

Engineering workers have joined the campaign for a forty-hour working week. At present they work forty-two hours. They believe that a forty-hour week will lessen fears of redundancies in the industry.

Cigarettes worth £25,000 were stolen from a lorry in Sussex. The driver and his mate were attacked by masked men, tied up and bundled into a shed. They escaped two hours later. The lorry was found empty and abandoned in Essex.

Bets won recently: eating 246 oysters – £50 won. Eating 45 half chickens – £50 won. Eating 54 eggs in seven minutes – £10 won. Hymn singing: the Holy City, thirty times in the middle of Trafalgar Square – £5 won.

Football Fixtures: European Cup Winners’ Cup Final – Tottenham Hotspur v Athletico Madrid. Scottish FA Cup Final Replay – Celtic v Rangers.

Television Highlights: I’m Going To (careers advice) Work Overseas. Professional Ice Skating. The Flowerpot Men.

Radio Highlights: Theatre Organ. Vespers. 

Weather: mainly dry, sunny intervals. Outlook – cloudy, some rain. 15c, 59f.

Thursday 16 May 1963 

Gay Gordon is on the Big Ride Round. It has been Go, Go, Go all the way for American astronaut Gordon Cooper. Early today he was gaily whirling around the world in his spaceship Faith Seven. He said, “What a thrill! What a thrill! It looks real pretty here. I feel comfortable, real comfortable. In fact, I had a little nap.”

The beat non-conformists now look so alike you cannot tell them from the crowd. Men no longer look original. Women will have a similar problem because it’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference between a boy with long hair wearing  jeans and boots, and a girl with short hair wearing jeans and boots.

Buses that replace train services axed by the Beeching Plan may be equipped with luggage carrying trailers. The buses would link up with the trains that will continue to run.

A lorry loaded with £6,000 of tea was stolen in Islington, London, yesterday.

Battery-operated gadgets are set to replace items that rely on the mains. They include a magnetic torch, a battery gas lighter, an alarm clock radio, a transistorised four-speed record player, a battery shaver, a drink mixer, a battery toothbrush, and a portable tv run off rechargeable batteries.

Football: Last night Tottenham Hotspur became the first British side to win a European final. They beat Athletico Madrid 5 – 1 in Rotterdam to take the European Cup-Winners’ Cup. Leo Horn, a top Dutch referee who watched the match said, “This is the best performance I have ever seen from an English club.”

Television highlights: Perspective – Being With It. Pops and Lenny the Lion – featuring the Beatles. Hot Ice – The Cool DJ Show, new series of disc shows on ice.

Radio highlights: The Strategic Thinking of Henry Kissinger. Italian Serenade.

Weather: Sunny spells. Outlook – sunny intervals. 14c, 57f.

Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63

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

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #26

Tuesday 7 May 1963 

Tougher laws to tame fascists. Tougher penalties are to be provided for anyone convicted of trying to arouse racial or religious hatred. The current penalty is a fine of £50 or three months in prison. The new legislation will double or treble these penalties with the possibility of heavy prison sentences.

The three-day national rail strike is almost certain to take place next week, and the men on London’s underground trains will be called out to support the strikers. The strike has been called over redundancies caused by the Beeching Axe.

British businessman Greville Wynne goes on trial in Moscow today charged with spying. A Russian scientific worker, Oleg Penkovsky is expected to face trial with him. Mr Wynne will be defended by a Russian lawyer. The two accused men face a possible death sentence.

Pele, the fabulous Brazilian forward, is unlikely to face England in tomorrow’s clash at Wembley. He was injured in Hamburg when his taxi collided with a tram. Brazil want to use a Brazilian football in the second half, but England manager Alf Ramsey has refused this request.

An inquiry has been called to look into allegations of match-fixing in football league games. Players from Bradford, Mansfield and Bristol Rovers have been named in the allegations.

Television highlights: Decision – Young People and Politics with Michael Heseltine. Background – Marriage and Divorce. Supercar.

Radio highlights: Music While You Work. Cricket – Gloucestershire v West Indies.

Weather: cloudy, some rain. Outlook – sunshine and showers. 15c, 59f.

Wednesday 8 May 1963 

Mrs Hedy Walduck (pictured below), 33, is the mother of nine children. She is also a chimney sweep. She said, “It’s tiring being a chimney sweep, but a lot of fun. It keeps me fit. I often start work at 6.30 am and often don’t finish until 9 o’clock at night.”

At present, a man can claim damages “for the loss of the services of any female servant of his who is seduced by a third person.” For the purposes of the law a “female servant” includes an unmarried daughter living at home. Fathers have been using this right to sue the seducers of their daughters. However, the government has said this law is now out of date.

Prime Minister Harold MacMillan stated in the House of Commons, “I think more spies will be caught. We shall bring to justice traitors who have for the present escaped.” This was taken as a hint that Mr MacMillan has information he cannot yet reveal. 

The Telstar 2 satellite will bring highlights of next year’s Olympic Games in Japan to BBC and ITV screens. It will also send colour pictures, but only viewers in America will see them. 

For every manual job eliminated by automation in America since the end of World War Two, four new white-collar jobs have been created. There are now over 30,000,000 white-collar workers, 10,000,000 more than in 1947.

Independent Television’s share of the viewers has increased to 60% according to TAM, the independent audience research firm. This is an increase from 57%.

Television highlights: Holiday in the Skies – Czech film. International Football – England v Brazil, second half. Hippodrome starring Annie Ross.

Radio highlights: Clinton’s Cake Walk. Background to Music.

Weather: mainly dry and sunny. Outlook – sunny spells. 17c, 61f.

Thursday 9 May 1963 

At the conclusion of one of the most costliest divorce cases in history, a judge decided yesterday that the Duchess of Argyll committed adultery with four men. The judge, Lord Wheatley, delivered his 64,000 word judgement at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. The four men were named as John Cohane, Baron Sigismund von Braun, Peter Combe, and an Unknown Man who appeared nude in photographs, his face hidden, with the Duchess.

Lord Wheatley said, “The Duchess is a woman who had ceased to be satisfied with normal relations and had started to indulge in disgusting activities.” The judge added that the pictures, apparently taken by a Polaroid camera, were “gross”. He left the court in no doubt that he regarded the Duchess as a woman of low moral character.

The Duke said that he intended to celebrate and light a huge bonfire. He added, “I am very happy and contented.” The Duchess said, “I have no comment to make.” This is the third time the Duke has been involved in a divorce.

Football: Scotland 4 Austria 1 (abandoned after 79 minutes). The game came to a sensational close when referee Jim Finney took the players from the Hampden Park pitch eleven minutes before the end of time. Mr Finney later said, “The game was getting seriously out of hand. Someone might have been seriously injured.” Austria were reduced to nine players. “I ordered Nemec off for spitting and Hof for a diabolical waistline tackle. I can in no way fault Scotland.”

Football: England 1 Brazil 1. An equaliser from Bryan Douglas six minutes from time saved face for England. From the opening minute they were totally outplayed by Brazil. England live in a different world as far as modern tactics are concerned. England’s hope of winning the World Cup in 1966 are purely pipe-dreams.

Television highlights: Perspective on Failure with Frankie Howerd. Amateur Boxing – Wales v Ireland. Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Radio highlights: Frontiers of Sociology. David Jacobs’ Startime. 

Weather: rain then sunny. Outlook – rain then sunny. 16c, 61f.

Friday 10 May 1963 

Seven women walked out of their jobs yesterday because their boss banned them from wearing hair-curlers at work. Why the ban? A factory manager said, “I did it because the welfare nurse mentioned to me that girls were keeping rollers in their hair too long and it was not healthy.” Irene Dodd, one of the walk-out girls, said “It’s all right for someone who’s married. I’m still looking for a husband and you’ve got to use curlers to look your best.”

The yearly total of drink convictions is now double that of the 1930s. There were 92,100 convictions in England and Wales in 1962, 10,000 more than the year before. 

Tests on a birth control pill for men are to be carried out soon. The pill has been tested with animals and the results are “most encouraging”.

Maybe we should start calling it LiverPop, Liverpool that is, because the city is the gateway to the hit charts. A third entrant from the Mersey beat scene enters the Pop Thirty stakes today – Billy J Kramer with Do You Want to Know a Secret? He joins Gerry and the Pacemakers, and the Beatles, the group that seems to be setting the current Liverpool scene.

Police are investigating allegations of bribery involving a gambling syndicate and Third Division footballers. The bribes scandal started when two players told of the parts they played in trying to fix the Bradford v Bristol Rovers match. One of the players involved is Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Esmund Million who agreed to accept a £300 bribe to lose the match.

Television highlights: Let’s Imagine – Going on Safari. The Spread of the Eagle – nine part cycle based on three plays by William Shakespeare. Adventure with David Attenborough.

Radio highlights: Take Your Partners. Motoring.

Weather: showers. Outlook – sunny periods. 15c, 59f.

Saturday 11 May 1963 

Britain does not have a single coloured policeman despite the high number of coloured people living in the country. A government spokesman said, “There is no bar on the recruitment of coloured policemen provided they are in other ways qualified.”

The rag trade is deep in fur and tweed for the autumn. The trends for the new season will include Cup Final tams complete with pom-poms and matching college scarves. Shift dresses and woollen jerseys will keep out the cold. Housecoats will be in tiger and leopard printed fur fabric while in bed we’ll be wearing hooded pyjamas and the new sleep tights.

Racing ace Sterling Moss divorced his wife Katie yesterday. He plans to re-marry, but the name of his bride-to-be is a secret. He said, “I hope to marry a wonderful girl, but I won’t tell you her name because I’m scared of jeopardising the marriage.” His secretary said, “I don’t know who the girl is. Sterling has quite a few girlfriends, you know.” His manager said, “I don’t know who Sterling is going to marry. I can think of a dozen girls he has taken out.”

The three-day rail strike has been called off. Also, seven hundred men ended their two-day strike at the Rover motor plant in Birmingham.

The Duchess of Argyll, denounced in court by the judge as “a completely promiscuous woman” will make “an important announcement” tomorrow.

Winifred Atwell, the West Indian pianist, has been banned from visiting South Africa.

Television highlights: Rugby League – Challenge Cup Final, Wakefield Trinity v Wigan. Man of the World – adventure series. The Third Man – adventure series.

Radio highlights: Interlude. Everybody Step. 

Weather: sunny intervals, a few showers. Outlook – mainly dry, rather warm. 14c, 57f.

Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #25

Thursday 2 May 1963

9,000,000,000 bangers! Britons eat about 568,000 miles of sausages every year. That would stretch right to the Moon and back, leaving plenty over for a good fry-up. Housewives spend £3 out of every £100 on sausages.

A new invasion of Britain is predicted. Heat ‘em and eat ‘em – pre-cooked dinners are all the rage in America, and soon they are expected here.

Barbara Cartland, novelist mum of a countess, has well-known views on love, marriage and families. She believes that a dutiful wife needs to take up to twenty-six vitamin tablets a day if she is to love fully.

In fashion, white is the colour for the summer of 1963. Synthetics have made whites practical, plus the detergent ads have convinced us that we can wash our whites clean.

A word of advice for parents of beatniks – accept their black stockings gracefully next autumn and be thankful that they are not wearing ginger, prune or putty stockings. Mary Quant, that way-out darling of Chelsea, showed her first mass-produced collection in London yesterday and ginger, prune and putty dominated her range.

The chequered flag has come down on the motor racing career of Sterling Moss. He has announced his retirement because his “judgement and dexterity are just not good enough”. He said, “I think it would be dangerous – endangering myself and others – if I went on racing.”

Television highlights: Perspective – roast beef of Old England. Bootsie and Snudge. Adventures of Tintin.

Radio highlights: Star Parade with June Whitfield. Science Review.

Weather: sunny intervals, scattered showers. Rather cold. Outlook – unsettled. 12c, 54f.

Friday 3 May 1963 

The last remnants of political freedom in South Africa were destroyed yesterday by the coming into force of the “No Trial” law. From now on, political suspects can be detained indefinitely by the police, without trial, without appeal to the courts, without proof of guilt.

Canada’s new Premier, Mr Lester Pearson, flew into London yesterday for a three-day official visit and talks with Prime Minister Harold MacMillan. He said he wanted to “strengthen the economic and political co-operation between our two countries.”

Elizabeth Hardaker, 20, of Shipley, Yorkshire was given a truth drug by a psychiatrist. While under the influence of the truth drug, Elizabeth told how she forged cheques for more than £2,000 to give to her boyfriend. She has been sent to a detention centre for three months.

Sales of fresh crusty loaves are soaring on Saturdays. The reason – more people are enjoying freshly buttered bread and jam with their afternoon tea. During the week, biscuits are popular, but on the weekends we have time for a real tea.

Music: top three – From Me To You – The Beatles, How Do You Do It? – Gerry and The Pacemakers, From a Jack to a King – Ned Miller.

Football: European Cup Semi-Final, Second Leg – Dundee 1 Milan 0 (Milan won 5 – 2 on aggregate). European Cup Winners’ Cup Semi-Final, Second Leg – Tottenham Hotspur 3 OFK Belgrade 1 (Spurs won 5-2 on aggregate).

Television highlights: Hobbies Club. Millicent Martin Sings. It’s a Square World with Michael Bentine.

Radio highlights: Ladies Choir. Improve Your German.

Weather: Rain, rather cold. Outlook – rain then sunny periods. 12c, 54f.

Saturday 4 May 1963 

It arrived two and a half years ago and was said to be too abandoned, too uninhibited, too sexy for the British. We are talking about, of course, the Twist. It was said that no “nice” girls would do the Twist. But today, the Queen Twists. She was taught by Princess Anne, who picked it up at her dance classes.

A customs officer searched a man at London Airport and found that he was wearing a woman’s roll-on and body-belt, a court was told yesterday. The belt contained 28 bars of gold. The man, Mark Woolf, pleaded not guilty to smuggling. 

Britain’s homes, even the 1963 models, are among “the most uncomfortable in the world”, an expert told the Royal Society of Health Congress, yesterday. Improvements are needed including double-glazing, a garage, self-coloured finishes requiring no maintenance, soundproofing and draught-proofing.

A rugger playing curate brought down a man outside his church with a flying tackle. The curate, the Rev Michael Smith of St Mark’s Church, Marylebone Road, London made the tackle after a man snatched a handbag from a pew.

A Leonardo Da Vinci drawing will go on display at London’s National Gallery today. The drawing will be protected by inch-thick Perspex and a magic eye beam.

Ivor Novello Award winners – The Tornados, Steve Race, Ron Grainer, Acker Bilk and Matt Monro. 

Television highlights: The Harlem Globetrotters. Saturday Sport – the Scottish FA Cup final, Celtic v Rangers. Checkmate – detective series.

Radio highlights: FA Amateur Cup Final – Sutton United v Wimbledon. Disc Break.

Weather: becoming cloudy with rain later. Outlook – sunny spells and showers. 13c, 55f.

Sunday 5 May 1963 

‘Your publication of Lionel Crane’s article “How to spot a Possible Homo” was long overdue. I believe the public should know the facts.’ – Mrs R Crawford-Rivers, Bournemouth. ‘Surely these people are hounded enough.’ – J.B., London NW6.

Judgement in the Argyll divorce case is expected this week. It is expected that Lord Wheatley will spend an entire day, Wednesday, delivering his judgement. The Duke of Argyll has accused the Duchess of multiple counts of adultery.

The secret medical histories of 150 married women who have been taking new British birth control pills since 1960 will be published soon. The Family Planning Association has given its approval for the Pill to go on sale.

Out of every five people who get fibrosis and similar diseases in Britain three are women. A major cause is the constant companion of every woman – her handbag. Dr William Copeman, Chairman of the Empire Rheumatism Council said, “Women are more subject to fibrosis than men. And this is largely because they are placing an unnatural strain on their shoulder muscles by carrying heavy handbags and overloaded shopping baskets.”

Personal ads: Top recording star needs a secretary. Some typing. Good appearance essential. Chandau hairspray a must.

Television highlights: Football – Germany v Brazil direct from Hamburg via Eurovision. Songs of Praise from Milford Haven. Space Patrol.

Radio highlights: Your Hundred Best Tunes. The Roots of Prejudice.

Weather: sunny spells with showers, rather cold.

Monday 6 May 1963 

Advice for the youth of today from their parents…Don’t play bingo, keep out of brothels, and don’t go anywhere near Brighton. Also, avoid air-raid shelters, striptease shows and all-night jazz dances. Films to avoid – Room at the Top and Frankenstein. Plus, do not read Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

The BBC is cutting out the chimes of Big Ben. Yesterday, the chimes of the world’s most famous clock were missing from the Home Service at 8am. In their place the BBC used the impersonal pip, pip, pip of the Greenwich time signal. A BBC spokesman said, “We have dropped Big Ben for a trial period.”

Prince Philip opened the new Hillman Imp car factory last Thursday. Today, workers will go on strike. Draughtsmen at the plant in Linwood, near Glasgow are demanding an extra £1 10s a week, to match the wages of their colleagues in Cowley, Oxford.

The F-Plan aims to end tooth decay amongst children. The plan aims to add fluorides to local water supplies. Critics say the fluoride plan is tampering with pure water. The British Dental Association says that no water is pure. “More than twenty chemicals are used to treat it.”

Squid used to be thrown away by west Wales fishermen, but now the trade is booming. The reason? The growth of Chinese restaurants has entirely accounted for the demand.

Television highlights: Table Talk with Larry Adler and Erskine Childers. Tonight with Cliff Michelmore. Ballroom Dancing- World Championships from the Royal Albert Hall.

Radio highlights: Jazz Scene. Strictly For the Judies. 

Weather: sunny intervals, scattered showers. Outlook – mainly dry. 15c, 59f.

Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63

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

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂