Tag: Music

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1963

Social History 1963 #60

Saturday 7 December 1963

Christine Keeler was taken last night to Holloway Prison to serve a nine-month jail sentence. She was found guilty of perjury and of conspiring to obstruct the course of justice. Defence counsel, Mr Jeremy Hutchinson QC, said that Christine Keeler had been led astray by unscrupulous men. He added, “With everybody who has met her, it is perfectly clear that her straightforward and curiously naive outlook contrasts very, very strongly with the public image she seems to have created. In the words of Lord Denning, ‘let no one judge her too harshly’.” If Miss Keeler behaves well, she will serve six months of her nine-month sentence.

Police have been protecting Labour Party leader Harold Wilson for the past two days because of a letter threatening to kill him. The letter was sent, anonymously, from Lancashire. Special Branch are taking the letter seriously because of the assassination of President Kennedy.

A mass march is being planned in protest against the forthcoming hangings of Russell Pascoe and Dennis Whitty, two young men who murdered farmer William Rowe in Cornwall. A spokesman for Bristol’s Abolition of Capital Punishment said, “Christmas – what a time of the year for a twin hanging! We are against hanging at any time of the year, but this is just making things brutal.” 

Sharp-shooter Terry English spends his time in Epping cemetery blasting rabbits with his twelve-bore shotgun. So far, he has shot thirty-seven rabbits. “I have to do this,” Terry said, “because the rabbits keep eating the flowers.”

Three masked men in a Jaguar rammed a car carrying wages, and used another car to get away with their £2,000 haul. 

Police warned last night that forged tickets are circulating for the Beatles’ show at the Wimbledon Palais. 

Britain’s biggest chocolate firm, Cadbury’s, has banned its chocolate from the giant Tesco chain of supermarkets. The ban is over Green Shield stamps. Tesco wants to give stamps with the chocolate, but Cadbury’s have objected to this plan.

Television highlights: Dr Who – The Forest of Fear. Juke Box Jury with the Beatles. It’s the Beatles! from the Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Radio highlights: Play – The Woman in the Woods. Variety Playhouse.

Weather: mainly cloudy, some sunny spells. Rather cold. Outlook – brighter. 4c, 39f.

Sunday 8 December 1963

A special squad of detectives is trying to track down who sent a threatening letter to Labour Party leader Harold Wilson. The letter writer stated that he would kill Mr Wilson. The letter was posted in Bolton. Threats have also been made to blow up cinemas, schools and the town hall.

Political viewpoint: rather than address the various crises, Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home is prepared to leave Office and leave it to Harold Wilson to clear up the mess.

A van loaded with £1,800 worth of radiograms was stolen in Marylebone, London, yesterday.

Thought: the hand that gives, gathers – John Ray 1628 – 1705.

There is something rather nasty in the national woodshed – a colour bar affecting the brightest West Indian children leaving school. Many of these children are denied a career simply because of the colour of their skin. Immigrants are frowned upon. But the fact remains that our hospitals and transport systems could not run without immigrant labour.

Experts have psychoanalysed dolls. According to the experts, if you choose the wrong sort of doll for your child it might ruin his or her life. Golliwogs, they say, are for three year olds. Eight year olds need dolls that walk, talk and sleep. Boys need dolls too. They should resemble heroic characters, and will make the boys grow into brave gentlemen.

Football Results: First Division – Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1, Bolton 1 Spurs 3, Fulham 4 Wolves 1, Ipswich 0 Blackburn 0, Manchester United 5 Stoke 2. Top three – Liverpool, Blackburn, Spurs.

Television highlights: Auto-Mechanics – the hydraulic system and drum brakes. Home Dressmaking. Tempo – more jazz unlimited.

Radio highlights: Fifteen 45s in Thirty. Family Favourites.

Weather: mainly dry, rather cold.

Monday 9 December 1963

Colonel Henry Smith shot a pheasant and placed it over his shoulder. The feet of the pheasant triggered the shotgun and shot the colonel’s wife, Mrs Helen Smith, in the back and arm. Mrs Smith is in hospital and is “as well as can be expected“.

Recently, Dr Robert Mortimer, the Bishop of Exeter, conducted an exorcism service to remove a ghost from a flat. However, now the ghost, Albert, has appeared in a flat next door. Dr Mortimer said he would not try to remove Albert again. Instead, he will ask the Metaphysical Society to send someone else.

Rev Vernon Mitchell of St Philip’s Church, Norbury, Surrey has created “Project X”, a battle for men’s minds. His sermon last night dealt with “girlie” advertising and Communist brainwashing methods. He was assisted by shapely Mrs Claire Shewring, 27, who wore a black leotard and black tights. Rev Mitchell insisted that “Project X” was not a gimmick, and pointed out that the Lord Himself illustrated the parables in many ways.

Raiders stole £6,000 worth of cosmetics from a depot in Cable Street, Stepney, London.

“How dare a Swansea reader suggest that Harry Secombe is no more than a music hall turn. Harry’s singing never fails to bring tears of pleasure to my eyes and I am sure there are plenty of “serious” music lovers who feel the same.” (Miss) S Cheal, Bromley, Kent.

Dick James is the name. He is the uncredited singer of the Robin Hood theme song. He is also the publisher of all the songs written by the two Beatles, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. His songs have been in the top ten since January, and Tin Pan Alley says he’s coining at least £1,000 a week.

Television highlights: Thinking Relativity Through. Whose Neighbour? – the story of a tramp. Discs a GoGo.

Radio highlights: Desert Island Discs – Millicent Martin. Melody Mixture.

Weather: fog early and late, dry, cold. Outlook – rain, milder. 3c, 37f.

Tuesday 10 December 1963

Six hundred and seventeen people were killed on Britain’s roads during September. This is an increase of three percent on the figure last year. If current trends continue, 1963 will be the worst year for accidents in recent memory.

Last year, about thirty people in Britain were killed by dirty saucepans. One place where germs are likely to multiply is in the milk film of a badly cleaned saucepan. Wooden utensils are difficult to keep germ free. Stainless steel, glass and vitreous enamel are healthier options. Dishes should be washed in water as hot as hands can stand then be left to drain dry.

“Most women drivers crawl along as if they are still on their test, slowly, all tensed up. They make male drivers impatient. I would suggest that, whenever possible, women drivers should be allowed to use the roadside cycle track.” – Beastly Male Driver, Coventry.

More than 1,000 people in the British film industry will be redundant by the end of the year, and that figure could rise to 2,000. The unions want a third cinema circuit set up to compete with Rank and ABC. They also want the quota of British films shown in cinemas to increase from thirty percent to fifty percent.

Britain’s miners have set up new records for coal digging. Stocks of household coal and boiler fuel now total well over 2,750,000 tons. This is 350,000 tons more than at this time last year.

“Tory MP Mr Henry Price insists that the Beatles must be beaten. Rubbish. The Beatles are the best thing to happen to the British pop scene in many years. Mr Price should spend his time on more serious things – like solving the unemployment problem in Liverpool.” – Two Girl Fans, London, EC2.

Television highlights: Rugby Union – Oxford v Cambridge, in full from Twickenham. Gala Performance with Geraint Evans. Miss TV Times, London regional final, judges include Roger Moore.

Radio highlights: Pop Inn. Piano Records.

Weather: fog and frost. Outlook – similar. 3c, 37f.

FA Cup Draw

Wednesday 11 December 1963

Drama of train raid swoop. CID grab “The Weasel” in rooftop chase. Racing driver Roy “The Weasel” James, wanted for questioning in connection with the Great Train Robbery, was caught in St John’s Wood after a tip-off. “The Weasel” climbed through a skylight and the chase began. He leapt fifteen feet into a garden – and into a trap, because the garden was ringed with Flying Squad officers. 

In a special effort to reduce Christmas accidents, there will be a 50 mph speed limit on Britain’s roads. The speed limit will be in place from 23 December until 27 December, but it will not apply to motorways.

America is to build a manned space warship that will orbit the Earth by 1967. The project is codenamed MOL – Manned Orbiting Laboratory. The MOL space warship will be attached to a two-man Gemini space capsule. 

Every housewife in Britain is being asked to entertain an “invisible” Christmas guest by sending the cost of an extra dinner to the Freedom From Hunger campaign. Supporters of the campaign include Millicent Martin, Jessie Matthews and Mrs Harry Secombe.

In Broadmoor Prison, three hacksaw blades were discovered in the back of a book of Shakespeare’s works.

Football Results: European Cup Winners’ Cup, Second Round Second Leg – Manchester United 4 Spurs 1 (aggregate 4 – 3). First Division – Arsenal 6 Everton 0.

A marathon discussion programme called Open End – linking-up speakers in London, Paris, Bonn and New York – will begin on the BBC’s Third Programme at 10.15 pm on Sunday. The programme will run until either the topic or the speakers are exhausted.

Television highlights: What’s Next in Toys? – discussion programme. Coronation Street – excitement for Florrie and Miss Nugent. The Face of Fraud – infamous confidence tricksters.

Radio highlights: Mrs Mills. Unread Classics.

Weather: occasional rain, rather cold. Outlook – similar, but with frost in places. 5c, 41f.

Thursday 12 December 1963

Labour leader Harold Wilson has received another death threat. This threat arrived by telephone and the caller said he intended to shoot Mr Wilson. Scotland Yard traced the call to Great George Street, Westminster. Later, police detained a man from that area.

Britain’s steel output was up last month for the fourth month in succession, 20,000 tons above the October figure.

Impresario Harold Fielding claims that he started the “Beatle Scream”. He said, “This type of ‘pop’ concert really started with Tommy Steele in 1956. I was responsible for the staging of his concerts. It seems to be that screaming is a great part of the enjoyment for the youngsters. It’s a psychological problem. To a great extent they are willing to pay their money to be allowed to scream. The biggest screams occur when the performers whirl their bodies around in a peculiar manner. Pop concerts have no lasting merit as music. Do I regret my involvement? Very much, yes.”

Views on marriage: Lord Boothby – “I wouldn’t marry anyone. They are all as bad as each other. I am not married and never will be.” Alan Whicker – “Some American women are as feminine as a boxing glove. They are loud, brash and strident, and not excited by the fact that they are women.” The Marquess of Hertford – “I’d turn down any woman like Elizabeth Taylor. Too bosomy. Having breakfast with her would be unbearable.”

More on marriage. Men reject the following because…

Athletes – too muscular 

Models – too boney

Actresses – too vain

Doctors – too clinical

Clippies – too tired

Waitresses – ditto

Pop singers – too noisy

Lawyers – too argumentative 

Accountants – too clever

Traffic in Trafalgar Square came to a standstill last night as thousands of people gathered to watch the first lighting of London’s Christmas tree. As the Mayor of Oslo switched on the 500 lights, Norwegian carols echoed around the square, sung by Norwegian girls in national dress.

Television highlights: Amateur Boxing – Scotland v Ireland from Glasgow. This Week – Britain’s rising population. Gallery – council housing.

Radio highlights: Music for Dancing. In Search of a Mutiny.

Weather: dull and cold with sleet and drizzle. Outlook – dry and cold. 3c, 37f.

Friday 13 December 1963

The gay but elusive little berry only appears on female holly. And it is necessary to plant one male tree for every three females. The leaf on the male holly is prickly, but the female is smooth. Meteorologists dismiss the folk custom that says plentiful berries mean that the winter will be harsh.

Vicars in Kent have been warned that a dark-haired housewife is going around the county telling hard luck stories so convincingly that vicars are giving her money. So far, it is believed that she has collected £800 from clergymen.

“I wish something could be done to stop half-crazed girls from shrieking when they go to see pop singers. I am in my sixties and think that the Beatles are a nice bunch of lads, but I worry that all this hysteria will destroy their act. Please don’t print my name because a mad mob of girls might go for me.” E.H., Southend, Essex.

The BBC claimed that two shows by the Beatles last weekend set a record for a Saturday night viewing audience. Mr Tom Sloan, Head of BBC TV Light Entertainment, said, “22,000,000 viewers watched Juke Box Jury, on which the Beatles formed the panel, and 21,500,000 watched the Beatles’ own show, It’s the Beatles.”

Figs are good value at the moment, but strikes on the Continent have pushed up the price of dates. Mixed nuts are a good buy, but expect to pay more for walnuts, almonds, chestnuts and Brazils. The cost of kissing is cheap – 6d for mistletoe, but holly is expensive at 7s 6d for one good spray.

“I posted a local letter at 6pm the other night and received a reply – by post – at 11am the following morning.” – R. Ayres, Beavers Lane, Hounslow. 

Snow fell for about ten minutes in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, last night.

Television highlights: Ready, Steady, Go! with the Dave Clark Five. Look – a forest diary. The Sky at Night.

Radio highlights: What’s the Idea? Victorian Album.

Weather: cold, mainly dry. Outlook – no change. 5c, 41f.

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

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #55

Saturday 2 November 1963

Army corporal Roy Blake indulged in an “orgy of marriage”. He has wives in Germany, Holland and England. And he was planning to marry again. His legal marriage is to a German woman. Sent for trial accused of bigamy, he said, “I don’t know why I have done these things. I think it was because my first marriage was in such a mess.”

The execution of Edgar Valentine Black, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Richard Cook, has been fixed for 21 November at Cardiff Prison.

An article in Dental News states that dentists suffer a lot more than their patients. “The muscular strains suffered by a dentist during the course of his work are considerable,” the article said. “These strains plus unnatural postures mean that the dentist is literally killing himself while curing the patient.”

Members of the Women’s Institute were angry when the BBC’s radio serial The Archers presented them as only being interested in making jam and lampshades. A spokeswoman explained, “We do a great deal of serious social work to help the old, the young and the sick.” A BBC spokesman said they would highlight the welfare schemes in future episodes.

Sport is no longer enough to the public in these enlightened days. You must have a gimmick to go with it. Coventry City put on a forty-five minute radio show before each game. Manchester United parade drum majorettes, and other clubs are thinking of doing the same. And tonight, at the Empire Pool, Wembley a full house will watch an ice hockey match but, more importantly, listen to Beatle music during two fifteen minute intervals.

Television highlights: Comedy Playhouse – The Plan starring Peter Cushing. The Avengers – November Five. Espionage – spy series with Billie Whitelaw.

Radio highlights: Music While You Work. Compline. 

Weather: rain or drizzle. Outlook – similar. 13c, 55f.

Sunday 3 November 1963

Views on people and countries. Nicest people – the Poles. Least friendly – the Swiss (unless you have money, they are not interested in you). Most beautiful country – Norway. Prettiest girls – Sweden. Warmest-hearted girls – Poland. Least friendly girls – Italy, Greece, Spain. Best food – France. Best beer – Denmark. Worst beer – Spain. Worst roads – Yugoslavia, England. Best roads – Italy and Germany. Happiest people – Poland and Denmark. Unhappiest people – Ireland and Sweden. Shrewdest – the Scots. Most naive – the Americans. Best dressed – the Hungarians. Worst dressed – the Danes. Most arrogant – the French. Most humble – the Spanish. Noisiest – the Italians. Quietest – the Finns. Friendliest – the Tunisians. Most organised – the Dutch. Most disorganised – the Belgians. Most rebellious – young Germans. Most dishonest – the Italians. Most honest – the English.

Lord Robens, chairman of the National Coal Board, appealed to Britain’s coalminers to join in a voluntary “Big Dig” on six Saturdays before Christmas in order to avoid a coal shortage this winter.

Fancy being a Poppy Day collector next Saturday? The British Legion are appealing for volunteers. They are hoping to reach a donation target of £1,250,000.

The big showbiz bombshell this year was the break-up of the Springfields. And the big question was what would Dusty Springfield do next? I’m tipping her first solo disc, I Only Want To Be With You to make her the number one British singer in 1964.

Football Results: First Division – Blackburn 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1, Blackpool 1 Everton 1, Chelsea 2 Birmingham 3, Liverpool 0 Leicester 1, Sheffield United 2 Arsenal 2, Stoke 4 Burnley 4, West Ham 4 WBA 2, Wolves 2 Manchester United 0. Top three – Sheffield United, Spurs, Manchester United.

Television highlights: Play – Veronica with Billie Whitelaw. Billy Cotton Band Show. Pinky and Perky.

Radio highlights: Around the World in a Bowler Hat. The Jazz Scene.

Weather: sunshine and heavy showers. Warm.

Monday 4 November 1963

Mr Sidney Silverman, Labour MP for Nelson and Colne, appealed to the Hone Secretary to reprieve Edgar Black, who has been sentenced to hang at Cardiff Prison on 21 November. Black was sentenced after shooting his wife’s lover. His appeal against conviction was dismissed.

Two men have been sentenced to death at Cornwall Assizes for murdering farmer Wiliam Rowe. The men are Dennis Whitty, 22, and Russell Pascoe, 23.

There are 11,000,000 vehicles on Britain’s roads today. By the end of the century there will be 33,000,000 – Government Road Research Estimate.

The British Boxing Board of Control are to probe allegations of a monopoly syndicate headed by a mysterious “Mr X”.  Rumours of “dubious practices” have riddled boxing for months.

Happiness is…by Daily Mirror readers: When my baby budgie says “Pretty Bobby”. When the wife keeps her mouth shut. Being free from the Beatles. A ticket for the Beatles. A slimming diet with sticky buns. Eight draws on the pools. A television and wife – both working! When someone takes the spider out of the bath.

Where will the Beatles and the other Liverpool lads be this time next year? Most predict that they will still be riding high. However, some pop makers, like the Fourmost, are holding on to their day jobs, in case the Mersey roar becomes a whisper. This week’s number one, You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Television highlights: The Way We Live – family relationships. Panorama – a report from Bournemouth on lonely old people. Jane Eyre – episode six.

Radio highlights: Tonight’s Topic. The Sense of the Future.

Weather: Bright spells, showers, mild. Outlook – similar. 13c, 55f.

Tuesday 5 November 1963

A storm is blowing up over reports that council workmen have been given a list of “amorous wives”. The wives in question live in Frimley and Camberley. Mr William Morris, chairman of the Tennant’s Association has arranged a special meeting to discuss the list. Airline pilot John Jeffrey, chairman of Frimley and Camberley Council, is also looking into the matter.

A family yesterday moved into Britain’s first “instant” skyscraper home. The eleven-storey building was built in twenty-eight weeks, half the time normally taken. This was possible because contractors used the “critical path” computer system employed to produce Polaris missiles. 

“If I had a large amount of money to spend, I would not spend it on trying to get to the Moon, I would spend it on trying to double the agricultural production of the World.” – Dr Alexander Todd, winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 1957.

Dennis Whitty, 22, and Russell Pascoe, 23, sentenced to hang for murder, have appealed against the sentences. The men blame each other for Wiliam Rowe’s death.

Shoe prices are expected to soar next spring. Hide prices have increased by 30%. The rising costs will not affect the current stocks of shoes and boots.

Half of Britain will have no trains on Christmas Day this year. British Railways said that a steady drop in Christmas Day travel has made many services uneconomical.

Television highlights: World in Action – the electrical family. Emergency Ward 10 – bonfire night. Five O’Clock Club – Freddie and the Dreamers.

Radio highlights: Keep Up Your French. The Power of Evil.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – rain at times. 14c, 57f.

Wednesday 6 November 1963

Fighting broke out between women on a council estate in Frimley where twelve housewives are said to be too amorous. The twelve are on a secret list issued to council workmen. There are demands for the women’s names to be made public. For their safety, council workmen are now working in pairs. Mrs Moria Spencer, a 25 year old mother of seven, said, “We have our own ideas about who should be on that list. I used to make a cup of tea for the workmen, but never again.”

Police in three counties and the London area are searching for four men who hijacked a lorry on the M1 near Crick, Northants. The driver was bound and dumped 13 miles away. The lorry contained £5,000-worth of hair cream.

Fifty year old Lady Campbell told a court that she had “two really stiff gins” before driving off to keep a dinner date. On the journey, she crashed into a coach. She added that she was used to stiff drinks because she had been an alcoholic. Lady Campbell was fined £40 and banned from driving for two years.

“I believe Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale is soon to be tied to a railway track in an episode of The Avengers. I believe this is a good thing to happen to self-reliant females. Can we have a picture of her tied to the rails printed in your newspaper?” – P.R., Trinity College, Oxford.

A waterspout, forty yards high, knocked over seven beach huts in Exmouth. It also damaged a roof and a porch. Engineer Mr Charles Tighe said, “It was like a tall white cloud. It moved in very fast.”

Television highlights: Sportsview – the All Blacks, boxing and figure skating. Boss Cat. What Next in Beds? with Barbara Cartland and Stirling Moss.

Radio highlights: Play – The Bedmakers. Makes a Change.

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

Thursday 7 November 1963

A suspicious wife hid under the bed in the daytime because she thought her husband was having an affair with one of her friends. The friend told a divorce court that nothing more than “mild horseplay” had occurred and that she’d met the husband to discuss chrysanthemums because they were both keen gardeners. The judge concluded that that was an unlikely story. Divorce granted on the grounds of adultery.

Edgar Black, sentenced to hang a fortnight today at Cardiff Prison, was reprieved yesterday. Black killed his wife’s lover with a sawn-off shotgun and will now serve a life sentence. Mrs Black expressed her relief at the decision and vowed that she would wait for her husband.

Big Tony Mella, the Soho nightclub owner shot dead in January, left £17,809 – but no will. Letters of administration have been granted to his widow, Mrs Peggy Mella. 

Stolen cars and parts of stolen cars worth over £250,000 were recovered in London last year. The “Big Boys” pay drivers £25 to steal a car and £1 a mile for delivery. The crooks have workshops that can change the look of a car within a few hours. But they frequently miss small identifying marks which can put the police on their track.

“Really, I’m a misfit. I haven’t got a pop face or a pop voice.” So says Dusty Springfield, who begins life as a solo artist in Discworld with I Only Want to Be With You. Tomorrow, she begins a nine-day stage tour. “I shall feel very odd and strange indeed. On stage, I shan’t know what to do with my hands.” She sings of love, but has no thoughts of marriage. “It wouldn’t be fair. In fact, it would be downright stupid.”

Television highlights: Miss World 1963. This Week – Beatle-mania. My Favourite Martian – new comedy series.

Radio highlights: The Rise and Fall of Poliomyelitis. Concerts on Records.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – rain at times. 13c, 55f.

Friday 8 November 1963

Police swooped and seized 4,000 copies of a book that was due to be re-issued as a paperback. And Scotland Yard warned that anyone selling copies of the book will be prosecuted. The book, first published 200 years ago, is Fanny Hill by John Cleland. A spokesman for the publisher refused to comment until they have taken legal advice.

Cockney singer Joe Brown will not appear on the television programme Thank Your Lucky Stars because his version of George Formby’s Little Ukulele has been banned by the Independent Television Authority. The ITA said the song was “too suggestive”.

Marijuana – the drug used in the illegal “reefer” cigarettes smoked by some young people on the fringe of the beatnik movement – might be given the same social status as beer and whiskey. An article in the Lancet stated that the drug encourages passivity and is not addictive.

Monty Sunshine, the jazz clarinetist, had his honeymoon interrupted by the police. Someone had tipped the police off that Monty was Roy “The Weasel” James, wanted for questioning in connection with the Great Train Robbery. Satisfied that they had the wrong man, the detectives allowed Monty to continue his honeymoon with his bride, Jacqueline Lucy.

Miss Jamaica, Carole Joan Crawford, is the new Miss World. Second was Miss New Zealand, Elaine Miscall, and Miss Finland, Marja-Liisa Stahlberg was third. Fourteen million television viewers watched the contest.

Television highlights: Hobbies Club – embroidery and model boats. Dylan Thomas – a tribute introduced by Richard Burton. Pie in the Sky – comedy with Keith Barron and Diana Coupland.

Radio highlights: Continental Cocktail. Friday Spectacular.

Weather: showers. Outlook – showers. 11c, 52f.

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

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #53

Saturday 19 October 1963

A man without a face has been smuggled into 10 Downing Street and made premier-designate of Great Britain. The long-suffering public has been invited to go into battle led by a cipher – a man existing solely in the imaginations of the posher members of the Tory hierarchy and a handful of knicker-bockered, pheasant-shooting cronies. The arbitrary elevation of Lord Home to prime minister is designed to hide the cracks in the Tory Party. Lord Home is smiling tonight. But the man in Great Britain with the biggest grin is Labour leader Harold Wilson.

Ronald “Buster” Edwards and his wife June, sought by Scotland Yard in connection with the Great Train Robbery, are believed to be in Norway where employees at a hotel recognised them. The employees noticed June because she changed her hair colour from jet-black to vivid red.

Beauty specialist Micheline Lugeon wanted racehorses to boost her business, she told a doping-plot trial jury yesterday. The idea was to name racehorses after her beauty creams, she claimed. Miss Lugeon denied having anything to do with the doping of racehorses. The case continues.

Meat prices are easier this week, but fish prices are high because of the bad weather. There are very few plumbs about and those available are not nice enough for dessert. Vegetables are rather dreary this week, but leeks are good value at 8d. Cucumbers are up to their highest price yet – 2s 6d.

Mexico City will stage the 1968 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced today. It will be the first time the Olympics will be held in Latin America. The committee will vote today to exclude South Africa from the Olympics because of racial discrimination.

Television highlights: Juke Box Jury with Susan Hampshire and Dusty Springfield. The Avengers – The Nutshell. Robin Hood – The Truce.

Radio highlights: Old Time Music. Pop Track.

Weather: sunny spells. Outlook – rain at times. 18c, 64f.

Sunday 20 October 1963

Lights low, excitement high, and 500 youngsters standing toe to toe, shaking in a delirium of rhythm. Nothing special, really, just another jump night on Eel Pie Island. Eelpiland – as the kids have shortened it – an island on the Thames near Twickenham – is the place for the with its. It’s further out than far. It’s the living end.

Beauty Queen Maureen Gay lifts the lid on the beauty queen business. “In a contest in the north, a judge said to me, ‘You have a smashing chance tonight. I think I could guarantee it if we had lunch, just the two of us…’ I thanked him sweetly and said no. If you want the big money, you’ve got to go along with them, or you don’t stand a chance. Some of the contests are rigged. It’s a fact, and all the girls know it.”

A queue nearly a mile long was waiting when doors opened for the Motor Show at Earl’s Court yesterday. Some local residents complained that they could not get out of their houses. By noon, 117,501 people had paid for admission. A final attendance figure of over 500,000 is anticipated, reflecting the enthusiasm and optimism of the car industry.

Britain is experiencing its biggest ever boom in home movies, a fast-growing world of zoom lenses, pistol grips, blower coolers and projectors. Sales of cine-cameras have zoomed from 10,000 in 1959 to 150,000 last year. And this year they will top the 200,000 mark. 

Football Results: First Division – Aston Villa 2 Arsenal 1, Chelsea 1 Sheffield Wednesday 2, Liverpool 1 WBA 0, Nottingham Forest 1 Manchester United 2, Sheffield United 3 Birmingham 0, West Ham 4 Everton 2. Top three – Manchester United, Spurs, Sheffield United. The top ten teams are still within two points of each other.

Television highlights: Keeping Fit. Auto-Mechanics – carburettors. Play – Funny Noises With Their Mouths featuring Michael Caine. 

Radio highlights: Salute to Nelson. Concert – Beethoven. 

Weather: cloudy at first, brighter later.

Monday 21 October 1963

Other countries have industrial riots and army revolts. Britain has Beatle drives. This crowd gathered outside the TV studios in Birmingham where the Beatles were recording next Saturday’s Thank Your Lucky Stars. The crowd, mostly girls, chanted, “We want the Beatles!” They screamed every time a face appeared at an upstairs window.

The Tory Party’s joint-chairman, Mr Iain Macleod, has refused a seat in Prime Minister Lord Home’s new Cabinet. So has Mr Enoch Powell. The refusal of Mr Macleod in particular has thrown the Tory Party into complete disarray. Both men felt that it was wrong to select a prime minister from the House of Lords.

Postman John Smith rang the church bell at Llangendeirne yesterday to raise the alarm about an invading army of officials, and the villagers duly rushed to their stations, barricading the main road. This “war” is over a plan to build a reservoir above the village. On this occasion, with old farm machinery and bales of hay, the villagers blocked the land surveyors, and they vowed to “resist to the end”.

Communist East Germany went to the polls yesterday to select a new People’s Chamber of 434 deputies. There were no opposition candidates.

Personal Advertisements: Margs come home, all forgiven – Bri’s. Sheila Crall – please write, Ken and Vic. 

Television highlights: The Sound of Brass – National Brass Band Festival. Play of the Week – The Funambulists with Judi Dench and Francis Matthews. The Plane Makers starring Patrick Wymark and Patrick Magee.

Radio highlights: Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery. Men of Brass.

Weather: sunny spells, rain, windy, rather warm. Outlook – similar. 18c, 64f.

Tuesday 22 October 1963

The big beat of the Beatles, Merseyside’s top pop group, has been blamed by a college headmaster for a slump in homework standards. Mr Alfred Stevenson of Adelaide Private College, Ilfracombe  has appealed to all parents to switch off the pop music programmes on Radio Luxembourg so children can do their homework in silence.

Thirteen people were injured when two cars collided at Middleton Dale, Derbyshire yesterday.

It has taken two years, a musical sex-change and the emotional impact of Miss Shirley Bassey to get it into Britain’s top ten disc bestsellers – a doleful, soulful song called I (Who Have Nothing). Many have recorded the song, but it’s Miss Bassey, the stormy songstress from Tiger Bay, who has “got inside it” and with the assistance of Mr George Martin, a slim and talented music man, produced the definitive version.

Three out of every four homes in Britain now receive ITV programmes. Of 17,017,000 homes 12,814,000 now have two-channel televisions. And 83% of British homes now have a television set.

From the supermarket shelves: bread without holes – manufacturers say that the holes let the air in and the flavour out. Instant milk – just stir white powder into cold water (like wartime rations). Quick-frozen crepe suzettes – two plastic bags containing the crepes and their sauce are plunged into boiling water for ten minutes.

Television highlights: Badger’s Bend. World in Action – housing. University Challenge.

Radio highlights: Let’s Take a Spin. Dancing Party.

Weather: rain at times. Outlook – changeable. 15c, 59f.

Wednesday 23 October 1963

Labour MP Michael Foot is seriously ill in hospital after a car accident. Doctors and nurses are fighting to save his life. Mr Foot’s wife, Jill Craigie, who was driving the car when it crashed at a notorious black-spot, is said to be in a satisfactory condition.

London County Council will spend £2,000 on teaching machines for experimental use in schools.

Agony Aunt: “Cautious” from Liverpool writes, “About a year ago, I had a very big win on the Pools. I told no one, except my immediate family. I kept my job, and apart from a new home and car, we live modestly. Now, my teenage children are pressing me for all sorts of expensive things. I believe that they should continue with their jobs and not let the money make any difference to their way of life. Since the Pools win, our family has been at loggerheads.” Jane Adams’ advice, “Seek expert advice, and give your children a chance to develop their personalities, broaden their minds, and learn the value of money.”

Agony Aunt: “Young Husband” writes from Croydon, “I’m fond of my wife, but she drives me wild at mealtimes with her constant chit-chat. I wish she’d shut up.” Jane Adams’ reply, “Mealtime chit-chat is a part of family life. It sounds as if you need a landlady, not a wife.”

An unknown comedian has been invited to appear on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. He is Jimmy Tarbuck, who sports a Beatles-style haircut. From Liverpool, Mr Tarbuck went to school with George Harrison and John Lennon of the Beatles.

Television highlights: Attenborough and Animals. Home and Away – FA Centenary Film. Talent of Tomorrow – the Robbins Report on Higher Education.

Radio highlights: Round Britain Quiz. Aspects of the Renaissance.

Weather: rain or drizzle. Outlook – changeable. 16c, 61f.

Thursday 24 October 1963

British women will go on wearing stiletto heels – because they have short legs. Colonel Geoffrey Noakes, president of the National Association of Shoe Repair Factories, made this comment at the International Shoe Repairers’ Congress in Blackpool. He added, “Women want to be propped up in the air. The good news is, new materials have the ability to stand up to the strain of buxom females.”

The condition of Mr Michael Foot MP, seriously injured in a car crash, remains unchanged.

Seven cases of typhoid were confirmed in the Bedford area yesterday. Four families are affected. A health spokesman said, “There is no cause for alarm.”

Sheep rustlers have stolen about 2,500 sheep from North Riding farms over the past year.

A West Berliner, who climbed over the Wall into East Berlin after a quarrel with his wife, was sent back by the Communists the next day.

The Beatles have left for a five-day tour of Sweden, which means a well-earned respite for our police forces because wherever the Beatles go screaming teenagers and police officers are sure to follow. Meanwhile, a tv programme featuring the Beatles, The Mersey Sound, will be repeated to all regions on Wednesday, November 13, at 7.40pm.

Television highlights: Amateur Boxing – Scotland v Bulgaria. The British Association Granada Lectures. Crackerjack.

Radio highlights: Top of the Form. International Concert for United Nations Day.

Weather: warm and sunny, mist and fog early and late. Outlook – mainly dry. 18c, 63f.

Friday 25 October 1963

The Ancient Britons used Stonehenge as a “robot brain”, an American scientist has claimed. Professor Gerald Hawkins of Boston University said that Stonehenge enabled Ancient Britons to predict the seasons and the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. Furthermore, for this purpose Stonehenge was extremely accurate.

Chemists are about to abandon their scruples, for the centuries-old method of weighing medicines by scruples, grains, drams and ounces is to be abolished and replaced by metric units. 

The price of sugar hit a new post-war record yesterday – £102 10s a ton. Shop prices are expected to rise to around 2s per 2lb bag. Storms in Cuba are responsible for the sugar crisis.

Mr Michael Foot, Labour MP for Ebbw Vale, who was badly injured in a car crash on Monday, was said to have “slightly improved” in hospital at Hereford.

Guests at today’s oyster feast in Colchester will eat turkey, ham, beef and pork because oysters are in short supply at the moment.

Ten town criers will roam towns in the West Country for three weeks shouting out the night’s programmes for Westward television.

Juke Box Jury is losing viewers. In October, 3,222,000 homes tuned into the programme compared with 4,314,000 homes in January this year.

Television highlights: The Rare Ones – the last strongholds of the great mammals. Richard the Lionheart. Supercar.

Radio highlights: El Alamein Reunion. Pick of the Week.

Weather: dry, cloudy. Outlook – no change. 14c, 57f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #48

Saturday 14 September 1963

Wearing a figure-hugging costume in brown and black check and carrying a large, black, shiny leather handbag, Christine Keeler made a three-minute appearance in court yesterday. With her chestnut hair hanging loosely on her shoulders, she discovered that the full hearing of charges against her would be made on 2, 3 and 4 October in Marylebone, London. Miss Keeler arrived at the court in a chauffeur-driven car. Crowds of office workers waited outside to see her leave.

The Miss United Kingdom dispute was settled yesterday and Diane Westbury was declared the winner. Organiser Mr Eric Morley explained that although Maureen Gay had received more first placing votes than Diane, Diane had received more second and third placing votes, so that made her the winner.

Readers write on the Beatles. “Not only have they created a new sound, but also a wonderful new craze in haircuts, suits and jackets.” “The Fab Beatles are handsome Mod boys who deserve every penny they get.” “Have we all gone mad allowing the Beatles to earn £5,000 a week for making a noise they have the cheek to call singing?” “The Beatles are fantastic. They could look like monkeys and dress like tramps, but their fans wouldn’t care. It’s the music that counts.”

“Executive” spectacles on sale in Mayfair, London – £206 5s. That’s £205 for the 18-carat gold frames and £1 5s for the National Health lenses.

Independent Television’s share of the viewing audience is on the increase. The latest TAM figures show a 62% share for ITV. Last week’s top twenty programmes were all broadcast by ITV.

Television highlights: Grandstand featuring the Battle of Britain flying display. Juke Box Jury with Anne Nightingale. Last Night of the Proms.

Radio highlights: Those Were the Days. There Goes That Song Again.

Weather: dry and sunny. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.

Sunday 15 September 1963

All out security precautions have been ordered when eight prisoners face charges on Tuesday arising from the Great Train Raid. Undercover detectives have heard an underworld whisper that a daring attempt will be made to disrupt the hearing. 

A pipe-smoking competition held in Ombersley, Worcestershire was won by Mrs Winifred Connelly, the only woman participant among fifty men.

New on the market: a Scotch tape that is fully transparent and waterproof. Also, keep fit by flicking a switch and without even leaving your armchair; it’s done by an electric gadget with pads, which are placed on lax muscles that need tightening. In Holland they have developed a solution you spray on road surfaces to increase their resistance to heat, cold, wear and tear.

Jim Clark, the new world champion racing driver, nearly missed his presentation at Brands Hatch yesterday because of a bomb hoax. Just before he was due to leave Edinburgh for London an anonymous caller said there was a bomb aboard his plane. No device was found.

Get ready for the first of the female Beatles. Cilla Black is her name. She will make her television debut on Ready, Steady, Go! on 27 September. Her first disc is Love of the Loved, penned by the Beatles. Cilla is worrying whether she has done the right thing in giving up her job as a typist even though her disc sounds like a cert seller.

Recording manger George Martin’s latest disc is the Anvil Chorus by jazz trumpet-man Freddie Randall. Freddie was a top trad man ten years ago, now he’s making a comeback.

Television highlights: Sunday Night at the London Palladium. Living Your Life. South of Panama – the High Andes.

Radio highlights: World Top Pops. The Archers.

Weather: warm and sunny after early morning mist.

Monday 16 September 1963

Shocked parishioners in Kent have complained because the local vicar, Reverend Donald Lugg, wore an open-neck shirt and his wife, Dorothy, wore slacks at a church bazaar. Reverend Lugg responded to the complaints: “We at the vicarage are human beings. We aim to enjoy life like everyone else. But some people think we shouldn’t.”

Race hate flared into sheer horror in Birmingham, Alabama today when a time bomb blast killed four girls attending Sunday School in the basement of a Baptist Church. Sixteen other people were injured, some seriously. Fifteen sticks of dynamite were used. White extremists are suspected.

A week after Manchester United fans wrecked a football special travelling from Birmingham, Manchester City fans wrecked a train travelling from Sunderland. Manchester City lost the match 2 – 0. The club deplored the violence.

In a poll of 2,000 people, eight-seven out of every hundred could identify Christine Keeler and Tommy Steele. Sixty-nine could identify Reginald Maudling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Ken Irwin writes: Isn’t it time they pulled down Coronation Street? Haven’t we had enough of these dreary characters and their dreary backstreet? The stories are dismal and depressing. Doesn’t the show give an out of date picture of the North? Tony Warren, the creator of the series, said, “What goes on in the programme now bears very little relation to the original idea.”

Television highlights: Pit Your Wits – quiz. The Plane Makers – factory drama series. Discs a GoGo.

Radio highlights: Soccer is Sacred. The Canterbury Tales.

Weather: sunny and warm. Outlook – similar. 23c, 73f.

Tuesday 17 September 1963

Two more men were charged with taking part in the Great Train Robbery. They are Leonard Dennis Field of North London and Brian Arthur Field of Oxfordshire. The two men are not related.

The “colour bar” problem in America cannot be solved overnight. But President Kennedy has given a brave lead in the fight for racial justice. His countrymen are responding. His words and actions have given America a brighter image throughout the world. The extremist system, which resulted in the murder of four children in Birmingham, Alabama is on the way out.

More than 1,800 men were killed or seriously injured in the coal mines in 1962. The figure represents an increase of 100 compared to 1961. The coal industry’s first Safety Year was in 1962.

The first all-British steel bath. It has a luxury look that includes long, low lines and a broad ridge around for bath-salts and talc. Colours – in primrose, pink, blue, turquoise and green.

Football results: Aston Villa 2 Spurs 4, Blackburn 2 Chelsea 2, Blackpool 1 Manchester United 0, Liverpool 6 Wolves 0. Manchester United still lead the table, two points ahead of Blackburn and Spurs.

A kangaroo called Hullabaloo and her baby Custard will introduce viewers to the BBC’s new television channel, BBC2, which opens next April. One of the reasons Hullabaloo was chosen is that kangaroo rhymes with BBC2. 

Television highlights: The Exporters – documentary. Animal Magic. Four Just Men.

Radio highlights: In Our Time. Keep Up Your French.

Weather: sunny and warm with a chance of thunder. Outlook – dry with sunshine. 23c, 73f.

Wednesday 18 September 1963

Electricity prices will go up this winter. Also, power cuts are forecast. This is despite the fact that the Electricity Council made a massive £42,500,000 profit. It is estimated that the electricity grid will not be equipped to meet severe weather conditions until 1967-68. A political storm is brewing over these announcements.

Two rival gangs of youths have brought trouble to a new town – Basildon New Town, Essex. On one side you have the “Rockers” on the other the “Mods”. The “Rockers” have long hair, tight trousers, leather jackets and high-powered motorcycles while the “Mods” wear modern clothes and ride motor scooters. There is considerable animosity between the two groups, which often erupts into violence. A popular taunt of the “Rockers” is to call the “Mods” geezers, hoping that will lead to a fight.

“Those people who objected to Rev Donald Lugg wearing an open-neck shirt and his wife appearing in slacks are a nasty narrow-minded lot of old cronies. Good luck to the vicar and his wife. If there were more people like them maybe the congregations would increase.” – F. Winser, Gloucestershire.

Everton go into their European Cup clash with Internationale Milan tonight knowing that their opponents are on a £300-a-man win bonus. The Everton players will receive £10 each, win or lose, the top bonus allowed by the Football League for this round.

The Light Programme on BBC radio is to launch a two-hours-a-night pop music show – ending at midnight. Music to Midnight will replace the BBC’s plan to play pop music early in the morning. That plan has been shelved because of copyright troubles. The new series, starting on 30 September will include the BBC Revue and Variety Orchestras, Dennis Lotis, Susan Maughan and Patsy Ann Noble.

Television highlights: Football Special – recorded highlights of Everton v Internationale Milan. Citizen 63 – a shop steward. A Nation in Doubt – debate on Britain.

Radio highlights: Date With a Disc. Always Give the Pubic What it Wants.

Weather: cloudy with rain, brighter later. Outlook – dry with sunny spells. 20c, 68f.

Thursday 19 September 1963

Experts considering whether a bridge or a tunnel should be built across the Channel have reported “very positively in favour of a tunnel”. A bridge would be very difficult and costly. However, the experts believe that a tunnel is feasible.

Prime Minister Harold Macmillan last night sent for his inner Cabinet to discuss what to do about the Denning Report. There is speculation that the report, a detailed investigation into the Profumo scandal, might bring down the government. However, Conservative sources say the report is “not too bad.”

A County Councillor, Douglas Aldridge, who criticised workmen for “leaning on their shovels too long” has been challenged to work with a pick and shovel gang himself for a week. Mr Aldridge said, “I’m not one to dodge a challenge, but I want to know more about the conditions before I accept. I’m not afraid of hard work.”

Guitarist Bruce Welch is quitting the Shadows, the group that backs Cliff Richard, because he can’t stop worrying. “I have always been nervous,” he said. “When you are on the stage the tension is tremendous.” Bruce plans to take a desk job, looking after the affairs of the company connected with Cliff and the Shadows.

Mr John Davies, chairman of the Rank Organisation, which has 355 cinemas in Britain, has hit out at the number of X certificate films being released. He claims that the film industry’s problems have been aggravated by the increase in X films and he urged producers to satisfy the demand for family entertainment.

Football Results: European Cup Qualifying Round First Leg – Everton 0 Internationale Milan 0. First Division – Bolton 6 Ipswich 0, Fulham 2 Burnley 1, Stoke 0 Sheffield United 2, WBA 3 Birmingham 1.

Television highlights: It’s My Opinion – comment by Venessa Redgrave and John Arlott. The Saint. Champion Driver Jim Clark.

Radio highlights: Saludos Amigos! Swinging UK.

Weather: dry with sunny spells. Outlook – similar. 19c, 65f.

Friday 20 September 1963

Three British research scientists have scored a major breakthrough in the battle to perfect a vaccine against German Measles. This is good news for expectant mothers because their unborn babies can be affected by the disease. A doctor said, “When the vaccine is produced, it can be given to expectant mothers immediately they become pregnant.”

Twenty-one towns in Britain will follow Birmingham’s experiment and introduce a dipped headlights campaign for night driving. The Birmingham experiment halved the road death toll. Nevertheless, Transport Minister Ernest Marples dubbed it a failure.

Teenage crime figures since the War: up to 1951 there was a steady rise, then for four years a sharp drop. But since 1955 there has been a big increase, which shows no sign of tailing off. The percentage of young people found guilty of indictable offences is now more than twice as high for boys and three times as high for girls as it was before the War.

The thirty-one presenters on BBC radio – twenty-nine men and two women – have been told “make yourselves known on air”. For the first time since the War they have been told to introduce themselves and “make friends” with the listeners.

Prediction: supersonic jet passenger services between Britain and Australia will begin by 1970.

A tax inspector’s letter postmarked “Liverpool 5.45pm, 19 September 1963, arrived in Jersey at 8.45am yesterday, nine hours earlier.

Television highlights: For Deaf Children. The Keepers – French film. Ready, Steady, Go! with Acker Bilk and Stanley Baker.

Radio highlights: The Island – jazz opera. Peter Murray Show. 

Weather: dry with sunny periods. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.

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Categories
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.

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