Tag: Social History

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1963

Social History 1963 #44

Sunday 18 August 1963

Police are hoping that people throughout Britain will go on a massive treasure hunt today. They feel sure that the train gang have hidden some of their loot in woods and fields. If someone finds £100,000 they will receive £10,000 reward. Meanwhile, after a tip-off, teams of Flying Squad officers are searching the Chiswick-Isleworth area for the gang’s headquarters.

Australia wants 45,000 Britons, tradesmen as well as professional people, in the next twelve months. Prospects for migrants look good – the Australian government have announced tax concessions and big housing plans.

Strait-laced laws restricting entertainment on a Sunday look like remaining in place for some years to come. A committee looking into the matter is making extremely slow progress. The seven men and one woman on the committee hope to report next spring.

Three months ago the Hollies were earning £2 a night in the Manchester area. Tonight, they are cruising down the River Thames from Margate on a jazz junket. Their fee – £200, their usual wages these days. Also listen out for the Hollies’ new disc, Searchin’, which should go spinning into the charts.

Football: Charity Shield. Everton gave Manchester United a footballing lesson and emerged 4 – 0 winners. Everton opened the scoring on 37 minutes and their defence remained untroubled throughout the match. Attendance – 50,000.

Television highlights: Lorna Doone – part ten. Play – Living Image. Summer Spectacular with Robert Morley.

Radio highlights: In Pursuit of Neptune. Top Twenty.

Weather: sunshine and showers.

Monday 19 August 1963

Scotland Yard detectives hunting for the £2,600,000 train gang believe they have found the headquarters where the great ambush was planned. The house is in West London, but the address is being kept secret. The detectives found twelve chairs, cigarette butts, tins, bottles, glasses and teacups.

Police are encouraging people to go out and find the £2,400,000 that is still missing. Police want to receive reports of any big spending, especially in fivers, and any strangers seen in the countryside. Some of the gang are likely to be mingling with seaside holidaymakers.

There is still two weeks to go in the Daily Mirror Treasure Hunt. Treasure chests and medallions by the hundred have been buried in the sands by Mirror Pirates at leading holiday resorts. Keep an eye open too for the Mirror Girl. There’s a £50 prize for the holidaymaker who can guess her age, height and weight.

Footballers from Lincoln City, Oldham Athletic, Scunthorpe Town and Sheffield Wednesday have been named in association with an investigation into match fixing. However, currently there is no plan to further investigate these allegations.

Snow fell on the Pyrenees yesterday, a fortnight earlier than usual.

Personal advertisements: Ronnie, come home quickly – telephone George. Rube, phone Farnboro 1390, Wednesday, 8pm.

Television highlights: Outlook Europe – Germany. Genius in Barcelona – Picasso and Gaudi. A Journey Through Wales.

Radio highlights: In a Sentimental Mood. Desert Island Discs – Graham Hill.

Weather: sunny intervals. Outlook – changeable. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 20 August 1963

Mr Bernard Rixon, owner of “Banknote Farm”, the train robbers’ hideout, plans to open the building to the public – at 5s a look. He said, “I want to get whatever I can out of it. I’ve had a very unfortunate time trying to sell it.” Meanwhile, detectives believe the stolen loot from the train robbery is still in Britain.

The BBC will extend its current closedown from 11.15pm until midnight. BBC studio productions are restricted by the Postmaster General to 50 broadcast hours a week. The daytime programmes for women will be scrapped to allow the evening viewing to be extended. A new science fiction serial, to run for a year, will be screened at peak-viewing time.

A gang got away with £13,000 after spending eighteen hours to cut through a six-inch steel strongroom door. The raid took place in Sheerness, Kent. Evidence suggests that the gang camped on the premises and ate meals while they worked.

Five people were injured in a car accident at Mirfield, Yorkshire. Satan, a crocodile, and Peter, a monkey, were also involved in the accident. Peter went to hospital, but was not detained. Satan continued his journey to the mountain zoo at Colwyn Bay.

At 2s 3d each, wooden parquet panels are now available. They interlock and do not require nails or glue. A flooring specialist who makes the panels said, “More than one woman has succeeded in laying the floor herself.”

Television highlights: Chips With Everything – scenes from the Arnold Wesker play. Compact – serial. No Hiding Place.

Radio highlights: The Canterbury Tales. The Beggar Student.

Weather: sunny periods, showers. Outlook – similar. 17c, 63f.

Wednesday 21 August 1963

Detectives hunting the £2,600,000 train robbers are now looking for an attractive woman, aged between 30 and 40, who played a big part in the planning of the raid. She is a natural brunette, but often wears a blonde wig. The woman is known to detectives, and Scotland Yard hope to locate her in the next 48 hours.

Here’s what the robbers left behind at Banknote Farm: 100 tins of food – baked beans, corned beef, tomato soup, pork luncheon meat – condensed milk, tea, sugar, coffee, sleeping bags, a first aid kit, eating utensils, and 17 packets of Ozo toilet paper. The police also found a tea strainer, which makes them believe that a woman was involved.

Following a tip-off, police have pounced on a caravan at Dorking. Scientific and fingerprint experts have searched the caravan thoroughly. Detective-Superintendent Malcolm Fewtrell, head of Bucks CID said, “We have found something in the caravan that convinces us that it is connected with the mail train robbery.”

Brunette Sally Alford, one of three girl tv announcers banned from reading the news because they distracted viewers, was back last night – reading the news. A male announcer is ill and has been sent to bed, and other announcers are on holiday, so Sally has been recalled. Sally said, “I will do my best not to distract the viewers. I’ll wear a quiet beige suit and simple hairstyle.”

Five long-serving prisoners at Nottingham jail joined a session of cricket coaching. During the coaching, they scurried through a hole in the wire fence, ran into a nearby housing estate and, it’s believed, escaped in a blue Austin Cambridge car.

Television highlights: Sportsview – preview of the Fifth Test Match, England v West Indies, and the forthcoming football season. Fascinating Facts. Here and Now – a man, his dog and his village.

Radio highlights: The Changing Face of Soccer. Topical Tunes.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – Cool, rain at times. 19c, 66f.

Thursday 22 August 1963

Another £30,000 of the stolen train loot turned up yesterday. The money – in fivers – was found hidden in the panelling of an empty caravan in Box Hill, Surrey. The caravan site’s owner reported that a woman was with the man who bought the caravan. She had a six-month-old baby girl and a poodle. The woman was attractive with short dark hair. She wore a brown jumper and tight blue slacks. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 clues have been found at “Banknote Farm”, the robbers’ roost.

Four of London’s most hardened criminals are top-of-the-list suspects in the Great Train Robbery hunt. The four men have been missing from their usual West End haunts for two weeks. Two are brothers, a third is a safe-breaker and the fourth just came out of prison. 

Meat condemned months ago by food inspectors has found its way into butchers’ shops in Surrey, Kent, East Anglia, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. More than 6,000 cartons of condemned meat were made into sausages and pies. A spokesman said that butchers involved in this practice had not committed an offence.

Mrs Erika Finger of St John’s Wood, London is suing the owner of a restaurant in Nice. During a mock bull fight, she was attacked by a cow. Mrs Finger said, “They prodded the cow with sticks. It got mad and charged through the restaurant. Everyone started to run, but I was trapped. The cow tossed me, but there wasn’t enough room, so it kicked me. My husband dragged me away and the cow escaped.” The cow was recaptured three days later.

Exhibitions: Thrale’s Japanese Ex-Prisoner of War story presented by War on Want at St Paul’s Churchyard.

Sam Cooke’s updated version of Frankie and Johnny mentions a famous British car, which means it’s likely to receive a BBC ban.

Television highlights: Rag, Tag and Bobtail. Boxing from Liverpool. Don’t Say a Word – mime game with Sheila Hancock and Clive Dunn.

Radio highlights: Swinging UK. World of Song.

Weather: cloudy with rain and drizzle. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

Friday 23 August 1963

Just before midnight last night dozens of teams of detectives in London and the Home Counties were given special stand-by orders. They were told: move in on all train robbery suspects. Police are also looking for a young woman named Sheree who has a six-month-old baby and a poodle called Gigi. The woman was recently seen in Dunfermline, Fife.

A cricket match at Alexandra Park, Wood Green was stopped yesterday when twelve sticks of gelignite were found in a nearby river. The players sheltered behind the pavilion while army experts exploded the gelignite. Then the players resumed their game.

Manufacturers are producing double beds with separate mattresses, zipped together. One of the mattresses will have a built-in board. The design has developed to aid double-bed devotees, one of whom has a slipped disc.

Bad debts have soared since high street betting shops opened. A study found that £1,000,000,000 is gambled on horse racing each year and that the total Britons spend annually on betting is equal to 65% of the country’s defence budget.

The Automobile Association dealt with 1,422 breakdowns on the M1 during July.

In the Fifth Test Match at the Oval, the West Indies dismissed England for 275 with Charlie Griffith taking 6 for 71. Did Griffith bowl too many bumpers? Umpire Syd Buller thought so because he had a word with captain Frank Worrell. Tony Lock was dismissed when he dropped his bat on to his wicket while trying to avoid a bouncer. Now, England’s bowlers must show some offensive spirt. 

Television highlights: Bowls – Amateur National Championship from Mortlake. Ivor the Engine. Ready, Steady, Go! with the Rolling Stones and Hayley Mills.

Radio highlights: Arthur Haynes Show. The Organisation of Crime – an investigation.

Weather: mainly dry with sunny periods. Outlook – cloudy with rain. 21c, 70f.

Saturday 24 August 1963

Scotland Yard detectives are on the lookout for a racing driver – Roy John James, aka The Weasel. Detectives believe that Weasel James can help them with their inquiries into the Great Train Robbery. Meanwhile, Yard men raided 61 houses, warehouses and factories in London. They are also looking for a blonde woman, her baby and her poodle, Gigi.

Great Train Robbery slang: poppy = money, ricket = mistake, blagger = a thief, nark = an informer, stoppo driver = getaway driver, blag = to rob.

The Edinburgh Festival is in danger because of a lack of cash support. In the seventeen years that the Festival has been going it has never showed a penny profit. Last year’s loss was £115,000. Yet, Edinburgh is packed with tourists. Hotels and restaurants are full. An estimated £3,000,000 is made in trade, but only £18,000 of that money is donated to the Festival fund.

The Conservatives, worried about their prospects at the next General Election, may call in the help of a fantastic brain machine. The machine will predict the public’s reaction to any situation – provided it is fed the right information. Other parties have been offered the machine, but they haven’t showed any interest.

Agony Aunt: “When I kiss my boyfriend, should I keep my eyes open, or shut them?” Jane Adams’ reply, “Depends on whether you like what you see.”

Fifth Test, the Oval. The West Indies have thrown this match away. In reply to England’s 275 they were 165 for 3. But they closed on 231 for 8. England are now favourites to level the series. Conrad Hunte top-scored with 80, while the wickets included two run outs.

Television highlights: Grandstand. Francis Durbridge Presents. Dick Emery Show.

Radio highlights: Saturday Club. Play – The King of Soho.

Weather: showers. Outlook – continuing changeable. 19c, 66f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #43

Sunday 11 August 1963

Is justice being served in Britain, or is there something nasty in the woodshed? Is the legal system protecting the privileged? In the Stephen Ward case, why were three key witnesses – Lord Astor, Douglas Fairbanks and John Profumo not called? There is a sense of jiggery-pokery to protect the privileged. A fairer system is needed now.

Plans to help the housewife with the cost of her weekly shopping have caused major disagreement in the Cabinet. Some want to abolish price-fixing, a system that allows big firms to take legal action against shopkeepers if they lower their prices. However, senior Tory ministers and experts are in favour of the current system, and against shopping price cuts.

A lorry found abandoned in Nottinghamshire might offer a clue to the Great Train Robbery. Local detectives believe there is a connection. However, Buckingham CID, who are investigating the robbery, said, “There’s nothing in it for us.”

Scientists at a laboratory in Leatherhead, Surrey are searching for the Perfect Sausage. Seventy scientists are employed to look into all types of food. Another example is the Problem of the Pips. Housewives like to see pips in raspberry jam because it reassures them that the jam was made from real fruit. However, the pips disintegrate in the boiling process. Also, the scientists are trying to discover if peeled potatoes can be prevented from turning brown when left out of water.

Church bells at Gotham, Notts will remain silent today because two swarms of bees have nested in the 70 foot high church steeple.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Charm Pedler. Sooty. Fireball XL5.

Radio highlights: Meanwhile Back at the Parthenon. Who Do Men Say That I Am?

Weather: cloudy at first, but sunny later.

Monday 12 August 1963

The £252,500 treasure train haul may be hidden within twenty miles of the ambush spot. The robber-gang might be hiding there too. Those are the theories being followed by Scotland Yard. Hundreds of phone calls have been made received by the police following the offer of a £260,000 reward. Meanwhile, detectives are checking all the buildings around Sears Crossing. There is a suspicion that the gang might be hiding in a barn or cottage.

Passengers and spectators who order meals and snacks at airports will not be called “luv” by the staff anymore. The friendly word has been blacklisted by the big catering firm Forte’s. From now on, staff must address their customers as “sir” or “madam”.

St Ives, Cornwall, the seaside town that wants to freeze-out beatniks faces a new-style counter-attack – friendliness, lots of friendliness. A beatnik spokesman said, “We’ve established a headquarters in the woods above the town. We will create no disturbance. We will do the same as other people do. The real root of this anti-beatnik business is that we don’t scatter our money around like confetti. If we did, we’d be as welcome as the flowers in May.”

Music: prediction spot – Freddie and the Dreamers will soon be top tenwards with I’m Telling You Now. Pet Clark has a new disc – Let Me Tell You. And mums will lend a an ear to Ken Dodd going serious with Still.

Tower crane erectors and lorry drivers – only first class men talking pride in themselves and their work need apply for these top-rated jobs with exceptional conditions: Record Tower Cranes, NW10.

Television highlights: Blue Peter. Tonight – series return with Cliff Michelmore. Points of View with Robert Robinson.

Radio highlights: Melody on the Move. Letter From America.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 13 August 1963

The Flying Squad are receiving more than 30 phone calls an hour as they seek the mail train robbers. Also, it’s been revealed that over half of the missing £2,554,000 was in notes that can be traced. 

Eire’s CID passed on vital information to Scotland Yard about the mail train gang. The Irish police believe that three Dublin crooks were involved in the robbery. A pair of police handcuffs, presumably lost, were used in the raid.

Ma Gasking has received five offers to buy her Ringlestone Inn. Ma is now receiving fan mail of over 100 letters a day. Will she sell? “I’m not saying,” she said. If she does sell, Ma insists that the 17th century pub must retain its character with oil lamps and not electricity, and water drawn from a pump.

In a match between Lancashire League club Darwen and a Commonwealth XI, West Indies fast bowler Roy Gilchrist, playing as a guest for Darwen, bowled a “bumper”, which hit Australian professional Lou Laza on the glove. Laza then hit Gilchrist with his bat. Gilchrist replied by hitting Laza with a stump. Later, the two men shook hands and had a drink.

Lord Gladwyn says that the English are the most class-conscious and snobbish nation in the world. Not the Scots, Welsh or Irish – they do not fall into this category – but for the English snobbishness is their besetting sin. He believes that class barriers should be broken down and the government should become involved in a united Western Europe.

Thieves who broke into a factory in Camden Town found no money. Instead, they stole £1-worth of the firm’s products – peanuts.

Television highlights: Comedy Playhouse – Impasse with Bernard Cribbins and Leslie Phillips. Smugglers’ Cove. How to Enjoy Jazz Without Really Trying.

Radio highlights: Sing Us the Old Songs. Family Favourites.

Weather: bright intervals. Outlook – cool, some rain. 18c, 64f.

Wednesday 14 August 1963

‘The Squealer’ gave Scotland Yard ten names. An informer, a snout in criminal slang, told the police that the railway robbers had used a remote Buckinghamshire farmhouse as their hideout, Leatherslade Farm. The police swooped on the farmhouse and discovered that the robbers had fled in a hurry.

The locals are now speaking out about their suspicions. Postman Bill Claridge said, “I was surprised to see no movement in the farmhouse. I thought the ‘new owners’ had not moved in.” John Alfred Marvis, a cattle herdsman said, “I noticed a strange man in a car coming and going in the village and driving to and from the farm.”

Police are now taking Leatherslade Farm ‘to pieces’, searching for clues. Scotland Yard have practically transferred the Yard to the farm site. For the first time, the whole of the forensic laboratory staff – the Yard’s scientists – have moved to the scene of the hunt, together with fingerprint men and photographers.

Secret plans are being drawn up by the council in Chudleigh, Devon to thwart teenagers who are using phone boxes to comb their hair, paint their faces, and meet their boyfriends. There have been reports of “shocking behaviour”. A police spokesman said, “If we are called in, we shall act immediately.”

A sculpture of a nude man apparently trying to do the Twist was unveiled in Eastbourne. A year ago, town councillors invited sculptors to submit designs, and this was the only one submitted. The sculpture was created by bearded Bernard Davis of Hayward’s Heath, Sussex. His figure is called Idiene. 

Television highlights: International Athletics – England v Italy. Stars and Garters with George Melly. Zero One – air security series.

Radio highlights: Yes, It’s Great Yarmouth. Play – Big Bertha.

Weather: sunny intervals and scattered showers. Outlook – little change. 20c, 68f.

Thursday 15 August 1963

In their search for the mail train robbers, the police have found a clue – a loaf of bread. They are looking to track the man from “Banknote Farm” who bought the bread at a local store. Meanwhile, the police are continuing to search the farm for more clues.

A boy in Oakley, near “Banknote Farm”, collects car numbers. He has shown his notebook, which contains 47 numbers recently recorded, to the police. Ace detectives, Tom Butler and Peter Vibart – the “Terrible Twins” are also on the case. They are among the most successful detectives Scotland Yard has ever known.

A survey classifies 1,700,000 old people as lonely. Of these, 400,000 are “very lonely”. The loneliest people of all are those no longer visited by their children – the lack of visits makes them feel unwanted.

Accidents, poisonings and violence send more people to hospital than any other cause. The next largest cause is tuberculosis. Men stay in hospital, on average, nineteen days, women eighteen days. Of 1,400,000 major operations, twenty-six percent were for stomach troubles.

Seven of the discs in this week’s top ten are British – two are American, the other Japanese. Nineteen of the top thirty are British. The main reason – the current crazy for beat music. Of the top fifty, twenty-five are beat songs. Britain is getting into the beat groove, and I think that groove is going to stay with us for some time.

Television highlights: It’s My Opinion – people from Port Talbot air their views. Pinky and Perky. True Adventure – the search for the brown walrus.

Radio highlights: Star Parade – Hank and Hannah. All Together – community singing.

Weather: showers, cool. Outlook – drier, warmer. 20c, 68f.

Friday 16 August 1963

A Bournemouth woman is in hiding after tipping-off the police about the train robbers. She is frightened that other members of the gang might try to reach her. Police hurriedly drove her away to a secret location.

In their search for the mail train robbers, the police have put a blackout on their next moves. However, it is clear they are poised for big developments. Five people have been arrested, including two women. The police also found £100,000 in two £50,000 bundles.

Henry John Burnett, 21, was hanged at Aberdeen Prison yesterday for the shotgun killing of a merchant seaman. It was the first execution in the city for more than a century.

A breadline menu for the unemployed: Breakfast – stewed fruit; egg, bread and tea – 3s 2d. Dinner – cold meat left over from Sunday, or hotpot, or shepherd’s pie, potatoes and vegetables; blancmange – 2s 3d. Tea – macaroni cheese, bread and tea – 2s 6d. Supper – bread, jam and tea – 1s 3d.

Three footballers – Keith Williams and Esmond Million of Bristol Rovers, and Brian Phillips of Mansfield, have been banned for life after accepting bribes to fix the result of the Bradford v Bristol Rovers game, played on 20 April. “Other matters” regarding corruption in football are being investigated.

Agony Aunt: Question – should a wife be suspicious if her husband arrives home reeking of perfume? Jane Adams’ reply – not if he works in a perfume factory.

Television highlights: The Marriage Lines – new comedy series with Richard Briers and Prunella Scales. Ready, Steady, Go! – pop show. Tales of the Riverbank.

Radio highlights: Golden Treasury of Music and Song. Non Stop Pop.

Weather: rain. Outlook – sunny periods. 17c, 63f.

Saturday 17 August 1963

Navy ships are keeping a look-out for a motor-yacht, which might be carrying a part of the Great Train Robbery loot. Meanwhile, £100,900 of the haul has been found abandoned in a Surrey wood. The official total for the amount stolen – £2,631,784. Of that amount, police have recovered £243,107. 

The police are working on the theory that members of the train robbery gang have bought cheap cars and are storing these cars, along with the loot, in lock-up garages. Detectives believe that the big share-out among the gang took place on Sunday, before they fled their hideout at Leatherslade Farm.

The Chief Constable of Exeter said that all weekend-drivers should take a refresher course because they are not as safe as motorists who drive all the year round.

Meat prices have rocketed again with pork the only meat selling at a steady price. Potatoes and salad items are plentiful while herrings offer the best deal on fish. Crab meat is now available in cartons – ideal for picnics.

Miss Hannah Ede of Helham Green is 105 today.

Harlequins RFC will break with tradition and play their first evening mid-week match at Twickenham. Their opponents will be Italian club Roma.

Television highlights: Summer Grandstand featuring the second half of the Charity Shield match, Everton v Manchester United. Juke Box Jury with Carol Ann Ford. Eric Sykes. 

Radio highlights: A Century of Soccer. Geoffrey Chaucer – talk.

Weather: showers and sunny spells. Outlook – similar. 16c, 61f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #42

Sunday 4 August 1963

For Stephen Ward the end came quietly. The gay, glittering world of weekend parties at stately homes, of laughter from moonlit swimming pools, was now shrunk to a bare hospital room. Ward never opened his eyes to see the prison officer standing beside him, he never knew that the Old Bailey jury had found him guilty of living on immoral earnings. 

In his final letter, Stephen Ward said, “More than I can stand – the horror day after day in the streets. I think Christine and Mandy have discredited themselves. There is a good deal I could say, but I want to conduct my case with some measure of dignity and honour.”

Mandy Rice-Davies said, “The past few weeks have been hell. I did my best for Stephen at the trial. It’s the bloody police and bloody government. They all need sacking.”

Forty cabbies are up in arms about their town’s only woman taxi driver. She is 32 year old Mrs Helen Clissold who does private hire work in Weymouth, Dorset. She wants a *full* hackney carriage plate allowing her to ply for hire on the highway and at taxi ranks. The male cabbies said she could not deal with troublesome customers – drunken sailors, for instance. Helen said, “I’ve done a lot of wrestling and weight training, and I’ll have them on the flat of their backs in no time.”

The mystery of the glowing pebbles on Bradwell Beach, near a nuclear power station, has been solved – they are not radioactive. They turned out to be plankton, a minute form of marine life.

Discland: recording bosses have a penchant for changing stars’ names. One man who really needs a name change is Earl Sinks. In fact, having listened to his disc Looking for Love, I’d say a voice change wouldn’t be amiss either.

Here’s a group from London I’m tipping for the top – the Rolling Stones, whose Come On could be a capital hit.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Oath. Millie – starring Millicent Martin, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. Songs of Praise from Bangor, Wales.

Radio highlights: Pick of the Pops. The Jazz Scene.

Weather: warm and sunny, chance of heavy showers.

Monday 5 August 1963

Dr Ernest Claxton, 63, assistant secretary of the British Medical Association, said that Britain is facing a “Moral Dunkirk.” He added, “Only a return to absolute moral standards can save us. We must show the world that Stephen Ward and others do not represent us. Chastity is a weapon we can grasp and use. It is not only a defence against moral corruption, it can be a source of strength.”

A new moral code is to be issued for comics published in Europe. All the characters will have to be decently dressed. Heroes will not be allowed to rely on superhuman qualities alone, but will have to display “noble virtues”. Above all – justice will have to triumph over evil in the end, no matter what happens in between.

June Imray, the 26 year old television announcer with the Scottish lilt, was in hospital last night. Previously, she’d been in hospital with paratyphoid. June is one of the few BBC announcers who have been told to keep their native accent.

Personal advertisement: second woman/man’s life. Anxious. Please write 46. Love.

Boxing: Lennie “The Lion” Williams and Frankie “Tiger” Taylor will meet in a return featherweight contest at Wembley on 10 September. In their previous contest, Tiger Taylor knocked The Lion Williams out in the sixth round.

Sport swamps both networks today with a line-up of cricket, motor racing, horse racing, athletics, swimming, sailing, tennis and polo. The BBC will broadcast four and a half hours of sport, ITV four hours.

Television highlights: Panorama – Britain’s disappearing coastline. Julian Bream – film profile. Animal Care – lizards.

Radio highlights: Desert Island Discs – Ian Fleming. A Cricket Anthology. 

Weather: drizzle, thunder. Outlook – rain then bright spells. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 6 August 1963

June Imray, the 26 year old television announcer with the Scottish lilt, was admitted to hospital because she took too many sleeping pills. “I wasn’t trying to do anything silly,” she said. “All I wanted was a good night’s sleep.” Her mother said, “June has found a lot of fame since she moved south, but she does not like living in London.” Mrs Imray added that she hoped June would return to a teaching job nearer home.

Bandits who hid in the Albert Hall after Saturday night’s Promenade concert escaped with £600 early yesterday after blowing three safes. They also took a number of tickets, but threw them away.

Due to poor weather, there was less traffic on the roads this Bank Holiday weekend. The good news is road deaths totalled 56 fewer than for the corresponding period last year.

Loudspeaker message at the Gloucestershire County Cricket ground in Bristol, “Will you please go to your car. Your dog has switched on the ignition.”

Tennis: Britain defeated Sweden 3 – 2 in the Davis Cup European Zone final, becoming the champions of Europe for the first time in thirty years. In the decisive match Mike Sangster defeated Ulf Schmidt in five sets, 7 – 5, 6 – 2, 9 – 11, 3 – 6, 6 – 3.

Wanted: Colt revolvers, duelling pistols, blunderbusses, muskets and other old weapons – £100 paid if in good condition.

Television highlights: Sons of the Navvy Man – people who build public works projects. New Vision – the creative arts: man or machine? Cricket – Lancashire v Yorkshire.

Radio highlights: Workers’ Playtime. Pop Go the Beatles.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – cloudy, light rain. 23c, 73f.

Wednesday 7 August 1963

Ma Gasking, 70, has barred customers from her pub in Hollingbourne, Kent. She said, “Young couples are wasting their time coming here. They won’t get in unless I know them, and if they do get in they will drink what I say. I don’t want smart-Alec’s turning up in big cars and on motor cycles. If they do, I shall shut up all together.”

A council has designed 332 new houses so that the television set can take the place of the hearth. In Hull, the fireplaces are being moved discretely to one side. Another 2,000 homes with the same design are planned.

America launched a new attack on Europe in the “chicken war”. In thirty days, America will impose tariffs on wine, brandy, cars and electric shavers. In Brussels, a spokesman said the American move was an ultimatum, and it did not create a good atmosphere for the forthcoming “Kennedy Talks”.

More new cars on the never-never. Hire purchase debts in Britain jumped by £11,000,000 in June to £906,000,000. However, credit on used cars was lower.

A storm is brewing in Britain’s teacups. Reports from Ceylon, where one third of Britain’s tea is grown, suggest that the Minister of Finance has threatened to nationalise British owned tea plantations. Mr John Brooke, of Brooke Bond, said last night, “Some of the finest tea in the world comes from Ceylon. We already have to pay 87% tax on profits there.”

Television highlights: Stars and Garters with Kathy Kirby. Gardening Made Easy. Zoo Time.

Radio highlights: Let There Be Musicals. Play – The Lady on the Grey.

Weather: cloudy and cool. Outlook – sunshine and showers. 20c, 68f.

Thursday 8 August 1963

Since the East-West German borders were sealed in August 1961 at least 65 refugees are known to have been killed trying to escape to the West. Nearly 16,500 have escaped across the borders and the Berlin Wall.

Ma Gasking kept her bolted doors policy last night – only allowing her friends into her pub. Ma was known as The Duchess during World War Two when she kept open house for RAF pilots. Why the change? Ma explained, “I don’t want young people in my pub. They will steal my possessions.”

The War Office is to investigate the private lives of women soldiers at an army camp in Surrey where there are no men. The inquiry will focus on “unnatural friendships” between the women.

Thousands of people in Hong Kong are being inoculated against cholera, which has broken out again in the teeming colony.

A thief yesterday cracked open a safe at the Majestic Cinema, Woodford, Essex and stole £1,000. The film this week is…The Cracksman.

Personal advertisement: Dental unit with electric drill, suitable for chiropodist.

This week’s number one: Sweets For My Sweet – Searchers. New entries – Come On – Rolling Stones, Bad to Me – Billy J Kramer.

Television highlights: Aida – open air performance from Verona. Road Works Report. Space Patrol – Robot Revolution.

Radio highlights: Thanks for the Melody. Harpsichord.

Weather: drizzle. Outlook – mainly dry, perhaps some showers. 19c, 66f.

Stop Press: More than £2,500,000 has been stolen in a train ambush in Buckinghamshire. Detectives have not ruled out the possibility of a Master Mind being behind the ambush. Old-time crooks are being checked on.

Friday 9 August 1963

Scotland Yard was tipped off months ago that a big train raid was being planned. And now it’s happened. Twenty men were in the gang that ambushed a train in Buckinghamshire. Detectives are watching race courses and other gambling spots for evidence of big spending. A £10,000 reward has been offered for information.

At 3.15 am £2,500,000 was stolen from a mail train travelling to London. Driver Jack Mills said, “I tried to put up a fight, but I was coshed with an iron bar wrapped in cloth.” His co-driver, David Whitby, said, “They threatened to kill me. It was a terrifying experience.”

The train robbers left behind two clues – a glove used to cover the official green Go signal light, and a battery used to light up the fake red Stop signal light. This is the ninth major train robbery in the South of England in the past three years. The previous money grab record was £238,000, stolen from a Post Office van in Oxford Street, London, on 21 May 1952.

Racing driver Jack Brabham might drive Bluebird and attempt to beat the land speed record. This situation has materialised after a row between Bluebird’s driver Donald Campbell and his leading sponsor Sir Alfred Owen. However, Campbell said, “I own Bluebird and I will decide who should drive it.”

Television highlights: The Eisteddfod. Roving Report – the women of Italy. Ready, Steady, Go! – new pop show.

Radio highlights: Music While You Work. Round Europe in Song.

Weather: dry. Outlook – uncertain. 23c, 73f.

Saturday 10 August 1963

A £260,000 reward is waiting for the person who “turns in” the gang who got away with £2,500,000 in Thursday’s mail train raid. And it will be tax free. The reward is as big as the biggest football polls prize ever won – £260,000.

The BBC’s plan to give Britain around the clock radio has been put off indefinitely. The decision was made because an agreement could not be reached over the copyright and broadcasting of recorded music. In the past twelve months 2,500,000 radio sets have been sold. Meanwhile, the BBC is considering broadcasting news bulletins on the Third wavelength throughout the day.

An unmarried mother entered her baby in a baby show and won first prize. The mother, Kathleen Morgan of Slough, said, “Why shouldn’t I enter my baby? She’s lovely. Now I’m prouder of her than ever.” Miss Doris Blunden, organiser of the show said, “It is the babies that are entered, not the parents.”

The council at St Ives, Cornwall has declared war on beatniks. A spokesman said, “Dozens of them sprawl on the sand and lounge on the harbour wall. They spend as little as possible on food, nothing on soap and razor blades, and drink as much beer as possible.”

Television highlights: Juke Box Jury with Graham Hill and Barbara Windsor. The Third Man – drama series. The Morecambe and Wise Show.

Radio highlights: Desert Island Discs – Geraint Evans. Holiday Music Hall.

Weather: mostly cloudy. Outlook – rather cloudy. 20c, 68f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #41

Sunday 28 July 1963 

A meeting of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences heard yesterday that praising a wife’s well-cooked dinners could help save a marriage. Conversely, husbands should not condemn a burned pudding. The meeting also heard that there was evidence to suggest that many wives were now clandestinely using the “birth pill”.

The machines are coming. Six “auto-tutors” have been sent around the country. A dozen or so pupils will use them for maths lessons. The manufacturers claim that their machines will produce a rise from 15% to 50% success at “O” level maths. This might sound like science fiction, but it could soon become science fact.

According to the British Footwear Manufacturer’s Federation, this autumn men will be wearing olive-green suede shoes and rugged tiger-striped bootlets.

When it comes to fashion, the most colour-conscious men in Britain are trawlermen. Away from their boats they like wearing wild colours – like Kingfisher blue, lime green, and Dutch cheese yellow.

Disctime – this week’s hot spins: Why Should We Not? – Manfred Mann, I’m Telling You – Freddie and The Dreamers, Moonstrike TV Theme – Ron Goodwin, I Can’t Stop Loving You – Count Basie.

Cricket: set 453 to by the West Indies, England are 113 – 4. With the pitch taking spin, this will be an almost impossible task. When the West Indies batted, Sobers, Butcher and Kanhai treated the England attack with distain. There were not enough fielders to cover the all-round variety of shots the West Indies made.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Reluctant Rebel. Film – The White Unicorn starring Margaret Lockwood. Chess Masterpieces.

Radio highlights: Painting of the Month. Famous Organs.

Weather: dry, warm, sunny.

Monday 29 July 1963 

There was no rain anywhere in Britain yesterday and some resorts enjoyed 14 hours of sunshine. Brighton was the hottest spot with a temperature of 73f. There was a 50 mph speed limit in place, but traffic jams reduced that limit to a joke. Over 13,000 cars passed through Dover on their way to the Continent on the weekend – a record.

The success story of the twentieth century is marriage, a conference of doctors and social experts heard yesterday. In the romantic lottery a high proportion of people draw winning tickets. Overall, the divorce rate is up, but that’s mainly because people couldn’t afford divorces in the early part of the century.

A tethered hydrogen-filled RAF balloon exploded yesterday. The balloon, at Abingdon, Berkshire, was used for training parachutists. Housewives at nearby Honeybottom Lane were cooking Sunday lunch when the balloon blew up. The blast buckled roofs, shattered windows and cracked walls, but no one was hurt.

The average person in Britain consumes 15 lbs of tomatoes a year.

Mrs Edith McLaren carried four meat pies from Manchester to New York, but when she arrived in America customs officials seized them. The officials explained, “We don’t allow imports of cooked meats. They will have to be burned.”

Classified advertisements: Appear in TV commercials. No experience needed. Send SAE to TV Casting, 6a Archer Street, W1. Mr JH Dominy hereby states that he will not be held responsible for any debts or bills incurred by his wife, Pamela Dominy.

Television highlights: Carting from Hoddesdon. The Welsh in Patagonia. Panorama – the kiss of life.

Radio highlights: In a Sentimental Mood. Melody on the Move.

Weather: sunny and rather warm. Outlook – little change. 22c, 72f.

Tuesday 30 July 1963 

Was Stephen Ward just a rake, a lady-killer, a filthy fellow? Or was he a pimp and a ponce, a man guilty of the loathsome crime of living off immoral earnings? These are the questions put to the jury as the Stephen Ward trial reaches its close.

What caused the crater in Roy Blanchard’s field? The initial theory – the crater was caused by a meteorite – has been ruled out because the object found was made of local rock. Was it a hoax? Or was the crater created by a flying saucer?  Whatever the answer, there is a growing demand that the government should do more to explore the possibility of UFOs.

Return trips to the Moon are being considered by America’s National Space Agency. The cost for spaceship passengers – £18,000 each.

All-out war has been declared on Britain’s horse dopers. The Jockey Club is looking for informers and will offer £2,000 for information that leads to a conviction.

A queen bee hitched a lift under a car yesterday and hundreds of other bees followed her. The bees travelled to Bethnal Green where help was called. The bees were eventually taken away – in a chauffeur-driven limousine.

West Indies duly won the Fourth Test at Headingley, by 221 runs. Changes need to be made for the Fifth Test at the Oval. England’s batting needs a stiff dose of character, and the bowling must match the West Indies with real speed at both ends.

Television highlights: Rubovia – puppet film. All Sorts to Make a World – the LSD of Farming. The World of the Wasp.

Radio highlights: Farming Today. Pop Go the Beatles.

Weather: sunny. Outlook – dry and very warm. 27c, 81f.

Wednesday 31 July 1963 

Most of Britain’s 13,500,000 television sets will be out of date next April when the BBC switches over to the 625 line transmission system. It means that we should swap our sets if we want the best picture and the new programmes.

Television sets: to rent or buy? Over the first three years, it’s cheaper to rent. Three families in every five plump for renting. Also, bear in mind that the average life of a television set is seven years. The cost of renting over three years – £67 16s. The cost of buying on higher purchase – £71 5s.

Mr Justice Marshall, summing up in the Stephen Ward trial, said, “We have not been told the full truth.” He added that members of the “high estate” could have come forward and testified in support of the evidence. The judge said the jury had to consider if Christine Keeler and Marilyn Rice-Davies were prostitutes within the legal definition, and if so did Ward know about this and receive money from their clients. A verdict is expected tomorrow.

One baby in eight born in London is illegitimate. The national figure is one in sixteen. One bride in six is pregnant. The trend in the national statistics suggests that these figures will increase in future.

Advertisement: wonderful news for all those who may be going bald. The Apollo Internal Treatment contains essential vitamins and minerals without which hair cannot grow. This treatment has been successful in many apparently hopeless cases. Testimonials. “Thank you. I now have hair shoots all over my head.” – Mr A.H., Surrey. “The results are unbelievable. What you claim is true.” – Mr W.C.S., London.

Television highlights: The Royal Ballet. Unmarried Mothers – a special report. Pop Spot.

Radio highlights: Enchanted Evenings. Ancient Civilisations.

Weather: sunny and hot. Outlook – sunny and hot with a risk of thunder. 29c, 84f.

Thursday 1 August 1963 

Guilty. Stephen Ward lived on Christine and Mandy. Jury clear him of other charges. Police at his bedside after drugs drama. Stephen Ward lay grievously ill in a coma last night, suffering from an overdose of drugs. Meanwhile, in the courtroom, the judge and jury delivered their verdicts. Sentencing was delayed. Mr Ward’s solicitor said that when Mr Ward had recovered he would appeal. On hearing the news, Christine Keeler, pictured, said, “Oh, dear. Poor Stephen! I am deeply shocked.”

The Queen should invite women from Brixton to her garden parties, psychiatrist Dr Richard Fox said. He thought the idea might ease racial tensions in Britain. Dr Fox added that racial prejudice was the biggest threat to human survival.

Cerebos Ltd has one hundred tons of fish paste, worth £40,000, that it is trying to give away for free. No one seems to want the paste, so the 800,000 jars might be dumped in the sea.

Hundreds of people were baffled last night by a “strange-looking” object in the sky. It was cone-shaped and remained stationary for three-quarters of an hour. 

Opinion: we should follow Australia’s example and make it compulsory for people to vote in general elections.

Four out of the ten horses competing in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood were possibly doped. Queen’s Hussar won the race.

Television highlights: A Swingin’ Time with Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. It’s My Opinion – People of Yeovil Air Their Views. Riverbeat – the Welsh Conway.

Radio highlights: Masters of the Keyboard – gramophone records. County Cricket.

Weather: dry, sunny, rather warm. Outlook – sunny with thundery outbreaks. 24c, 75f.

Editorial note: A picture of Christine Keeler illustrates the main story. I selected this picture because it highlights how the media at the time were trying to work Christine and Mandy Rice-Davies into just about every story – the Stephen Ward case being a natural example. And because I consider that the pictures the media used of Stephen Ward on this date – him unconscious on a stretcher – are too graphic.

Friday 2 August 1963 

Startling changes proposed for soccer – league matches to be played on Sundays and the introduction of a European super league. The pitches will change too with the introduction of undersoil heating systems and all-weather playing surfaces. These changes are inevitable, a report in the FA Yearbook says.

Stephen Ward remains gravely ill, suffering from a drugs overdose and bronchial-pneumonia. A hospital spokesman said, “He is only just alive.” While doctors fight to save Ward’s life, a Brixton prison warder stands guard at his bedside. 

The police are looking for a woman wearing only one shoe. They followed a trail for three miles in Buckinghamshire and, at half-mile intervals, they found a white linen coat and a matching dress, a size eight shoe, red nylon briefs trimmed with black lace, a bra, a suspender belt, and a pair of nylons. The mysterious stripper is probably “tall and well-built”.

Conservative minister Sir Edward Boyle stated that a colleague who said that sex before marriage was acceptable was not speaking for the Government. Meanwhile, after a unanimous vote, Tory agent John Mallett – who punished a fellow Conservative by giving him six of the best with a fly-swat – is to keep his job.

Cerebos Ltd’s 800,000 jars of fish paste – destined to be dumped in the sea – might now be given to charity.

Television highlights: Roving Report – Trinidad. Show Jumping. Gardening Club.

Radio highlights: Non-Stop Pop. Record Express.

Weather: sunny with thunderstorms. Outlook – sunny with thunderstorms. 25c, 77f.

Saturday 3 August 1963

Holiday tv gets a bad case of hiccups over the weekend with twenty repeat shows. Corridor of Mirrors, which has already been seen on ITV, will be broadcast by the BBC.

Stephen Ward remains gravely ill. Doctors believe he may remain in a coma for three or four more days. Meanwhile, he has received over 500 telephone messages, mainly from women who have never met him.

For four shillings, you can record your own disc. Cliff Richard broke into the big time this way and more people, from all walks of life, are trying to follow him. The royalty on every record sold by an “unknown” artist is a penny in the pound. If the record is a hit and sells half a million that’s a cool £2,000.

Derek Turner swam the English Channel yesterday, in 15 hours 39 minutes. Three times lightning struck the sea near him. “I felt a tingling sensation,” he said. His channel success was the 149th.

Agony Aunt: “I am married to a man who forever keeps talking about his old girlfriends.” Jane Adams’ advice, “Try talking about your old boyfriends.”

In the first set of the Davis Cup match between Great Britain and Sweden, at 19 – 19 the scoreboard on the number one court at Wimbledon ran out of numbers and had to start again from scratch.

Glowing pebbles have been found on a beach in Bradwell, Essex. Technicians from the nearby nuclear power station are investigating to discover if they are radioactive.

Television highlights: Zizi – with French dancing star Zizi Jeanmaire. Summer Grandstand including cricket from Canterbury. Summer Sportstime including cricket from Manchester.

Radio highlights: Books. Hot Twenty.

Weather: thundery rain. Outlook – similar. 24c, 75f.

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Categories
Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Maid Marian and Robin Hood #6

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Episode 4: Friar Tuck

Introductory minstrel song: “Mildred flees Sir William’s trope, ’tis Harold she would rather wed; she seeks the aid of Friar Tuck, and vows are safely said!”

Regular Cast

Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene

Maid Marian – Bernadette O’Farrell

The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley

Little John – Archie Duncan

Friar Tuck – Alexander Gauge 

Joan of the Blue Bull Inn – Simone Lovell

Original air date: 16 October 1955

Screenplay: Eric Heath (a pseudonym for Ring Lardner Jr.)

Director: Ralph Smart

Plot: Robin Hood and Friar Tuck play Cupid, assisting in the marriage of a young couple, Harold the Smith and Mildred, foiling Sir William of Malmesbury’s plans in the process. This story introduced Friar Tuck to the series.

Guest Actors

Harold the Smith – John Drake

Mildred – Faith Bailey

Lord Germaine – Douglas Wilmer

Sir William of Malmesbury – Leslie Phillips

Leslie Phillips will feature in future episodes, and I will profile him then.

Observation: even the peasants read messages – the literacy level was clearly high in medieval Nottingham.

Standout scene: another evergreen scene – Friar Tuck carrying Robin Hood across a river.

Sword fights – 2. Bow fights/bow skills – 0.

Running total: Sword fights – 4. Bow fights/bow skills – 3.

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Alexander Gauge 

Alexander Gauge played Friar Tuck from 1955 until 1959. A fine character actor, he is best remembered for his role as the mischievous friar. In my dream cast list he would probably get the role.

Born in China, educated in California and a British soldier in India during the Second World War, Alexander Gauge took to the stage in 1945 and appeared in a number of Shakespearian roles. Along with his stage work, he also featured in over forty film and television productions. One of his roles was Brigadier Wellington-Bull in the series The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull, alongside Valerie Singleton.

Tragically, Alexander Gauge died aged 46 in 1960 from an overdose.

🏹 🏹 🏹

Friar Tuck – Fact or Fiction?

Along with Maid Marian, Friar Tuck was associated in medieval ballads and plays with the May Games. In some of the legends he was a monk at Fountains Abbey and St Mary’s Abbey, York.

In many versions of the legends, Friar Tuck first encounters Robin Hood on a riverbank. There, a battle of wits ensues as first one then the other is forced to carry his tormentor across the river.

🖼️ Robin Hood and Friar Tuck by Louis Rhead

The common depiction of Friar Tuck is a man of cheerful character, obsessed with food and drink. In many of the tales he offers comic relief. However, in some he is a physically fit swordsman who is also adept with the longbow.

It’s possible that Tuck was a Franciscan Friar. Other scholars have argued that he belonged to an Augustinian, Benedictine or Carmelite order. Alternatively, and more likely in my opinion, he could have been a renegade monk or a hermit.

Two hundred years later than Marian and Robin’s time, in 1417, two royal writs referred to Robert Stafford, a Sussex chaplain who had assumed the alias of Frere Tuk. This Friar Tuck was still at large in 1429. It’s possible that this friar was incorporated into the legends by medieval playwrights and balladeers.

Numerous actors have portrayed Friar Tuck in films and on television. This list is far from exhaustive – it merely offers my personal highlights.

James Hayter in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, 1952

Alexander Gauge in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1955-59

Niall MacGinnis in Sword of Sherwood Forest, 1960

James Hayter (again) in A Challenge for Robin Hood, 1967

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