Sunday 10 February 1963
A robot, 5’ 9 1/2” tall, overweight at 11st 13lbs, and wearing size 91/2 shoes has been designed to represent the typical motorist. It is claimed that a car designed to suit the robot will be comfortable for everyone.
The drug habit has taken a terrible toll throughout America, Egypt, Africa, India Brazil, Mexico and the West Indies. Europe has relatively few addicts, but the police are taking no chances. Always before them is the terrible example of the United States where drug taking spread at an incredible speed.
A non-stick frying pan with a temperature gauge in the handle is among the gadgets that you will be able to buy in the shops this year. And from Canada, green corrugated plastic edging to keep the lawn in shape.
Pontins holiday camps are expanding rapidly, and they have just acquired £1,542,000 fresh capital to buy more camps.
On Friday, television comes to Singapore. By April, the initial one hour broadcast a day will increase to four hours.
Television highlights: Fireball XL5, The Big Freeze, The Saint.
Radio highlights: Painting of the Month, Topical Tunes.
Rugby Union: England preserved their unbeaten record in a sea of mud at Landsdowne Road, Dublin, yesterday. How England escaped defeat, no one in the 60,000 crowd will ever know. They were completely outplayed in almost every facet of the game. Final score – Ireland 0pts England 0pts.
Weather: cold with temperatures slightly above freezing.
Monday 11 February 1963
The long slow thaw took a sharp knock yesterday. It was a slip ‘n shivering Sunday all over again. And the forecast for today is more snow, more frost and more icy roads. The weathermen say that conditions are unlikely to improve much before Wednesday.
Rewards totalling £9,500 have been paid out in the past two years by Britain’s top eleven banks to people passing on information about bank raids. Banks are prepared to pay up to £1,000 for tip-offs that lead to a conviction.
Apples are England’s favourite fruit says a special report on Britain’s fruit-eating habits. Scots, on the other hand, prefer pears. Northerners like oranges while southerners prefer bananas or strawberries and cream.
There’s a boom in Britain’s back-kitchen breweries. Every week more home-brewers are turning out ale with a kick at less than 6d a pint. They’re brewing it in wash boilers, bathtubs and even dustbins. People are also making their own wine after acquiring a taste during their Continental holidays.
Pop singer Craig Douglas is recovering after a tonsil operation. Craig’s real name is Terry Perkins. He currently earns £500 a week as a pop singer.
Television highlights: Blue Peter, World in Action, Come Dancing.
Radio highlights: Does the Team Think? Top of the Morning.
Weather: very cold. Temperatures around freezing. Snow and sleet at times. Outlook – similar. Maximum temperature 0c, 32f.
Tuesday 12 February 1963
Monica Ragby, 37-23-33, Miss Sweden won the Miss United Nations contest yesterday. The runners-up were Miss Argentina, Miss Iceland, Miss France and Miss Finland. (See below).
Britain’s biggest, highest and most expensive road junction is being planned by the Ministry of Transport. It’s a three-level junction with extensions of the M1. The cost: £19,000,000.
A series of one-hour love stories will be produced by Independent Television in the summer. Mr Lew Grade said the programmes, on Monday evenings, would start in June. Two big shows are also planned – a Golden Hour concert from Covent Garden featuring Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev, and Judy Garland at the Palladium.
Television highlights: Professional Boxing, No Hiding Place, Interpol Calling.
Radio highlights: Family Favourites, Polish Poetry.
Pop star Paul Anka will marry Ann Zogheb in Paris on Saturday. Paul is said to be the youngest millionaire in show business. His biggest hit Diana has sold more than 8,000,000 copies.
The Third Round FA Cup tie between Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City has been postponed for the ninth time. The clubs hope to complete the fixture on Thursday. Watford and Rotherham also hope to complete their third round tie on Thursday.
Weather: cold with sleet and snow. Outlook – continuing cold. Temperature 1c, 34f.
Wednesday 13 February 1963
British Nazi leader Colin Jordan has not been receiving his mail while in prison. Jordan is serving a nine-month sentence for running an illegal organisation called Spearhead. His mother is upset because his mail keeps going missing.
A gang ransacked the country home of the Marquess of Bristol yesterday and got away with antique silver worth thousands of pounds. However, they missed art treasures worth £1,000,000 including works by Holbein, Velasquez and Van Dyck.
The Isle of Man’s legislative council approved a Bill yesterday allowing convicted youths to receive up to twenty strokes of the birch. Birching is forbidden in Britain – except for attacks on prison warders – but is legal on the Isle of Man.
Britain has come through fuel and power difficulties caused by the severe weather “without any great loss” in production MPs were told yesterday.
Bank executive Jeremy Morse, 34, tonight has the chance to become the first person ever to win £1,000 on the Take a Letter contest (ITV 7pm). He already has £975 in winnings. And £1,000 is the limit that the ITA place on tv contests.
Television highlights: Circus from China – for deaf children. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. British Castles.
Radio highlights: Come into the Parlour. Wagner and Brahms.
Weather: snow or sleet. Cold. Outlook – little change. Maximum temperature 3c, 37f.
Thursday 14 February 1963
There are 1,128,000 bachelors in Britain over the age of 35. The general view is that an unmarried man over 35 is a Confirmed Bachelor. Philip H, 35, an architect explained: “For me, beer, boats and a rugged time with my mates fill the bill. I love women, but I’d rather be married to my boat.”
In this slot-machine age, Britons must carry every coin except the halfpenny. They need a half-crown for standard cigarettes. A florin for cork-tipped cigarettes. A shilling for gas and electric meters. A sixpence for the parking meter, and for milk and soft drinks. A threepenny bit for the new phone boxes. A penny for the public lavatory, and four pennies for the old phone boxes.
The Great Smog last December killed 340 people in London. Comparing recent smogs, the smog of 1956 contained a high percentage of smoke, whereas the smogs of 1957 and 1962 contained more sulphur dioxide.
Television highlights: Crackerjack, Amateur Boxing – Wales v Holland, Here and Now – how to dance the Loo-Be-Loo.
Radio highlights: Jazz Club, Lord Boothby Plays Records.
Top three female singers poll. 1. Ella Fitzgerald 2. Sarah Vaughan 3. Peggy Lee.
This week’s top three: 1. Diamonds – Jet Harris and Tony Meehan 2. Please Please Me – The Beatles 3. The Wayward Wind – Frank Ifield.
Weather: rain at times. Outlook – a fairly rapid thaw with rain continuing. It will be warmer today, and it could stay warm for at least two days. Temperatures could reach double figures for the first time since Christmas.
Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63
https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG
For Authors
#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on over thirty occasions.
A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake
Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂
Hannah Howe 