A 1950s Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping
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- Create Date：2021-06-22 00:52:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Paul Feeney
- ISBN：0752450115
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Summary
Do you remember Pathé News？ Taking the train to the seaside？ The purple stains of iodine on the knees of boys in short trousers？ Knitted bathing costumes？ Then the chances are you were born in or around 1950。 To the young people of today， the 1950s seem like another age。 But for those born around then， this era of childhood feels like yesterday。 This delightful collection of photographic memories will appeal to all who grew up in this post-war decade; they include pictures of children enjoying life out on the streets and bombsites， at home and at school， on holiday and at events。 These wonderful period pictures and descriptive captions will bring back this decade of childhood， and jog memories about all aspects of life as it was in post-war Britain。
Reviews
eileen towers
，
This needs to be a book you just pick up and skim as just a book of facts about 1950s childhood。
Audrey Bailey
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Brought back memories of childhood。Excellent read
Mike
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It makes me wish I was born in a different time。
Ronald Talbot Hardwick
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An enjoyable romp for those of a certain age， from rationing to hula-hoops， from outside privvies to rock-and-roll， Feeney writes in a light-hearted vein about the artefacts and fads that absorbed the country in the 1950s。 Always readable， the only fault I could detect was Feeney's insistence on huge rafts of lists of everything from pop singers to film stars。 That spoiled the book slightly for me。 Youngsters should read the book ， too - it ought to give them a notion of just how fortunate they An enjoyable romp for those of a certain age， from rationing to hula-hoops， from outside privvies to rock-and-roll， Feeney writes in a light-hearted vein about the artefacts and fads that absorbed the country in the 1950s。 Always readable， the only fault I could detect was Feeney's insistence on huge rafts of lists of everything from pop singers to film stars。 That spoiled the book slightly for me。 Youngsters should read the book ， too - it ought to give them a notion of just how fortunate they are。 。。。more
Frank Callaghan
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A small compact book full of nostalgia， well it is if you are my age， and a child of the 50s。 I was born in 1946， so the 1950s were most definitely formative years for me。Did I enjoy the book？ Well， there's not a lot in a bundle of nostalgic memories that's not to enjoy， but I felt it missed an opportunity。I was rather hoping it would be more of a personal story of life in the 50s。 I was anticipating reminiscences and descriptions of a past childhood that was personal， and tinged with lots of se A small compact book full of nostalgia， well it is if you are my age， and a child of the 50s。 I was born in 1946， so the 1950s were most definitely formative years for me。Did I enjoy the book？ Well， there's not a lot in a bundle of nostalgic memories that's not to enjoy， but I felt it missed an opportunity。I was rather hoping it would be more of a personal story of life in the 50s。 I was anticipating reminiscences and descriptions of a past childhood that was personal， and tinged with lots of sentimentality。 There was a bit of that， but the writing was mostly detached， and written up rather akin to an experiment report。 It lacked emotion。。 There were too many lists。 Reading the names of singers， or films and plays， or actors， with their dates of birth （and death）， and noting in brief their memorable events and achievements， was rather boring for me。 It became a litany of names， and rather bland。So it was a quick and easy read。 But it felt more like a reference book for a school history project than a personal trip down memory lane， which I suppose was what I was hoping for。 。。。more
Anthea McLaughlin-Brown
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Educational and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzyI learnt a lot about British history from this book and it raised many points worth discussing。 At times however， the chapters and areas of focus felt very dragged out and repetitive。 Likewise the style of writing got very lazy with a predictable format， e。g。 listing a ridiculous amount of TV shows and summarising them all。 I also didn’t like the sole focus on the experiences of White Brits， immigration was a thing by that point， so the fact that Educational and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzyI learnt a lot about British history from this book and it raised many points worth discussing。 At times however， the chapters and areas of focus felt very dragged out and repetitive。 Likewise the style of writing got very lazy with a predictable format， e。g。 listing a ridiculous amount of TV shows and summarising them all。 I also didn’t like the sole focus on the experiences of White Brits， immigration was a thing by that point， so the fact that the author completely omitted Britain’s changes in culture was a huge turn off for me。I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this era of time or anyone looking to feel nostalgia。 。。。more
Kevin Pease
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Enjoyable but not very well written， resorted to listing items， author obviously got bored with the process。
Lesley
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A walk back in timeThoroughly enjoyed reading this。 A real walk back in time。 So true。 Could have had a little more detail but enjoyed it non the less。
Jackie Sykes
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Good readOnly gave four stars as the book seemed to drag on in the middle， but it was interesting whe recalling the life
Mrs。 Moira McGeough
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I didn't enjoy the way this book was put together， too much repetition and the lists， the lists！ I know some people love a good list and keen quizzers would find plenty of quiz trivia in this book。 While in general it was factually correct it somehow missed conveying the spirit of the time。 Having said all that it did make me very nostalgic about my own childhood and triggered memories long buried， so maybe I've been too harsh。 I didn't enjoy the way this book was put together， too much repetition and the lists， the lists！ I know some people love a good list and keen quizzers would find plenty of quiz trivia in this book。 While in general it was factually correct it somehow missed conveying the spirit of the time。 Having said all that it did make me very nostalgic about my own childhood and triggered memories long buried， so maybe I've been too harsh。 。。。more
Dee Kevan
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Full of interesting facts and memories of the 1950's - not a story Full of interesting facts and memories of the 1950's - not a story 。。。more
Diana
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This was a great short book on what it was like to be a child post-WWII in Britain。 The war was over but for much of your childhood shortages were still a part of your life as well as rationing。 There was also a pretty good divide between being a child in the early 50's compared to the late 50's。 The older children experienced both ends of the spectrum， going from very little manufactured toys and using what they had， to everything that Mom and Dad were willing to buy at the local Woolworth's to This was a great short book on what it was like to be a child post-WWII in Britain。 The war was over but for much of your childhood shortages were still a part of your life as well as rationing。 There was also a pretty good divide between being a child in the early 50's compared to the late 50's。 The older children experienced both ends of the spectrum， going from very little manufactured toys and using what they had， to everything that Mom and Dad were willing to buy at the local Woolworth's toy counter。 The younger group had to live with some doing without but likely didn't really remember it。 Their lives always had toys， radio or television， sweets， and new clothes。 I learned quite a bit about life for the oldest of the baby boomers， and I'll likely pick this up for a re-read in the future。 。。。more
Simon Evans
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Where to begin？ I had hoped this book might give me an insight into life when my parents were children。 This does not really do that。As many have noted it many chapters are comprised by interminable lists。 Radio shows， TV shows， music and movies。 These are mildly diverting but could have been lifted straight from Wikipedia。 Perhaps the publishers could have added value to these by linking to songs and suchlike on YouTube or Spotify。The other chapters are diverting enough but the whole book is fu Where to begin？ I had hoped this book might give me an insight into life when my parents were children。 This does not really do that。As many have noted it many chapters are comprised by interminable lists。 Radio shows， TV shows， music and movies。 These are mildly diverting but could have been lifted straight from Wikipedia。 Perhaps the publishers could have added value to these by linking to songs and suchlike on YouTube or Spotify。The other chapters are diverting enough but the whole book is full of rose-tinted cliches。 Front doors left unlocked， children safe on the streets （maybe that was so but the authors conveniently forgets the Moors murders occurred in the 50s）， bobbies offering clips round the ears and many more like this。Christmas was less commerical， apparently， yet on the same page the author talks of how all children clamoured to go to Santa's grotto in the， well， commercial haven that is the local department store。At 160pages this is a quick read， quicker still if you discount the list-style chapters which seem like a cheat。 I have the 70s Childhood book on my shelf to read now， I am hoping that the different author means a better book。 。。。more
Sue Perry
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I expected/hoped this book to be a lightweight social history of childhood in the 1950s。 Instead， it is a muddled collection of corny stereotypes: mothers at home busy with cooking， sewing and cleaning while their menfolk are working in a city office; the happy family gathering at Christmas with an orgy of eating; boys playing with Meccano and girls playing with dolls。。This book is written very clearly from the point of view of a middle class white male from southern England wearing a blinkered I expected/hoped this book to be a lightweight social history of childhood in the 1950s。 Instead， it is a muddled collection of corny stereotypes: mothers at home busy with cooking， sewing and cleaning while their menfolk are working in a city office; the happy family gathering at Christmas with an orgy of eating; boys playing with Meccano and girls playing with dolls。。This book is written very clearly from the point of view of a middle class white male from southern England wearing a blinkered pair of rose-tinted glasses。 Also， as other reviewers have noted， several of the chapters degenerate into glorified lists: sweets in a sweet shop; tv programmes， film stars， pop records etc。 Pretty tedious reading。I think it would have been far more insightful if the author had written a personal memoir rather than generalise every 1950s childhood as being like his。 。。。more
Sarah Banks
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I really enjoyed this it brought alot of forgotten memorys 。I really enjoyed reading this as i was a child of the 5o's brought alot of good memories back sarah I really enjoyed this it brought alot of forgotten memorys 。I really enjoyed reading this as i was a child of the 5o's brought alot of good memories back sarah 。。。more
Mrs D Martin
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For us oldiesGreat book brought back many good memories from my childhood I was born in1956 and had 3 older sisters， so much of the book was relevant
Angela Reeves
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ok
El
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A bit of a mish-mash which doesn't quite know what it wants to be。 Lots of lists with no interpretation but also very interesting facts and details which evoke forgotten memories。 I thought this read as a first draft which needed better editing to make it an excellent read。 A book to skim-read but still one worth the reading。 A bit of a mish-mash which doesn't quite know what it wants to be。 Lots of lists with no interpretation but also very interesting facts and details which evoke forgotten memories。 I thought this read as a first draft which needed better editing to make it an excellent read。 A book to skim-read but still one worth the reading。 。。。more
96carol
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I read this book when I had to analyze post-war society in Britain and as I found out about this book I was surprised because it was perfect for what I had to do， even from children's point of view。 very very interesting， mind the nostalgia though！！ I read this book when I had to analyze post-war society in Britain and as I found out about this book I was surprised because it was perfect for what I had to do， even from children's point of view。 very very interesting， mind the nostalgia though！！ 。。。more
Willow Rankin
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I really enjoyed this book， cheesy-ness aside。 It was an interesting look at the 1950s and specifically growing up in a post war Britain。 My biggest gripe with this book， is the endless lists。 For example in the Radio and Television chapter， the majority of which are just endless lists。 Lists of actors and actresses， tv shows and radio plays。 After a couple of pages it does get tiring。 Furthermore， I have to comment at the cheesy nature of the writing style。 In the chapter on schooling， there is I really enjoyed this book， cheesy-ness aside。 It was an interesting look at the 1950s and specifically growing up in a post war Britain。 My biggest gripe with this book， is the endless lists。 For example in the Radio and Television chapter， the majority of which are just endless lists。 Lists of actors and actresses， tv shows and radio plays。 After a couple of pages it does get tiring。 Furthermore， I have to comment at the cheesy nature of the writing style。 In the chapter on schooling， there is a mention of "skivving" off from school， however the author writes "but only the bad kids did that"， I cannot tell if the author is being horribly patronizing or if he is just reminiscing about his own childhood。The book is quite repetitive in places， with constant mentions of the era of rationing， popular entertainers and singers （Cliff Richard was mentioned a few times） as well as bread being the staple of a child's diet。Having said all that， I did enjoy this book。 It was a short rose-tinted look at growing up in the 50's， and did feel like I was being told by a person of that generation tales of what they got up to。 I would recommend this book if you are interested in hearing about different aspects of growing up in 1950's Britain。 。。。more
Caz
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It's cheesy。 Very cheesy。 You might not mind that。 It's also very personal: this is a book about the author's childhood first and foremost， no matter how much it's presented as universal。 You'll need to go elsewhere if you want to know how things were for， say， kids in the country， or immigrant kids， or kids disabled by polio and other common threats。 Other experiences are mentioned: how some kids' nerves got the better of them at exam time; how some families decorated their Christmas trees with It's cheesy。 Very cheesy。 You might not mind that。 It's also very personal: this is a book about the author's childhood first and foremost， no matter how much it's presented as universal。 You'll need to go elsewhere if you want to know how things were for， say， kids in the country， or immigrant kids， or kids disabled by polio and other common threats。 Other experiences are mentioned: how some kids' nerves got the better of them at exam time; how some families decorated their Christmas trees with real lit candles。 But the real strength of this book is as a fond glance back through the 1950s， not as a study of them。This is at heart a "listen kids， let me tell you how much better it was when I was a lad" story extended over 200 pages。 If that idea makes you cringe， you'll probably hate this book。 But if you enjoy a bit of loving nostalgia about the postwar decade， and you're okay with shaking your head in disbelief when it gets too good to be true， this book is up your street。It's at its best when the author writes more anecdotally， with specific details scattered throughout that evoke the time period: collecting pennies thrown by pub regulars off on holiday， the excitement of a freezing Christmas morning， the discomfort of a lumpy handmade sock。 Having grown up in the 90s， it was often interesting to see what's changed -- and what has stayed the same。 And having read a lot of facts and figures about the 1950s， it's always neat to get the personal side of the story: someone's own recollection of living through things like rationing， corporal punishment， and the beginning of television。At its worst， though， the book devolves into flavourless lists of celebrities， shows， and games。 Perhaps these have nostalgic appeal -- I did find myself nodding and smiling at a few of the sweets that were part of my childhood too。 Who knew Lucky Bags were half a century old！ -- but they mostly seem like padding。 Do we really need two and a half pages of movie stars' names？ Or a detailed description of how to play tag， as if it isn't still incredibly popular today？ I'm leaning towards no。Do I recommend the book？ Yes， if you have fond memories of the 1950s and want to relive them。 Yes， if you're interested in the 50s and enjoy the trappings of them。 No， if the attitude that everything was better in the old days annoys you。 No， if you're a completionist， because reading this without skipping at least some of the lists would be very painful。No， if you're looking for something scholarly。 Yes， if you're looking for a few hours of rambling， rose-tinted-glasses nostalgia。 。。。more
Bill Groves
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Brought back many memories of my teenage years， but I could not describe this book as a "good read"。 It is more a series of lists of radio programmes， film stars， television programmes etc。 Brought back many memories of my teenage years， but I could not describe this book as a "good read"。 It is more a series of lists of radio programmes， film stars， television programmes etc。 。。。more
David Boyes
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This book will be my next read on my ebook， I have purchased this one and the "1960s Childhood， after reading all your reviews I'm looking forward to it。Thanks。 This book will be my next read on my ebook， I have purchased this one and the "1960s Childhood， after reading all your reviews I'm looking forward to it。Thanks。 。。。more
Dave
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I really loved this book， it took me back to my childhood in the 1950。 What memories it brought back a well written and very well researched book。 Get it for any old codger like me。
Roger
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I found this an interesting book to skim through， rather than read in great detail。 Some things I couldn't recollect from my childhood - others brought memories flooding back。 I found this an interesting book to skim through， rather than read in great detail。 Some things I couldn't recollect from my childhood - others brought memories flooding back。 。。。more
Amy
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I really thoroughly enjoyed this book。 After reading Norman Wisdom's autobiography I was quite intrigued by the life he lived as a child and wanted to know more about post-war childhood （yes， yes， I know he was a man by this point）。 I can tell you that I wasn't disappointed。There's a little in this book for everyone。 I think my favourite parts of the book include Christmas time and school。 Most of it seems so different to modern times that it makes me wish that childhood was still like that now' I really thoroughly enjoyed this book。 After reading Norman Wisdom's autobiography I was quite intrigued by the life he lived as a child and wanted to know more about post-war childhood （yes， yes， I know he was a man by this point）。 I can tell you that I wasn't disappointed。There's a little in this book for everyone。 I think my favourite parts of the book include Christmas time and school。 Most of it seems so different to modern times that it makes me wish that childhood was still like that now'er-days。 For instance， a child starts playing football with one or two friends， and by the end of the game their number has increased to fourteen or more players from the rest of the kids in the street。 You just wouldn't get that now'er-days。 The kids would shun you or tell you to go away 'this ball isn't yours， get your own'。 The sense of community spirit is really refreshing; another thing we seem to lack in modern society。 I really do honestly think that it's a real pity that British society has slipped so much。Kids were allowed to play on the streets and often left to their own devices for entertainment; there were very few robbers or "bad strangers" around。 Sharing was rife because it had to be， but I like that。 Even though I was born in 1990， some of the games listed I can still relate to。 Knock down ginger， blindmans bluff， what's the time Mr Wolf， elastics， conkers， etc。 I like that the kids made the most of what they had at the time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves。As I've mentioned， people of all ages can get something out of this book。 My father was born in 1944 and for him this book brings back a lot of memories。 My mother was born in 1970 and even she can recall quite a few memories。 And again there's me; a 90's child who can still recall some memories。 The book is very visual， and I think that's excellent。 There are even pictures of old records， radios and even comics from the period。 For those who lived through the 1950's as a child， there are even some lists of popular TV and radio shows。 I have to admit， the lists were quite long and I skipped quite a few of them because they meant nothing to me。 However， for someone from that age it would have had them giggling in memory。I'd highly recommend this book， if it wasn't for the parts that I couldn't relate to （the long lists of shows， etc） it would have gotten five stars。 It gives you a very clear idea of what life was like for a child growing up in the 1950's， even with the abolishment of sweet rationing in 1953 （unless I'm mistaken？）。 Brilliant book， I'm very glad I read it。 If you would like to read more of my reviews， please visit: http://a-novel-start。blogspot。com 。。。more
Peter
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What a lovely book， brought back many happy memorie。 Well written， full of detail and summed up my own childhood perfectly， （I was 5 in 1950）。
Avid Reader
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Enjoyed this account of the era。 Brought back lots of childhood memories！ Although I was not born until 1957， the similarities to the 1960s within the book， meant that I could relate well to these times。
Katy
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Plenty of nostalgia here， even for someone born late in the decade as I was。 Not a lot had changed by the mid 60s in rural Wiltshire！ Somehow though this book failed to grip。 It felt like a catalogue of the times rather than a coherent study。 There was little or no reflectiveness， just bald statements of 'this is how it was'。 So slightly disappointing overall， but worth reading nevertheless。 Plenty of nostalgia here， even for someone born late in the decade as I was。 Not a lot had changed by the mid 60s in rural Wiltshire！ Somehow though this book failed to grip。 It felt like a catalogue of the times rather than a coherent study。 There was little or no reflectiveness， just bald statements of 'this is how it was'。 So slightly disappointing overall， but worth reading nevertheless。 。。。more
Kris
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