Plan B Forum

Diamond Jubilee: You in '52

Sixty years ago, when the Queen came to the throne, Britain was a very different place. Our lives today are a world away from those we would have led back then. Transport yourself back to the 1950s by filling in details about your current life below.

BBC interactive quiz.

My 1950s life

Kind fellow, you could well have relaxed in your knitwear and slacks...

This was before the arrival of rock'n'roll, so you may have listened to traditional jazz revival or bebop...

Because of rationing, you could well have been limited to a small portion of meat and lots of vegetables...

With limited management and professional roles, you may have worked in a supervisory "blue collar" role in industry...

You would have been lucky to have a large detached house, as this was out of most people's range...

The first question stumped me.

"Are you male or female?"

Were there no intersexed people in 1952?

Well, I was still swimming around in my father's balls, and I KNOW he's never been to England so...

loCAtek wrote:Well, I was still swimming around in my father's balls, and I KNOW he's never been to England so...

There is so much dumb in that post it beggars belief.

How so?

Select the options that best describe your 2012 life from the dropdown menus above and transport yourself back to 1952.

I wasn't around in the fifties, nor in the UK, which is perfectly honest.

No really, as Dales states, you can't get past the male/female part of this quiz, before it freezes.

The question was "Are you Male or FDemale", not "Were you a male or a Female in 1952".

I would have been a teacher or a secretary in 1952.

Rather a frightening prospect from my point of view.

The Hen wrote:The question was "Are you Male or FDemale", not "Were you a male or a Female in 1952".

Yeah, and there it stalls.

You didn't click on the tabs above did you.

God, she's stupid.

The scary thing to me was that my 1952 results weren't that different from my current choices...

Fashion: Darling, you may have opted for a tailored suit with a pencil skirt...

After years of wartime austerity, by golly glamour returned to Britain in the 1950s. With clothes rationing ending in 1949, young ladies with an eye for fashion were demanding outfits made with increasing amounts of fabric. Christian Dior's New Look was all the rage, with his seemingly frivolous styles mimicked in high street shops. Other popular styles were the straight sheath dress or pencil skirt.

I agree. I would have. I still do. (Though trousers are also a preferred option for me nowadays.

Music: Being a jazz fan, you would probably have opted for the era's traditional jazz revival or bebop...

The NME's first UK hit parade in 1952 was dominated by easy listening styles, such as that of Nat King Cole. But traditional jazz was also popular. The classic Dixieland and New Orleans "hot" style was revived in Britain and US bebop records were influencing British artists, such as Johnny Dankworth and his Melody Maker All Stars as well as Ronnie Scott.

M'eh. Maybe.

Food: You may well have started to sample Mediterranean food, as championed by Elizabeth David...

In 1952, Britons were still struggling with the aftermath of WWII. Many foods, including meat, were still rationed. Others were in short supply.

Research by University College London on children's eating habits at that time found that bread and milk made up a large part of their diets. Most had either eggs or cereal with bread for breakfast, meat, potatoes and vegetables for lunch, and bread and jam, cake and sometimes biscuits for tea. Fish and chips would have been your takeaway treat.

Bleargh.

Work: Professional opportunities were limited for women, but you may have become a teacher or nurse...

In 1952, Britain was a powerful trading nation, with manufacturing accounting for a third of national output and 40% of employment. But for today's managers or professionals, like you, there would have been fewer opportunities. Just 25% of the workforce had such roles, compared to 44% now. However, the public sector employed the same number of people (6 million) as today.

For women, options were extremely limited. Just 35% worked - compared to 71% today. While many took up jobs as secretaries, telephonists, teachers or nurses, pioneering women did make it into other professions or even traditional male trades in manufacturing. However, most were still expected to give up work and become housewives once married.

Now that is a cracker. Boo. Hiss.

Home: You would have been lucky to have a large detached house, as this was out of most people's range...

Following the war, housing was in crisis. Bombing raids had destroyed a quarter of Britain's stock and many families lived in cramped Victorian slums. In response, thousands of prefabricated homes were built and Victorian terraces were demolished to make way for cheap maisonettes, terraces or high-rise flats. Large-scale building on the outskirts of cities saw many families move to suburbia or to planned New Towns

Thank God for small mercies.

Code: Select all

My 1950s life
Kind fellow, you could well have relaxed in a casual shirt and slacks...

This was before the arrival of rock'n'roll, so you may have listened to traditional jazz revival or bebop...

Because of rationing, you could well have been limited to a small portion of meat and lots of vegetables...

It is likely you would have worked in industry, such as manufacturing or coal mining...

You may have lived in one of the new bungalows or prefabs in the suburbs or in a New Town...

That sure sucks. By 1952 (the year of my birth) post war prosperity was gaining steam. Not so with the UK.

The Hen wrote:The question was "Are you Male or FDemale"

Maybe, I should have clicked on FDemale?

Bad news Gob - except for the clothes we match!

I don't remember 1952 - first solid memory was 1953. However I do remember rationing was still in effect; there was free orange juice and cod liver oil for infants (oh yum!); we walked or biked everywhere (didn't have a car until 1963); in fact only two people on our street owned a car; TV choices were BBC or BBC until ITV started in mid-decade, black&white, small screen or no TV at all (guess which one for me?).

Mum did the shopping every day because we did not have a 'fridge - or a washing machine. I used to turn the handle of the mangle to crush the water out of the clothes after she'd boiled them in the 'copper'. We lived in a brand new semi-detached bungalow (1953) with three rooms plus bath/toilet and tiny kitchen. When the weather was too bad to hang laundry outside, it hung above the bath from a wooden rack contraption that lowere from the ceiling

The three of us used to walk down to Hall's Corner (photo) and sit on a bench there, outside the doctor's house & surgery, counting cars that passed - it was low numbers in those days. But with no TV, hey.....

White house on right = Doctor's. Count the cars!

And this is our actual bungalow #71 that I just found on some realtor website



1,200 pounds in 1953 - est value today 218,000 pounds. My dad struggled to pay the mortgage of 12 pounds a month back in the 50s

Meade

My parents bought a house a few doors down from this one in the 50's, me Mam still lives there. They paid £500 for it, this one is going for £89,995.

I love your Mam's place,

It seems a million miles and a couple of handfuls of decades away from life as I know it.

To quote Spock

quoting Spock wrote:


Fascinating.

Lo, you are a very small person. Get over it.

I was 3 years old in 52.

I'd have the same 1952 life as Hen, although I chose rock n roll, but it gave me jazz because rock was still in its pre-formed state. I suspect that most modern women would have that same life -- choices were few and far between for us 60 years ago, and while that has changed for the better, we still have a long way to go.