The Swinging Fifties‏

[gray_marian]

This is long ( eleven & half minutes ) but some great old memories, grab a coffee, sit down & enjoy the fab 50's


The cars are fantastic. The music was so wonderful, romantic,
nostalgic, magical.



The Best Of Times

,_._,___

[Doc Vernon]

Thanks Marian however I do recall this on before!??
Cheers

[Keith Moody]

saturday night at the town hall in Dover we used to dance to most of those songs, OH!, where did youth go.?
lots of memories.
keith moody
R635978

[j.sabourn]

While all these smoothies with their DA haircuts teddy boy trousers, brothel creeper shoes and seemily plenty of money, in 1954 I was undergoing one of the most embarrassing periods of my youth. The Arcadia one of Anchor lines Passenger liners was in Bombay the same time as us, and the four apprentices were invited onboard for dinner at 1900 hrs. The other 3 went as was my night on board and couldn't. However as I couldn't make it I was invited the following night by myself and the old man insisted I go. I had no clean gear for such an awe inspiring sight, so borrowed a pair of trousers off the senior apprentice who was 6 inches taller than me and rolled up the 6 inches at the trouser end. A white shirt from someone else, and off I went, there was me in all my glory even with rust chippings in my hair I should imagine. The Cadets had their own table in the passenger saloon all dressed in their white no 10s or whatever they call them. I have never felt so out of place in my life especially when passengers kept on looking over and God knows what they thought. So Teddy boys and me didn't get on too well, I was probably jealous of how much better dressed than me at that time. How Sir Walter Runciman could run at least two Companys with such different life styles I don't know, he must have had many a laugh when thinking about the differences in peoples way of life. Cheers JS PS Like most seamen of that era I was down Grant Road the following night drinking and singing if nothing else, that would have certainly given the stuffed shirts something to talk about. Think it was this trip also met Carlson of Flying Enterprise fame in the seamans mission as were allowed 2 large bottles of beer in those days, think there was some sort of prohibition, he was on a ship the Flying Enterprise 2. JS PS Sorry may have ships names mixed was the Circassia. i.e. The Anchor Line ship JS

[gray_marian]

#4, Captain Kurt Carlsen and the Flying Enterprise - YouTube
Video for YOUTUBE CLIP OF CAPTAIN Carlson of Flying Enterprise fame▶ 5:08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtl5ZeLMeuA

[cappy]

john those happenings in life teach us a lesson ....albeit a hard lesson......but to be humbled is not a sin ....but part of a learning curve .......i myself ....madly in love with miss mculloch at fourteen....her of the jane russell breasts wnted to ask her for a dance at the xmas party .......sadly no jacket .......i was about 5 foot 8 .......my granda a 6 foot 2 sheltie and broad as a barn door had a blue heavy tweed jacket ......the back seam was cut open and about 2foot of material cut out then sewn back i looked llike flash harry on st trinians ....many other lads had good fitting gear ...but not all ......my moment came and i asked my miss of the heaving breast for the dance .......capps she said i thought you would never ask .........even to this day i can remember the softness of those beuties.....and can even smell the perfume .....sadly she has long gone .......but years later i met her in shields and sad to say she couldnt remember my dance ......well that was her story any way ......but i bet she remembered that bloody jacket ........regards cappy

[Keith Tindell]

Ref 4 John. remember Bombay well, 2 bottles of beer and if i recall correctly you could have 3 on the weekend, i was several miserable months on that coast, and when you got to Calcutta there was no limit on the beer.


Remember on the Castle boats in Southampton, use to join the ship the night before the sailing, and there was always a dance on the pier, which was always full of lovely young ladies. When i go across to England from the island on Red Funnel ferries, and land next to that abandoned pier as it is now, brings back many memories, kt

[Ivan Cloherty]

When i go across to England from the island on Red Funnel ferries, kt

When did you get independence Keith, bet you put that in for a bit ov a larf

[gray_marian]

#6, 'and can even smell the perfume' Cappy was it Ivan's favourite "Yardley"?

[j.sabourn]

As a boy although I had quite a few jobs before leaving school, I suppose I had a lack of self confidence, in fact had a bad stutter at one time which was probably from the blitz arena in London as a nipper. These were all part and parcel of a lack of confidence in oneself. And had to work through yourself no speciality doctors in those days, was lucky to see a GP as that cost about a half a crown. Anyhow the sea is a big curerer of most ailments regarding self confidence, think I finally threw off all shackles to such after sitting second mates. A big bluff looked the part black beard an all, ex public school boy, Came out of the navigation exam paper saying it was a piece of pizz and stating what the composite great circle distance was from Liverpool to New York, which he had as about 5000 miles. He was that self assured I was on the point of walking out but didn't. When the results came back he was wrong and I was right. I was never short of being outspoken again. No matter what you shout about it is the results that matter. If I was ever fortuanate to meet that same talker again I would thank him for showing me the way. He was the typical person of that period in time a wealthy background a good education but as thick as two short planks. I have met many at sea thus inclined, but was never ever overawed by them, and was usually right when the chips were down they were the first to turn tail. However don't think I would have had the nerve at the time Cappy to chat up the young teacher. Hope you told her to throw away the Yardley and bought her a bottle of Chanel no. 5. Cheers happy days JS