Back to the future

One of the first memories of former Lee Street and Leigh Girls’ Grammar School pupil Vivien (nee Jones) is of VE Day.

She looks back on the good old days of growing up during that year in Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley.

Vivien recalls when almost six years of war came to and end with dancing and parties in the street.

Before this nights were spent in air raid shelters listening to the drone of German planes overhead and living with food rationing. Clothes were in tatters after parents followed instructions to make do and mend - over and over again - and the shops were drab and coupons were currency.

She was just four and living in Hamilton Street when she joined the Mayfield Street celebration end of hostilities party. There long trestle tables were covered with starched white cloths and Union flags were draped from open windows.

The folks in Bent put on a right good do.

Vivien says life during the 40s and 50s for boys and girls was pretty predictable. The year had a series of events - with the posh folk from up the road (Newbrook Road) welcome.

Then came new year with what seemed like colder winters and scraping ice off the insides of windows.

Fogs were also a feature with “pea soupers” slowing the trolley buses and traffic to almost a standstill.

One daft night she and her father ventured out to go the cinema, one of two, the Savoy and the Palace (known as the flea pit) but never made it after going round in circles in the yellow, foul tasting smog.

At other times they managed to enjoy films at The Savoy, the better of the cinemas, at the Punch Bowl and next to the LUT offices. A quick dandelion and burdock at the temp finished off the evening.

That was when people didn’t have much money and pleasures were simple.

Other winter pastimes included a trip to Church house where there was snooker on the ground floor, table tennis on the second and higher up dancing classes.

Dressing up at weekends was an accepted part of life. Men ditched their work overalls for suits, ties and trilbies and women donned their hats for church. And there was always new for Easter - if not birds would muck on you!

From Atherton going shopping to Leigh on the trolley bus was a Saturday treat.

Evenings would be spent listening to the radio - Wilfred Pickles and Mabel giving em the money, Children’s Hours with Aunty Vi (Violet Carson later Ena Sharples in Corrie). There were serials, Top of the Form, Journey into Space and Mrs Dale’s Diary.

After the 9pm news introduced by the bongs of Big Ben, the house started to cool down as fires burned down in time for bed and very cold rooms.

Fuel was delivered to coal houses by a dirty coal man in a black leather waistcoat.

Vivien admits when her parents went out she and her grandad got a roaring fire going that she was allowed to poke as much as she wanted. Even so she recalls the inevitable chill blains, the red itching feet and chapped hands.

Despite the hardships life was good.

I was a very happy 50s child, but I wouldn’t like to travel back in a time machine. One wish I would like is to see the family values, work ethic and discipline of the era be transported back to the future.