Category Archives: writing

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
After the Second World War Britain saw arrivals of folk from all across the globe – many from Commonwealth countries who were intrigued to discover what the ‘mother country’ was like. But it was also a time when some British people decided to leave – to emigrate. The situation in…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
When I dig around in my tin of old photos I find a picture of my brother – just a toddler at the time – standing in the kitchen sink to be washed. In 1940s Britain this would have been a typical scene in many houses as few had indoor…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
Imagine yourself in 1940s Britain, when it was more than likely you would be sharing an outside toilet with other houses in the street, or sharing one on the landing of your block of flats. The kitchen sink might have doubled up as a bath for the little ones in…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
The 1940s brought many much-loved ‘crooners’ into the homes of millions, via gramophone records and via the wireless. Families put their 78rpm vinyl record on their turntable, or tuned in to the BBC Light Programme to listen to the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. Amazing to…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
When the Second World War ended it didn’t mean the end to all hostilities. Britain still had a commitment to provide military support in Germany, Palestine and India. Opponents struggled with the idea that young men, just returning from six long years of a terrible war, should be called on…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
The 1940s were a golden time for cinema, with some of today’s most loved films and revered actors emanating from that decade. Just look at this for a snapshot of what 1940s cinema goers could choose to see… Rebecca, directed by Alfred Hitchock, starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier and…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
In 1940s Britain the wireless was one of the key sources of home entertainment and news. Since the 1920s – when the first musical broadcast was aired from the Marconi Research Centre in Chelmsford – the wireless radio provided the backdrop to family life. Once the BBC received its Royal…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
Before we look at what youngsters were getting up to during the 1940s let’s consider some of terminology that we are so familiar with today – words that we tend to associate with young people… Hooligan Origin late 19th century, first found in British newspaper police-court reports in the summer…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
For the first half of the 1940s Britain was in the grip of war, followed, once the war ended, by years of austerity and hardship. So what about reading habits during those years? Was there still an attraction in the escapism offered by a good book? It seems the answer…

Originally posted on Outset Publishing:
When Britain entered the Second World War in September 1939 the country was governed by a National Government, a coalition of all the political parties, as well as a number of individuals who belonged to none of the parties. Conservative politician, Neville Chamberlain, was Prime Minister but by spring 1940…