1950s Those fabulous '50s!



The era of teddy boys, Rock 'n' Roll and the Eagle comic. What a glorious decade!


'YOU'VE never had it so good!" These famous words uttered by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan became the catchphrase of the '50s as post war gloom and penny pinching gave way to a colourful era of consumerism and rock 'n' roll!
The Festival of Britain in 1951 brought back some much needed confidence to a nation that had been battered by war - and the conquest of Everest and the Coronation in 1953 further restored national pride.
The '50s of course saw the birth of the teenager, with a glowering James Dean and a hip swinging Elvis inspiring a whole generation.
As the Cold War got colder the world watched amazed as the Soviets sent Sputnik whizzing around the earth.
Britain, stung by the fading of its Empire, flexed its military muscles over the Suez Crisis in 1956.
For many boys a great weekly thrill was tuning into the thrilling radio adventures of Dick Barton and Journey into Space! And – if you could find the elusive Radio Luxembourg on the airwaves – the Adventures of Dan Dare!
Dan, Britain's premier space hero, was the star of that great weekly adventure comic for boys, The Eagle.
The first issue came out on April 14 1950 price 'threepence' and it ran until 1969. As well as the Pilot of the Future, his faithful batman Digby and the melon-headed Mekon, there was PC 49, Riders of the Range and Harris Tweed, Extra Special Agent!
The nation quivered in terror when the BBC screened their Quatermass Serials. Before each episode Auntie Beeb broadcast a warning for those of a 'nervous disposition'. Pubs up and down the country became deserted as folks ran home to catch the latest episode of Quatermass and the Pit!
Rising living standards saw British homes transformed with shiny new cookers, hoovers, and television sets.
Truly, we had never had it so good!

TV's for all!

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1951 - "We're sunk!" The day Rasen became bankrupt

Fifty years ago, the 'John Bull' magazine published an article on Market Rasen entitled 'Town that wants to be a village.' This week we look at this article and what the writer, Harry Hopkins, thought of the town half a century ago.


IN HIS small cottage in King Street, Coun WR Walsham JP, a bricklayer by trade, poked the fire carefully and said: "A halfpenny plus a halfpenny equals a penny. But if you haven't a halfpenny? People say we're lowering ourselves in Market Rasen. But we're sunk. What I'd like to know is how can you be lower than sunk?"
These were the opening words of the article in the 'John Bull' magazine that looked at Market Rasen.
What had triggered the national media interest was the fact that Market Rasen had virtually bankrupted itself and was applying to reduce its status from that of a town to one of a village, under the control of Caistor Rural Council.
In 1951, Market Rasen had 2,210 citizens, an endowed grammar school, a local newspaper (the Mail), a Liberal Institute, a gasholder, two Methodist chapels and the Racecourse. Tuesday was market day and the cattle market was on a Wednesday. Everything it seemed but a public convenience. But two thirds of houses had no inside taps and conversions to proper modern water closets proceeded at the slow rate of just seven a year. A new 100 council house estate was approached by a road with no foundations.
In local government in those days, the Urban District Council would have had responsibility for many things now the responsibility of District or County Council or indeed public/private companies. But by 1950, the council found itself with 'soaring costs, rising wages, a series of overdrafts, the raised eyebrows of the district auditor and an unprecedented rate of 25 shillings in the pound.'
Roads were left unrepaired, cracked old sewers let in so much water that the sewage works ran up an enormous electricity bill pumping it out and the drinking water supply failed to muster sufficient pressure to feed the new houses built on a slight incline. The Chairman of the council, Coun W.R. Walsham said: "To put it vulgarly, we're broke."
The 'John Bull' article went on to examine the reasons for Market Rasen's sorry demise. "In part it was Market Rasen's fault; in part it was Market Rasen's misfortune. But both fault and misfortune were rooted in the past. As Charlie Gibson, compositor at the 'Mail' said: "We're suffering now for the failures of our forebears."
The stage coaches made Market Rasen a thriving town, said the writer, but when the railway came 'the citizens lived on in the coaching age.' Market Rasen people believed government was an 'unnecessary evil.' When the Town Hall was built, it was built by private enterprise and was then turned into a cinema. The Market Square and the cattle market were privately owned and the council turned down the chance to buy them, losing market tolls and parking fees, 'which might be enriching the town.'
By the autumn of 1950, 'time caught up with Market Rasen.' "What have you to lose," said the council clerk to a council meeting - in a rented room, of course, above an insurance office in Mill Road - "You own nothing. You have no offices. You certainly have a refuse-collecting vehicle Ð but there is a loan on that. Besides that you have a few wheelbarrows, a few spades, a little place at the corner of Mill Lane, and the mortuary. I do not know what else you have."
The council sacked two roadmen, leaving just three plus the foreman, Vic Robbins, two street cleaners, one sewage farm attendant and Charlie Smith, the sexton. Market Rasen's sole government officer was John Potts, who was town engineer, surveyor and sanitary inspector all for £495 a year.
It was, wrote Harry Hopkins, the "picture of a town that is creaking to a dead stop, an eighteenth-century 'rotten borough' that has somehow survived, petrified, into the twentieth century."
'Mail' editor, Teddy Sharpe, said: "It's the same with towns as it is with men. 'Poor old chap!' they say. 'What a state he's in! Poor chap! What a pity!' And then they turn up their collars and make their getaway."

Market Rasen was receiving little income a penny rate in Birmingham yielded £28,080, in Southend £6,080, but in Market Rasen just £45. Even up the road in Caistor, the same penny rate raised over £224. The average rate over England was 15s. 8d (c78p), but in Market Rasen it was 24s (£1.20).
"Market Rasen's trouble," continued the article "is not a disease of the heart, but a blockage of the arteries... a disease endemic among... local authorities, whose boundaries take more account of ancient tradition than of the needs of modern government... Democracy is dying at its roots."
"In the four years that I've been on the council," said Coun Hall "we've had 12 visitors and six of those were German prisoners of war brought in to see how democracy works."
Changes to local government were brought in and Market Rasen never did have to suffer the indignity of placing itself under the control of Caistor!

Picture of a thriving market town. But the town was in reality bankrupt. Market Rasen in 1951.

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1950's top ten

The most popular records of the '50s


1. All I Have To Do Is Dream – Everly Brothers.
2. Diana – Paul Anka.
3. Rock Around The Clock –Bill Haley.
4. Rosemarie – Slim Whitman.
5. Give Me Your Word – Tennessee Ernie Ford.
6. All Shook Up – Elvis Presley.
7. Magic Moments – Perry Como.
8. Just Walkin' In The Rain – Johnny Ray.
9. Young Love – Tab Hunter.
10. A Fool Such As I – Elvis Presley.
11. Travellin' Light – Cliff Richard.
12. Only Sixteen – Craig Douglas.
13. Who's Sorry Now – Connie Francis.
14. I'll Be Home – Pat Boone.
15. Whatever Will Be Will Be – Doris Day.
16. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – The Platters.
17. I Got Stung – Elvis Presley.
18. Stupid Cupid – Connie Francis.
19. When – Kalin Twins.
20. Mary's Boy Child – Harry Belafonte.

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February 1952 – when there were some ghostly goings on at the George

CONSIDERABLE uneasiness has been felt in recent weeks by Mrs Carwithen, of the 200-years-old George Hotel in Market Rasen. She states that she has seen a wraith in a bright red skirt with a white cap on its head.
Dressed in a costume of 150 years ago, the figure appeared to be of medium height and rather stout.
"This mischievous spirit – and I believe it really exists," said Mrs Carwithen, "has a strange partiality for small objects such as handkerchiefs which it will hide in the most peculiar places."
It has also a rooted dislike of electric lights, the bulbs of which are frequently thrown about in confusion.
"There are so many things that add up," said Mrs Carwithen, "and although I have an open mind, I am firmly convinced that there is some sinister influence at work."
The light fitting of the chandelier, Jacobean design, fell down about a month ago and the electrician said that there was no evidence of wear on the wires.
A bulb flew out of a wall fitting and crackers were thrown off the mantlepiece.
When asked for corroborative evidence, Mrs Carwithen said that Mrs Dickinson, an employee, had become very frightened. She left the light switched on in the kitchen and when she returned it was switched off, but no-one had been near it.
Moreover the animals – two cats and a dog – sense trouble and often become alarmed.
Doors mysteriously open when no-one is around and a guest said recently that he did not sleep a wink as someone was walking up and down outside his room all night.

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May 1952 - when a man lost his memory in Oxfordshire and ended up in Rasen market place!

MR FRANK Harvey Heath, aged 35, a market gardener living at Drayton St Leonard, Oxfordshire, went out on Wednesday morning to look at his radishes and was not seen again until the following day when he turned up in Market Rasen market place, 150 miles away.
On Friday he returned to his home again with his wife without having recovered his memory.
Papers in Mr Heath's possession showed a connection with Oxfordshire and when Market Rasen police telephoned Oxford they found that a search was being made there after Mr Heath had been reported as missing.
Mr C. Bird, an AA road patrol man living at Northgate, Louth, was the first to notice that Mr Heath seemed to be in trouble in Rasen market place.
He told the AA man: "My head feels awfully bad, I have lost my wife and little girl. I have been to look at my radishes and they have all gone. Where am I?"
Mr Heath, who was taken to see a doctor, was obviously a well educated man, said Mr Bird. He said he had been on active service as a paratrooper in the war.
He looked very worried, said Mr Bird, and he said: "This is not my car. It belongs to my wife."
After being notified by the police, Mrs Heath drove up to Lincolnshire in her husband's car with other members of the family.
She said: "It is a great relief to me to know that my husband is safe. We didn't know what had become of him and were very worried."

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