大象传媒

So what do you remember about 1968?

Was it your first year at school? Did you get married? Buy your first car? Get your first job? Go on your first date?

How old were you? What did you like, or dislike, about school?

What shops did you use? What events do you remember? Where did you play?

What were you doing in 1968? What did you do on a Saturday night? Where did you go?

It doesn't matter how insignificant you might think they are, your memories are vital to helping us build a picture of how life used to be.

And for thoseof you old enough to remember it, 大象传媒 Radio 4 is planning a series of programmes about 1968 - see the link on the right.

What do I do now?

Post your memories whether of social, cultural, political or sporting events from 1968.

Just select the day and month in the 1968 timeline to enter a memory. The links below and right will help you.

If you have any pictures of Derby or Derbyshire in 1968, we'd like to hear from you too! Please ensure they are your own pictures - and email them to derby@bbc.co.uk with some details about where and when they were taken.

And if you need you memory jogging, here are a few things to consider.

Derbyshire in 1968

JANUARY
Foot and mouth disease, which had more than 2,000 cases reported nationally, was affecting one farm per day in Derbyshire. The county council appealed to everyone to help prevent the disease from spreading by not going onto farm land, keeping away from infected areas, not going near cows, sheep and pigs.

Mackworth estate residents were organising a petition of protest against a 70 ft high chimney, which was built for the new Parkfield Cedars Secondary School for girls. Local people pointed out how unsightly the new structure was.

Around 500 pupils from Cavendish Junior School on Morley Road in Chaddesden were sent home because of a fire which gutted the schools dining room and put the heating system out of action.

FEBRUARY
South Derbyshire boxer fighter Jack Bodell successfully defended his Midlands area heavyweight title, when he out-pointed Johnny Prescott before a packed house at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall.

Arthur Stewart, the Derby County captain, married his childhood "sweetheart" Eileen Graham at New Mount Methodist church in Littleover.

MARCH
Derby's new one-way traffic system round the Market Place had been favourably received by motorists, in an effort to relieve severe congestion at the junction of Market Place and the Corn Market.

The number of people unemployed in the Derby area was 1,693.

Amen Corner, featuring Andy Fairweather-Lowe, performed at the Locarno Ballroom.

APRIL
Derby clockmakers John Smith & Sons were chosen to build a new clock and striking mechanism for the spire of St James's Church in Piccadilly, London, which had been badly damaged by the blitz in 1940.

MAY
The Queen visited Matlock. She arrived by train and was then driven from Matlock station to the Lea Green youth and sports training centre for a brief look around the house and gardens before going on to Lea Mills.

The Boundaries commission published its proposals for changes to Belper and South East Derbyshire electoral constituencies. It meant some people had to vote in Derby North West and a new seat of Derby South East.

JUNE
Pedestrians and a crane driver had a lucky escape when a crane overturned in Chellaston demolishing a steel and concrete bus shelter.

Rolls-Royce was testing the RB2-11 engine. The first full flight would be on a Lockheed aircraft using the new engine at the end of 1970.

Trent Motor Traction Company introduced its first conductor-less buses on four routes with light passenger traffic. More one-man buses were in the pipeline.

Pleasure boating at Matlock Bath was suspended as a huge oil slick formed on the River Derwent. It was believed that the oil had leaked from a boiler house of a factory on the riverside between Matlock Bath and Matlock.

Long Eaton's first discotheque, Unit One, was opened at the Granville Social Club on Derby Road. However, in June, magistrates refused to renew the music and dancing licence after hearing objections that the club was causing a lot of noise to local residents.

Dave Mackay

JULY
Dave Mackay joined Derby County from Spurs. Manager Brian Clough paid 拢5,000 for him.

AUGUST
Second Division Derby County lost their first four games of the season. Clough signed Sheffield United's Willie Carlin and the Rams then went 13 games undefeated and were on course for promotion.

SEPTEMBER
A new device was on the streets of Derbyshire - the breathalyser. There were reports that it had adversely affected (along with the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease) the business of pubs in rural areas.听Derby police said they would not apply the breathalyser for the sake of it after many expressed concern over the new gadget.

Work was in progress on the widening the carriageway at Warwick Avenue at its junction with Burton Road, making it dual carriageway.

OCTOBER
Derby County beat First Division Chelsea 3-1 in the League Cup Third Round replay was one of the greatest ever nights of football at the Baseball Ground.

NOVEMBER
Derbyshire got its one and only mention in Gerry Anderson's fictional "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons" in the comic TV21 as an alien craft, impervious to Cloudbase's nuclear attack, lands somewhere in Derbyshire. Of course, the ship is destroyed by Spectrum, tha Angels and the invincible Captain Scarlet!

DECEMBER
Eleven printers employed by Bemrose in Derby shared a pools win of 拢10,972. Stephen Boddy of Huntley Avenue in Spondon who made out the coupon on behalf of the syndicate, broke the news to his colleagues with great delight.

The usually quiet Dig Street in Ashbourne was shattered by a blast, when a passerby threw down a lighted match which caused a gas explosion followed by a sheet of flame.听 People rushed out of the shops and pubs to see what had happened. The new gas main was being laid in the area and it was believed that the explosion was an accumulated pocket of gas.

The cost of living

These are some of the typical prices of goods and services as advertised in the Derby Evening Telegraph in 1968:

HOUSE PRICES...
Second hand
3 Bed Bungalow, Shardlow - 拢4,550
2 Bed Bungalow, Kirk Ireton - 拢5,995
3 Bed semi, Chellaston - 拢2,700

GROCERIES...
At the True Value shops in Normanton and Chaddesden...
Large baked beans - 11d
Three tins of soup -听 3/-
1lb听 of Black Magic chocs - 7/9
1lb Dairy Box chocs - 6/11
One dozen Oxo cubes - 2/-
Turkey - 4/8 per pound
3lb 12oz Norfolk Chicken - 10/9

At Tesco's in Duckworth Square...
Giant Corn Flakes - 2/2
Bird's Dream Topping - 1/3
Half pound of butter - 1/5
Two toilet Rolls - 1/5

Elsewhere...
Ambrosia sliced peaches听 - 1/3
Ambrosia rice pudding - 10d
Heinz baked beans - 1/-
Mawell house coffee 4oz听 - 4/2

Cotton Sports shirt - 35/-
Cotton Men's Trousers - 29/11

East Midlands Electric were offering a futuristic twin-tub washing machine for only 51 Guineas.

MOTORING...
New...
Volvo 144 - 拢1,353

Second hand...
1963 Mini Cooper - 拢310
1964 Vauxhall Victor听 - 拢595
1962听 Morris Minor 拢195

J.A. Else and Son of Codnor were offering a free car radio with every new car sold!

At Don Amott Caravans, Eggington Junction...
The new Nene valley Caravan - 拢249

DECORATING
New Midlands Paint Supllies, Burton Road, Littleover...
Pint of Gloss - 6/3
Paste Tables - 52/6
Ceiling Paper - 7/9 a roll
Qtr of emulsion 10/6
Polycell Tiles - 9/3 a box