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Fashion
and Leisure
| Fashion
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Remember
when ...
Newborn
babies were taken out for an airing, they wore a veil over their
face. |
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Vera
Jeffers - born 1925
 "During
the war, most women went to a great detail of trouble to look smart,
and this was encouraged by the Government, as a moral booster. Photographers
did a roaring trade taking glamorous pictures of us, to send to
our boyfriends and husbands. We girls slapped on the leg make up
and stood for hours in queues for a lipstick, or a box of face powder".
"We
trimmed and retrimmed what few clothes we had to smarten them up
and make them different.  It鈥檚
surprising what a bit of lace or ribbon could do for an old dress.
We made earrings out of buttons and fuse wire and necklaces from
shell. We used to weave pieces of cellophane paper together to make
belts!".
"Furniture was "rationed", and all we could afford when we
got married was a table and 4 chairs, a sideboard, a bed and dressing
table, 2 lino squares and 10 yards of curtain material. Relations
were kind and help out with blankets and eiderdowns".
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| Fashion
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Remember
when ...
There
was a post box on the back of the last tram. |
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Tina
Silverstone - born 1929
 "After
the war, in l947, fashion for women was changed dramatically by the
"New Look" by Christian Dior - full skirts and slim waists. After
years of wearing overalls and service uniforms, women couldn鈥檛 wait
to be seen in these flatteringly feminine clothes.
My father, being a tailor, made me a beautiful coat and blue, long
line suit with a fitted skirt. I felt really "chic". |
| Leisure
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Remember
when ...
People
relied on factory hooters and the one o'clock gun to tell the
time.. |
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Margaret
Gillin - born 1932
"In the late l940s and early 50s, secondhand bikes could be bought
quite cheaply, and we felt as though we owned the road, cycling every
Sunday. The 8 o clock ferry from Woodside would be full of cyclists
heading for North Wales.
 "Holidays
were beyond our means, but there was a Government sponsored scheme
entitled "Lend a Hand on the Land", which was looked upon as a type
of holiday. It was possible to work on a farm for a week, giving you
the chance to see different parts of the country.
"Our accommodation was in converted Army huts, quite comfortable,
and a novelty for us. After breakfast we were given a packed lunch,
then worked all day, gethering the harvest, hoeing and so on. It was
a lot of fun, so different from our work in factories and what鈥檚 more,
we got paid. Evenings were spent in the village pub, drinking shandies
or local cider.
"When I look back I am reminded of the young men who sometimes
worked alongside us in the fields. They spoke with strong European
accents, and they would help us when we got too much hay on our pitchforks
and went staggering around the field like a demented scarecrow! My
abiding memory is the sound of them singing on the lorry after their
day鈥檚 work - the "Red River Valley", in so many different accents".
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Get
involved!!
Add your own merseyside memories to the 大象传媒 website. Each monthly edition
of The Mersey Times is written and compiled by local groups, colleges, schools
or individuals.
The aim of the Mersey Times is to tell the story of a particular piece of
Merseyside history - in words and images. Click
here to send your memories here |
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