The way we were at Christmas, 1953
OVER the next week or two, we’ll be revisiting the festive periods of various years gone by, and recalling what was going on locally and in the wider world.
First off, we step back 65 years to 1953.
In the news, it was a year which had seen the coronation of a new monarch, Queen Elizabeth II; former World War II general, Dwight D Eisenhower, was inaugurated as the President of the United States; and the Korean War came to an end, with the nation split into North and South, thus sowing the seeds of future international tensions.
■■Local News:
The Chronicle was reporting in the run-up to Christmas how a last-minute rush was expected to crowd Britain’s railway stations.
Large turkeys, between 18lb and 20lb (and “big enough to feed two families”) were on sale in Newcastle.
And we told how “more table wines than in recent years will be gracing Tyneside’s meals over the holiday”.
■■Radio (and TV):
Reflecting the fact that the television boom was still around the corner in 1953, the Chronicle’s listing page was dominated by what was on the radio.
The Home Service, Light Programme, and Third Programme provided the main source of home entertainment.
For the relatively few folk who did own a newfangled TV set, there weren’t too many programmes on offer on the one channel, the highlights being Ray Martin and his Orchestra, and Animal. Vegetable. Mineral?
■■Pop charts:
The rock’n’roll craze was still two or three years away. The charts, which were still in their infancy in December 1953, included the likes of Frankie Laine with Answer Me; The Beverley Sisters with I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus; and Winifred Atwell with Let’s Have A Party. Groovy!
■■At the cinema:
At a time when picture halls across the region were still packing audiences in, some of the big movie hits included Calamity Jane, The Robe, From Here to
Eternity, and Shane. ■■Toy and games:
The first Scrabble sets, made by JW Spears and Sons, went on sale in Britain in 1953. Also, the first Airfix model aircraft, the Spitfire MK1, was a favourite Christmas present for boys this year.
■■Prices: For those who could afford it, a new house would set you back £2,000. If you were heading to the shops, 20 cigarettes would cost 22p (in today’s money), 1lb of cheese was 12p, a dozen eggs was 23p, and 1lb of butter was 10p.
■■Science and technology: There was bad news for the millions of people in Britain who smoked when it was reported cigarettes could cause lung cancer.
Scientists Crick and Watson,
meanwhile, unveiled their pivotal work on DNA, chromosomes and heredity.
■■Deaths:
Among those who passed away in 1953 were Soviet leader Joseph Stalin; Queen Mary, wife of King George V; and Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.
■■ Newcastle United:
The Toon were sitting in fifteenth place in the First Division when they began their busy festive programme in 1953.
A 1-1 draw at Roker Park, Sunderland, on December 19 was followed on Christmas Day by a 3-2 win over Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park. On Boxing Day, as was often the practice in that era, the Boro made the return trip to St James’ Park, winning 3-2 on that occasion.
And on New Year’s Day, 1954, a Jackie Milburn brace gave the Magpies a 2-1 win over Blackpool at Gallowgate.
The first model Airfix model aircraft, the Spitfire MK1, was a favourite boy’s Christmas present in 1953