...a Status Quo concert ticket

A Status Quo concert ticket from 23rd December 1972. This was the year of their first truly successful album Piledriver, released just a week before this concert, with the classic lineup up of Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster and Coughlan.

It included the track Paper Plane, which became a hit single.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhwCqAmggnM

...a ninety-nine year old Christmas gift

"To my dear sweetheart. Wishing you a happy Christmas. Your loving husband Fred. 24th Dec. 1917."

We shall never know the identity of this affectionate couple, who have doubtless long-since departed this world. But this touching expression of sentiment remains.

Among this anthology of Longfellow's poems is his marvellous Psalm of Life.

 

Lives of great men all remind us

   We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

   Footprints on the sands of time

...the continuing conflict

Christmas 1916 was a miserable one for the progress of the War, with the bloody Battles of the Somme and Verdun barely over, and the 1915 Battle of Champagne - to which this postcard refers, and during which some fifty thousand died - by then just a distant memory.

There was no Christmas truce in the trenches this year, as there had been in 1914, and even in a few places in 1915.

"The War to end all wars" ground on.

...Edwardian Christmas Postcard

It is generally accepted that the modern Christmas celebration, of cards, decorated fir trees, carols and exchanges of presents, was a Victorian invention. Indeed, it is sometimes said that Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, was largely responsible for popularising the traditions. Others credit the influence of Charles Dickens' immensely successful 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. What do I think of Christmas?  Do I say "Bah Humbug"? No, I say "God bless us everyone".

...a concert ticket

This concert at the Crystal Palace Bowl in June 1972 was not exactly a washout, but those of us who came unprepared for a not untypical British summer's day suffered a real soaking from a thunderstorm.

The line-up of groups was great: Joe Cocker, Richie Havens, The Beach Boys. But the day was cold and miserable and, as one young attendee reflected, there was a lack of any atmosphere.

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/Garden-party-72.html

The whole concert was apparently filmed, but only extracts of it now seem to be available.

Here is taste of that day: https://youtu.be/uS6m0fN-Ow0

...Royal Engineers' insignia

Here is another mystery. This is Royal Engineers insignia from the Second World War. But what is the significance of the warthog, since I can find no reference connecting it to the Royal Engineers?

Did the different companies of Engineers have different emblems?

...a mystery float

Here is a photograph dating from the early years of the twentieth century. Who were these people? Why had they decorated a float? Were they participating in a parade? There are no real clues in the photograph, except that they had paused on the road near a church or chapel, and that all were dressed in their best, other than the bearded gentleman holding the horse.

...German minefield Flag

This wartime souvenir was a marker for German minefields during the Second World War.

It is stamped RLM for Reich Air Ministry, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, which is a slight puzzle, though the person who acquired it did visit the V2 rocket launch site at Cuxhaven, Germany, in 1945 and may have collected it there.

The Germans used a variety of signs to mark minefields, usually with a skull and crossed bones, including a triangular cloth version of this sign.

...Royal signatures

This insert from a Christmas card sent in 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was rescued from a waste paper bin, hence the cigarette burn.

By legend, the card - of which the picture part is missing -  was sent to a close relative of Queen Elizabeth, the mother of our present Queen.

Then, as now, it was common for royal signatures to be done by an autopen machine, since so many royal signatures were required. And it is possible that the King's signature here was done in that manner. However, it is likely that the card was genuinely signed by Queen Elizabeth because she omitted the letter "R" for Regina from the end of her name, which you normally see on her autopen signature, and one would expect that a card sent to (say) a sister, aunt or cousin to be personally signed.

...a playful postcard

This postcard dated 1902 to a single lady has a message in backward writing and an inverted stamp. The positioning of a stamp on a postcard at this time often signified some friendly or romantic message, although sources differ somewhat as to the potential meanings.

http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Language-of-Stamps.jpg

This card was sent the very year that postcards first began to have a divided back on which to write both the address and the message.

I leave the reader to decipher the message, if they wish.

...Sad Sack comics 1960's

Sad Sack was a cartoon character invented and drawn by the American cartoonist George Baker (1915-1975). Baker did not however write the stories that he illustrated. The name Sad Sack was a shortened version of a then common, and mildly rude, phrase referring to an inept person or american soldier. (See the Wikipedia link below for more information).

The comics were imported and sold in the UK for 9d, that is nine old pence. But if memory serves me correctly, they were not available in mainstream newsagents, such as W H Smith, and one had to search them out, as one did the DC comics featuring Superman, Batman, the Flash etc.

Here is a typical example of Sad Sack's exploits.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sad_Sack

...a sketch of Samer 1815

This ink sketch of the market place at Samer, in Normandy, Northern France, is dated 1815, and is probably originally from a traveller's sketch book, possibly someone British, if the pencil inscription is contemporary with the drawing.

The date is significant because 1815 was the period of Napoleon's so-called Hundred Days, which culminated in his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium on 18 June. This picture may date from just after this time, when many travelled to the newly liberated French capital, and may well have passed through Samer.

It shows a gentle scene; a woman carrying a pail, a lady holding a child, who seems to have a second child attached to her dress by a cord. A man lies prone, reading a book, together with others.  And behind them is the church of St Martins, to which unusually abuts a string of houses. One interesting difference. The artist shows a square bell tower, whilst the ancient shape is seemingly octagonal. A bit of poetic licence perhaps?

It is a scene that has changed little in two hundred years, as photos on the town website indicate:

http://www.ville-samer.fr/

...the Afflicted Man's Companion

This work from 1800 is not, as might be supposed, a medical textbook. Rather it is essentially a religious tome containing numerous injunctions to stoicism in the face of illness and infirmity.

An extract reads, "Be not anxious for recovery to health; but leave the issue of the present sickness to the will and pleasure of the infinitely wise God."

It was written by the evangelical minister John Willison and first published in 1737, remaining in print for more than a century.

See Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willison

 This particular book was presented to Miss Mary Gilmour on 13 July 1819, and we can only speculate on the reason for someone choosing such a gift.

...a family portrait

By Edwardian times, when this photograph of an anonymous group was taken, the average size of family had already shrunk to just three children. So, to raise nine children was by then untypical. (I've assumed these are all the offspring of the seated patriarch and matriarch, as their distinctive chins would suggest.)

Today, in some developed countries - Germany is one example - the birth rate has fallen below what is considered to be the replacement ratio of 2.1 children. In Japan it is said to have reached a rather alarming 1.5, and is expected to result in a rapidly declining population over the next few decades, despite life expectancy continuing to increase, which naturally acts in the opposite direction, to shore up the level of population.

The current world population of 7.3 billion is increasing by around eighty million a year, and on some predictions will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. After that, however, some predict it will fall because of declining birth rates. Just how rapidly it falls, if at all, may depend on how successful (if that is the correct word) medical science proves at extending lifespan. The question is often put. Might future generations live typically to 200, or beyond ?

...a Russian tinplate toy

This wind-up Russian tinplate toy dates from around 1990, which indicates just how recently the (then) Soviet Union was producing these sharp-edged playthings. With a bit of encouragement it still hops.

The word on the little cardboard box simply says Frog.

...comic examples of corporal punishment

Is it ever acceptable to discipline children by beating them? It is apparently still just about legal in the UK. And why are comic depictions of it considered humorous?

This anthropomorphic example is from 1910.

And the following example is from a 1970's Beano comic.

...a postcard of New Street station Birmingham

This postcard, which dates from around 1900 and doubles as a birthday card, shows activity at New Street station, Birmingham. The staff appear to have paused for the photograph, whilst the passengers have not. The time was precisely...er...oh dear. Either the hands have dropped off the clock, or they have moved too swiftly to be captured on camera.

The tower, top left, is a mystery to me.

...Driving Test Failure Form

This is a driving test failure form from the mid 1960's These were normally handed to the applicant at the end of the test by the examiner with the dreaded words, "I'm sorry to tell you that on this occasion you have not reached the required standard.." Alternatively, if you had passed your test, you would be given a pink slip together with a comment such as, "I am pleased to tell you..."

I have removed the name and address of the candidate on this form for reasons of privacy. The person involved failed their driving test for improper use of mirrors, and then discarded the form, as its somewhat crumpled appearance attests.

Compulsory driving tests were introduced by the Road Traffic Act of 1934, but suspended during the Second World War. There are, therefore, still licenced drivers on the roads today who have not taken a driving test, as they learned to drive during the war, often for military purposes.

...promotional postcards early 1900's

How did you get your advertising message across a hundred years ago? By placing adverts in newspapers and periodicals. But also, as now, by direct mail, especially to the more prosperous classes.

These four cards, dating from 1904-1912 were sent to a vicar and his wife, promoting Indian tea, Madame Howe's Birmingham clothing emporium, Malvern open gardens and a chilblain remedy.

This method capitalized on the cheap and speedy postal system.

..Dryden's Fables published 1734

This is a fourth edition of Dryden's Fables by the poet, playwright, and the first Poet Laureate, John Dryden (1631-1700).

It is his translation from the Latin of works of Homer, Ovid's Metamorphosis, Boccaccio, and from the Middle English, several of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

It begins with a sixteen page dedication to his patron, The Duke of Ormond, a sadly necessary piece of sycophancy for the talented but impecunious writers of that era.

I'm reminded of Samuel Johnson's definition of a patron in his famous 1755 dictionary: " One who countenances, supports or protects. Commonly a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery"

The Duke of Ormond (1610-1688) perhaps doesn't quite deserve this insult. He was a colourful character, a Royalist who served Charles I during the English Civil War, and later Charles II after the restoration of the monarchy. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, as is John Dryden, the latter in Poets' Corner.

...Bampton Station Oxfordshire circa 1910

This hopeful looking group, with their baggage, are perhaps setting out on a works outing, though seem well wrapped against the weather.

Bampton station in Oxfordshire - not to be confused with the one in Devon - was part of the East Gloucestershire Railway, which opened in 1873, and the line ran as shown on the following map.

Courtesy: Afterbrunel - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37706360 


It was subsequently renamed Brize Norton and Bampton, and closed in 1962, though the line remained in part use until about 1970. Nothing now remains of the line or station, but some addtional information about its history and some interesting photographs can be found at:

http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/Bampton.htm

..a Petrol Ration Book from 1973

The oil crisis of 1973, which resulted in the quadrupling of the oil price, was a consequence of the Yom Kippur War between Israel and various Arab states, which caused the Arab OPEC nations to impose embargoes on the export of oil to Western economies as punishment for their support of Israel.

This ration book for an 1000cc vehicle, was issued by the UK Government, and contains petrol vouchers for six months.

 

In the UK the oil crisis was coincidentally combined with an overtime strike by coal miners, which led to the introduction of the three day working week, in conjunction with planned electricity cuts nationwide.The ration books were ultimately never needed, as the crisis passed.

This extract from the website www.racfoundation.org gives further details of the effect of the oil crisis on the motorist.

"From the very beginning of the crisis, motorists were asked to economize in the use of fuel. Peter Walker, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and cabinet minister responsible for the energy sector, asked on 24 October 1973 that “motorists should endeavour to cut down on petrol consumption and to use public transport to a greater extent where that is available.” By 19 November, the government introduced a 10% reduction in all oil supplies and appealed for voluntary avoidance of driving at weekends and a voluntary reduction in maximum speeds to 50 miles per hour (mph).

Significant shortages at the pumps and long queues were the immediate face of the oil crisis and there was soon a clamour for petrol rationing. Ration books were distributed to all motorists with effect from 29 November 1973.

Petrol rationing had been imposed during the Suez crisis of 1956 and, as shortages persisted, there was considerable pressure for rationing to be introduced on this occasion. However, this was resisted as an immediate measure by both Conservative and Labour ministers and by the end of March 1974 the short term threat of rationing had been effectively lifted as the supply situation eased. But government then considered a further rationing proposal called two tier petrol pricing.

It was planned that motorists would receive a small basic allowance of petrol at one price with further purchases being at a significantly higher price. This proposal was the subject of intense speculation at the beginning of 1975 but was eventually rejected on grounds of administrative complexity and the cost impact on motorists.

Motorists were however encouraged to retain their ration books in case of deterioration in the supply situation and a change of heart by government. The threat of rationing finally disappeared in July 1975 when motorists were told they could destroy the ration books. Speed limits were also a continuing focus of attention. The voluntary limit of 50 mph was made statutory in December and stayed in place until the end of March 1974, when it was lifted to 70 mph for motorways. The limit was subsequently increased for other roads in May but this proved only temporary as limits were reduced again in December as part of a package of energy saving measures. The new limits were 70 mph on motorways, 60 mph on dual carriageways and 50 mph on single carriageway roads. The limits were revised again in 1977 to the present structure. The government also decided in December 1974 to undertake a thorough review of all the medical and economic implications of any further reductions in the lead content of petrol.

There were measures to reduce energy use in other areas. At the most extreme, for a brief period British industry was working a three day week. The energy conservation package introduced in December also included restrictions on the use of electricity for advertising and on the heating of public buildings. But even so it is clear that the motorist was a particular target for reductions in energy use."