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The Reminiscence and Activities Newspaper

3rd - 9th October 2011

TODAY IN HISTORY

IN THIS ISSUE Let me introduce you to the magazine! Here’s what you can expect to find: • Today in History, day by day, and what happened! (pages 1 to 4) • The “Way We Were” columns (pages 5 to 6) • A man’s point of view! (pages 6 to 7) • Readers’ Letters, “Over to You” - write in and we’ll print it! (page 8) • Your quizzes - have fun! (page 9) • A final singalong to enjoy! (page 10)

On 3rd October 1952, Food Minister Gwilym Lloyd George announced in a speech in Newcastle, that tea rationing was about to end. It had taken almost 7 years after the end of the Second World War, to restore the supply of tea. Tea auctions and trading resumed in London, but prices were controlled. It had been 12 years since people could enjoy an unlimited number of ‘cuppas’. Rationing began very soon after the war started. By the end of the war, the weekly ration was increased to 3 ounces per person.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 4th October 1957, a Russian satellite, Sputnik, was launched into space. It was the first man-made object ever to get beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. It circled the earth every hour-and-a half, at a distance of 560 miles.

On 5th October 1968, police in Northern Ireland used batons and water cannons to break up a civil rights march. It happened in Londonderry. At least 30 people were injured. Some of them were women and children.

Scientists expected the Sputnik to burn up in the atmosphere, but they had no idea how long that would take. In the meantime, it was sending back radio signals that interested radio enthusiasts as well as the scientists. It continued to transmit signals for another three weeks.

Reports said that police tried to disperse the protesters by lashing out indiscriminately with their batons. They had hoses connected to armoured trucks carrying water. The demonstrators retaliated with petrol bombs. The protest was about discrimination against Catholics by the Protestant controlled local authority.

TODAY IN HISTORY

October 6th is the Feast Day of Saint Bruno. He was born in Cologne in what is now Germany, some time around the year 1030. He was the founder of the Carthusian Order of monks. Bruno was a man of letters and a celebrated teacher. One of his pupils became Pope Urban II, and Bruno remained a close advisor to him. He was a writer as well as a founder of the Carthusians. He composed commentaries on the Psalms and on the Epistles of Saint Paul. He is the Patron Saint of Calabria.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 7th October 1913, Henry Ford the car manufacturer, introduced a new way of working. Instead of everyone building a complete car, each worker carried out one task over and over again. The parts came past the worker on a moving line, that we now call a conveyor belt. Ford got the idea from a slaughterhouse and meatpacking company in Chicago. As a result of this new way of working, another Ford car came off the assembly line every 3 minutes! Wages went up, and injury rates went down. So did the price of cars.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 8th October 2002, the actress Phyllis Calvert died. She was well-known for her work on stage screen and TV. She was one of the stars in the Gainsborough Melodramas of the 1940s.

On 9th October 1940, St Paul’s Cathedral in London was hit by a bomb. It is one of London’s most famous landmarks. It dates from the 17th century and was designed by the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. There has been a cathedral on the same site since AD 604.

Phyllis Calvert started her career at a young age. She was only 12 when she landed her first film role. She made several more films before making her stage debut in 1939, in London, in a play called A Woman’s Privilege. She became one of the highest paid stars of her generation in Britain. Phyllis Calvert acted in more than 40 films.

It was a miracle that St Paul’s survived the Blitz in WW2. It was hit again the following year. On that night in 1940, Sir Winston Churchill insisted that all fire-fighting resources be sent to St Paul’s. He said damage to the fabric of the cathedral would sap the morale of the country.

THE WAY WE WERE

I wonder how many readers like Coconut Cake? I used to really dislike coconut macaroons, but I liked Bounty Bars and I liked Coconut Sponge. It couldn’t have been the flavour of the coconut that I disliked. Maybe it was the flaky texture of the macaroons. Coconut Cake, the way I made it, was a basic Victoria Sponge recipe with a generous helping of dessicated coconut added with the flour. It had a layer of raspberry jam in the middle. The best bit was the topping -a generous layer of icing with lots of coconut sprinkled on it.

THE WAY WE WERE

Did you have a rota for cleaning things and household jobs? I never managed to limit washing just to Mondays once we had the girls, but I did try to get all the ironing done the day after a big wash. Thursday was ‘bedroom day’. There were rugs to beat, and window sills to clean as well as changing bed-linen. I liked ironing bed-linen. There were no fiddly gathers and sleeves just large flat white cotton. As long as you didn’t let it get too dry it ironed well. The kitchen floor got mopped every day. Cleaning the oven - well, that’s another story...

THE WAY WE WERE

I suppose this is the time of year that many young people leave home for the first time, when they go to University. Starting life as an independent young adult, in another town, is an exciting phase. Fewer people of our generation started adult life that way, and I sometimes feel quite envious. We were more likely to leave school and get a job locally. Many people lived with their parents until they got married. Some of the parents take it quite hard. After grumbling for years about running a taxi service, they miss the little darlings!

DO YOU REMEMBER?

I was but a lad when Stan Mortensen was at his peak as a footballer with Blackpool and England. I’m told that Uncle Fred took me to see him play once, but I can’t remember where or when. Playing alongside Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen was a deadly marksman. The 1953 Cup Final is always remembered as the ‘Matthews Final’ but it was Stan Mortensen who scored three of the goals. Stan is the only player to hit a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup final. He was also the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, and also the first Englishman to score in the tournament proper.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

My mate Paul got himself a smart car – a Jowett Javelin. It was far from new but polished up nicely and it certainly attracted the girls. That summer he managed to persuade Julie – one of the best lookers around – to go out with him. We said the car was the attraction but Paul said it was him. He learned the truth one summer afternoon.

We had a gatepost with a concrete cap that kept falling off. No matter what I did, within 6 months of cementing it back onto the post the darn thing would need fixing again. ‘One of these days’, Angie told me, ‘it’s going to fall off and hurt one of the kids.’

mx5cartalk.com

DO YOU REMEMBER?

He was taking Julie for a ride when the heavens opened and the roads flooded. As Paul drove through a deep puddle on the side of the road, water gushed up through a hole in the door completely soaking Julie. Relationship over.

It was Mr Noggins next door who solved the problem. He told me to glue it on! I said it was a ridiculous idea. He said all I needed was the right kind of glue. Next day he came round with some Araldite, mixed it up, put 4 or 5 splodges on the post and set the cap in place. That was 20 years ago and the cap still fits – perfectly!

OVER TO YOU

Dear Mary and Jimmy I was a teacher until I retired 15 years ago. This time of year always reminds me what a challenge the autumn term was. Children came back to a new class after the summer holidays, so there was always a bit of settling in and settling down to do. By the time the term was half way through, nights were drawing in and the weather wasn’t always good for playing out, so there were times when children hadn’t run off enough energy and were fidgety in class. Then there was Bonfire Night and Christmas to look forward to. Busy term! Best wishes from Joan

Dear Mary and Jimmy There must be many Sparkles readers who, like me, were great Gene Autry fans in their youth. He was ‘The Singing Cowboy’, with the horse called Champion. He started to get well known in the 1930s, but it was in the 40s, when I was about 10, that I remember him best. (Although I thought he was called ‘Jean’ to begin with!) What I didn’t know until recently was that he wrote Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. They must be two of the most often sung Christmas songs of all time. Best wishes from Eric

FAIRY TALES QUIZ

SPACE QUIZ What do you know about the ‘Space Race’?

Name the fairy tales shown in the pictures below.

1. Who was the first man to be sent into space? (a) Nikita Krushchev (b) Yuri Gagarin (c) Leo Tolstoy

4. What instrument would you use to study the stars? (a) periscope (b) stethoscope (c) telescope

ANSWERS

3. www.childrensillustrator.de

3. Who said: ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’? (a) Neil Armstrong (b) Bobby Kennedy (c) Barack Obama

ANSWERS 1. Red Riding Hood 2. Sleeping Beauty 3. Hansel and Gretel

l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com

2. What is Planet Earth’s natural satellite? (a) Mars (b) The Moon (c) Venus

1. Yuri Gagarin 3. Neil Armstrong

2. The Moon 4.Telescope

FELONIOUS SINGALONG

CLEANER’S SINGALONG

When the enterprising ---- not a-burgling When the cut throat isn't occupied in crime He loves to hear the ---- brook a-gurgling And ---- to the merry village chime When the coster's finished ---on his mother He loves to lie a-basking in the ---Taking one consideration with ---A policeman's ---- is not a happy one When constabulary duties to be ----, to be done A policeman's lot is not a ---one.

I go window cleaning to ---- an honest bob. For a nosey ---- it's an interesting job Now it's a ---- that just suits me A window cleaner you would be If you could see what I can ---When I'm cleaning windows. The honeymooning couples ----, You should see them bill and coo You'd be surprised at ---- they do When I'm cleaning windows. The chamber ---- sweet names I call It's a wonder I don't ----. My mind’s not on my work at all ---- I'm cleaning windows

ANSWERS 1. earn 4. see 7. maid

2. parker 5. too 8. fall

ANSWERS 3. job 6. things 9. when

1. burglar's 2. little 4. jumping 5. sun 7. lot 8. done

3. listen 6. another 9. happy

The Weekly Sparkle Carer’s Notes

The Weekly Sparkle • The Reminiscence Newspaper • Carer’s Notes • 3rd - 9th October 2011

The Reminiscence and Activities Newspaper

3rd - 9th October 2011

Each% week,% our% writers% Mary% and%Jimmy,% bring%their%memories% and%reminiscences% to% life,%in%a%variety%of%columns%that%are%written%especially%for%your%residents. Use% these% pages% to% encourage% your% residents% to% relive% their% own% memories.% Ask% questions,% listen,%reassure.%Acknowledge%each% person’s% contribution,%as%this%is% a%great% opportunity%to%give%quiet%people%a%chance%to%express%themselves.

"__________________________________ TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years

PAGE"1"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years)•"3rd"October"1952 Tea"rationing"to"end Background: Food Minister Gwilym Lloyd George was the son of David Lloyd George the

former Prime Minister. Rationing was gradually ended, but not all foods came off the list at once. Tea was one of the first. Questions: How did people manage when foods were rationed? Can you remember rationing? Which food did you miss the most when supplies were short? Did you celebrate when rationing ended? How did you celebrate?

PAGE"2"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years)•"4th"October"1957 Sputnik Background: Sputnik was the name of the first satellite sent into space by the Russians.

The name was often used, inaccurately, to mean Russian spacecraft in general Questions: Do you remember when the first spacecraft was launched into space? Did you see any pictures of it at the time? Did you think there would be a man on the moon in your lifetime?

PAGE"2"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years)•"5th"October"1968 Londonderry"Riots Background: ‘The Irish Question’ was often in the news during the 1960s and reports of

‘troubles’ were frequent. Methods of crowd control and dealing with riots were often controversial. Questions: Do you remember reading about or hearing about the riots in Londonderry? How do you think the police should deal with this kind of action?

PAGE"3"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years)•"6th"October,"every"year Feast"Day"of"Saint"Bruno Background: Like many Saints, St Bruno was associated with an Order of monks - the

Carthusians. They are sometimes called The Order of St Bruno. Bruno was a wise and well-educated man at a time when only a small number of people had the opportunity for learning. Copyright © 2011, Everyday Miracles Ltd. All rights reserved. www.dailysparkle.co.uk

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The Weekly Sparkle • The Reminiscence Newspaper • Carer’s Notes • 3rd - 9th October 2011 Questions: Had you heard of Saint Bruno? Which saints do you think are the most well-

known? Is there a Saint associated with your name? Is your birthday a feast day for a Saint?

PAGE"3"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years)•"7th"October"1913 First"Assembly"Line Background: Henry Ford introduced the assembly line style of working in his car factory,

as a way of reducing production costs. He claimed there were health benefits, and certainly wages were raised when production increased. On the other hand, people were often bored with carrying out the same small tasks repeatedly. Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) were a risk too. Ford thought about patenting his method, but decided against it. Questions: Have you ever worked on an assembly line? What do you think are the advantages? What are the disadvantages?

PAGE"4"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY•"through)the)years)•"8th"October"2002 Phyllis"Calvert Background: Phyllis Calvert was a pretty and popular star with a long and successful

career. Although she was very successful in the UK, she did not have the same success in Hollywood because the studios refused to pay the high salary she demanded. Questions: Do you remember Phyllis Calvert? Have you seen any of her films? Which ones? Where did you see it? Did you used to take sweets to the cinema? What sort did you like to take? Did you ever buy popcorn in the cinema?

PAGE"4"•"TODAY"IN"HISTORY"•"through)the)years)•"9th"October"1940 St"Paul’s"cathedral"hit"by"bomb Background: It is probably surprising that such large landmarks survived the blitz in

London. St Pauls was hit more than once, but, thankfully, was not significantly damaged. Questions: Did you hear about St Pauls being bombed? How did you hear about it? Were any large buildings bombed near to where you lived? Have you ever been to St Paul’s Cathedral? What famous buildings have you visited?

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THE"WAY"WE"WERE"•"from)Mary’s)point)of)view PAGE"5"•"Coconut"cake Background: Dessicated coconut, used in baking, is not to everyone’s liking. It might be

the texture more than the flavour that people dislike. Questions: Do you like coconut? Have you ever eaten it fresh? Where did you get it from? What was it like? Do you like dessicated coconut? How do you use it? How would you describe the texture of coconut?

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The Weekly Sparkle • The Reminiscence Newspaper • Carer’s Notes • 3rd - 9th October 2011

PAGE"5"•"Household"tasks Background: Some housewives were very organised and had a regular day for each chore.

Traditionally Monday has always been wash day. Other jobs took place in the rest of the week. Some jobs did not need to be done every week. Questions: Did you have a set pattern for housework tasks? Which jobs did you do on which days of the week? Were there any jobs that you did , say, fortnightly or monthly? Which were those? What happened if you couldn’t do a chore on its proper day?

PAGE"6"•"Leaving"home Background: October is traditionally the start of the new academic year for many colleges

and universities. New students often leave home to go to University in another city or even abroad. It’s an exciting time for them, but do parents miss them or feel a new sense of freedom? Sparkles’ readers - the grandparent generation - will be reminded about how it felt when their children grew up and left home. Questions: Is there anyone in your family or circle of friends with children leaving home this month? How do you think they feel about it? What was it like when your children left home? Did they leave home to work somewhere else, or study, or get married? !

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DO"YOU"REMEMBER?"•"from)Jimmy’s)point)of)view PAGE"6"•"Stan"Mortensen Background: Stanley Harding Mortensen played 25 times for England scoring 23 goals

between 1947 and 1953. From 1941 to 1955 he played 317 times for Blackpool, scoring 197 goals in the process. He briefly managed Blackpool between 1967 and 69. He died in 1991. Questions: What was your favourite sport? Did you play it or just follow it? Do you remember Stan Mortensen? How do you think today’s footballers would get on in the 1950s game?

PAGE"7"•"Jowett"Javelin"car Background: Just over 23,000 Jowett Javelins were produced between 1947 and 1953 at the

Jowett Cars production site near Bradford. Its flowing streamlined body was very different from anything they had previously made or other cars on the market. It certainly caught the eye as it went by. Questions: Can you remember your first car? What was it? Did you have any nasty surprises with it like Jimmy’s friend Paul had? What was the best car you ever had? What made that one the best?

PAGE"7"•"Araldite"glue Background: Araldite is a two-part epoxy adhesive developed during WW2. It comes in

two tubes – a resin and a hardener - which are mixed together as needed and then applied as normal glue. The resulting joint is pretty much impervious to extremes of temperature and virtually any other problem as well. Questions: What do you think of Mr Noggin’s solution to Jimmy’s gatepost problem? What do you think you may have done? Have you ever used special sorts of glue? How about Araldite – have you ever used that? Copyright © 2011, Everyday Miracles Ltd. All rights reserved. www.dailysparkle.co.uk

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The Weekly Sparkle • The Reminiscence Newspaper • Carer’s Notes • 3rd - 9th October 2011

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OVER"TO"YOU"•"Readers’)Letters PAGE"8"•"Going"back"to"school,"Autumn"Term Background: In the UK, children have the longest holiday of the year across the summer.

In England and Wales they usually break up at the end of July and go back to school at the beginning of September. Children in Scotland break up earlier - in June - and school starts again in mid August. This makes it a long stretch until Christmas. Questions: Did you like going back to school after the Summer Holidays? Which school term did you like the best? What things happened at your school during the Autumn Term?

PAGE"8"•"Gene"Autry Background: Gene Autry was The Singing Cowboy on radio and television. He sang

popular songs, that he had often written himself. They were general interest or seasonal songs. ‘Gene’ is often the shortened version of ‘Eugene’. Questions: Do you remember The Singing Cowboy? Why do you think he was called ‘Gene’? Do you like the name? What was his horse called? [Champion] !

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QUIZZES"•"for)fun PAGE"9"•"Space"" PAGE"9"•"Fairy"tales !

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SINGALONGS"•"to)prompt)recall PAGE"10"•"A"Policeman’s"lot"is"not"a"happy"one! PAGE"10"•"When"I’m"cleaning"windows

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