august monthly by The Daily Sparkle

The Willows Monthly Sparkle

The Reminiscence and Activities Newspaper

August 2011

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 14th August 1969, the British Government sent troops into Northern Ireland. There had been three days and two nights of violence in the Bogside area of Londonderry. There had also been trouble in Belfast and other towns.

On 15th August 1950, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh had their second child. Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was born at Clarence House.

The British Home Secretary, James Callaghan was in a plane on his way to a meeting with Prime Minister Harold Wilson when he received a radio-phone message asking for the troops to be sent to Ireland. The soldiers were mainly from the 1st Battalion of the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment from Yorkshire.

Now, as well as being a hardworking member of the royal family, Princess Anne is respected for her success as a horsewoman. When she was 21 she won a title at the European Eventing Championship. In 1971 she was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She competed in the Olympic Games in 1976 as a member of the British equestrian team.

TODAY IN HISTORY

16th August 1977, was a very sad day for Elvis fans. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock’n’Roll, died after several years of deteriorating health. He had put on a huge amount of weight, and misused drugs prescribed by his doctor.

On 17th August 1959, the best selling album Kind of Blue was released. It was recorded by American jazz musician Miles Davis. The recording featured members of Miles Davis’s sextet. They were drummer Jimmy Cobb, two pianists - Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bass player Paul Chambers, and 2 saxophonists, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly.

80,000 fans lined the streets to watch the funeral procession make its way to Forest Hill Cemetery. In the years that followed, records released posthumously, continued to be big hits. Elvis Presley’s house, Graceland was opened to the public in 1982.

Many music writers think it was not only Miles Davis’s best selling album, but the best jazz albums of all time. Miles Davis is one of the most significant jazz musicians ever.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 18th August, 1969, the famous Woodstock Festival came to an end after three days and nights of non-stop ‘sex, drugs and rock’n’roll’. It was the first real rock festival. Woodstock was just outside New York. The rainstorms didn’t dampen people’s exuberance, and they danced naked in the muddy fields and had a jolly good time!

On 19th August 1745, the second Jacobite Rebellion took place. The first one was 30 years earlier in 1715. The rebellions and uprisings in Britain and Ireland, were aimed at bringing back the House of Stuart.

Singers and musicians included Janis Joplin, The Who, Grateful Dead and Joan Baez. A film of the festival was released the following year hippies and flower-power had arrived!

The last Jacobite Rebellion the one in 1745 - was led by Charles Edward Stuart, sometimes called ‘The Young Pretender’. In the following year he was disastrously defeated at the Battle of Culloden. This ended any hope of a Stuart restoration.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 20th August 1970, the England football captain Bobby Moore was cleared of stealing an emerald bracelet. He had been accused of taking the jewellery from a shop in a hotel in Bogota. He had been to the shop with fellow footballer Bobby Charlton, to find a present for Charlton’s wife. The police and judicial investigators said that Bobby Moore had been set up. He had been placed under house arrest, but allowed out so that he could take part in the World Cup match in Mexico. On 20th August he was given unconditional freedom.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 21st August 1968, dozens of people were killed in a military clampdown in Czechoslovakia. Several Czech leaders were arrested, including the Prime Minister Alexander Dubcek. Lyndon Johnson, who was President of the USA at that time said that promises in the United Nations Charter had been broken. In the capital, Prague, crowds of people gathered together chanting support for Mr Dubcek. They begged foreign troops to go home.The invasion drew criticism from all over the world.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 23rd August 1961, police in Bedfordshire launched a murder hunt. A man had been found dead in a car in a lay-by on the A6. His companion was very badly injured. They were work colleagues who had set off in the early evening with maps, to organise a car rally.

On 24th August 1954, Three Coins in a Fountain won an Academy Award for the best original song. It was sung by Frank Sinatra. The melody was written by Jule Styne and the words by Sammy Cahn.

The case became well known. James Hanratty was accused of the murder. He was one of the last people in Britain to be hanged. He always claimed that he was innocent and his family tried to clear his name. But in 2002, the Court of Appeal ruled that DNA evidence proved his guilt.

It was the title song for a film that tells the story of 3 American girls looking for romance in Rome. It was a popular belief that throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain while making a wish, would make the wish come true. The film itself also won awards. The song has become a standard in lots of singers’ repertoires.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 25th August 1918, Leonard Bernstein was born. He became one of the most famous composers and musicians in America. He was the Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for many years. He was born into a family of Ukrainian immigrants in Massachusetts. They encouraged his interest in music, and even as a child he showed great talent as a pianist. Many people will remember him best for the music he wrote for the film, West Side Story.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 26th August 1959, the President of the USA, Dwight D. Eisenhower landed in Bonn. It was the first day of his European tour. In a stirring speech, he pledged that “The American people stand by your side in ensuring that the loyal free people of free Berlin will, like yourselves always continue to enjoy that great privilege”. The West German Chancellor Konrad Adenaur welcomed President Eisenhower. He called him “the standard bearer of freedom throughout the world”. Crowds of over 100,000 cheered in welcome.

TODAY IN HISTORY

On 27th August 1950, the BBC transmitted the first ever live television pictures across the Channel. It was a two-hour programme broadcast live from Calais. It marked the 100th anniversary of the first message sent by cable under the sea from England to France.

On 28th August 1961, the Motown Record label had its first big hit. Please Mr Postman was the debut single by The Marvelettes and it reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart.

It had taken more than two months of planning to set up this broadcast. There were technical difficulties and the picture quality wasn’t very good. But British viewers watched celebrations in Calais with fireworks and dancing, with David Dimbleby as commentator.

Motown was a record label which was founded by Berry Gordy Junior in 1960. ‘Motown’ - short for Motor Town - was the nickname for Detroit, because it was a place where cars were manufactured. Although the first recordings were made there in Detroit, the company’s headquarters later moved to New York.

THE WAY WE WERE

Forgive me for mentioning underwear in a polite paper like the Daily Sparkle, but have you ever thought how strange it was to have pockets in knickers? When I was at school in the 1940s, our school uniform included dark blue cotton interlock knickers and they always had pockets. The pockets were small, and placed just above the right leg.

Did you ever see children with purple patches on their faces when you were young? It was Gentian Violet that was used to treat Impetigo. Impetigo was a common skin disease that was easily passed from one child to another. Grownups always tut-tutted about it, but I suppose you couldn’t help getting it if you were in contact with someone who already had it.

What on earth could you keep in there? It was no good for a hanky if you needed to use it often. You’d have had to keep lifting up the skirt of your gym-slip in a very unladylike way. One of life’s mysteries!

Gentian Violet used to sting like mad when it was first put on. It was used for cuts and scrapes too because it was a strong antiseptic. It would have been better if it was skin coloured wouldn’t it?

THE WAY WE WERE

Isn’t it interesting to watch children playing? We had some young visitors here this week and I was fascinated to see the toys they brought with them. One little girl had a bag full of toy cars and a fire engine. When we were young, I think the girls were only given girls toys, and it was the boys who played with cars. We got the toy saucepans and ironing boards! No wonder so many men were reluctant to help with the cooking and ironing! I did like my dolls, but I would have loved some of the noisy exciting toys my boy cousins had.

THE WAY WE WERE

There is always a lot about London in TV programmes on the Blitz. I’m always curious about what happened to other big cities. Hull, in the north east, was very badly bombed in the Second World War. It was the most severely bombed city after London. It was an important port and industrial city. Because it had a wide river and a large docks area, it was very easy to recognise from the air. This made it an obvious target. Nearly half the population of the city were made homeless as a result of bomb damage.

THE WAY WE WERE

The idea of sharing and fairness was drummed into my sister and me at an early age. It wasn’t always easy. Nothing put good manners and fair play to the test more than sharing a Mars Bar!

Do you like traditional puddings? I was thinking recently about Apple Charlotte. I suppose it was a bit like Summer Pudding, with a fruity middle and the outside made of bread. I always used to put a spoonful of Golden Syrup in with the apple. It usually ran out into the basin as it cooked, so you had a nice sweet sticky sauce on top of the pudding when you turned it out.

They cost fourpence, and it was a real treat on the rare occasions when we were allowed to have one. We had to cut it into 4 pieces one piece each after dinner, and one piece each after tea. We took in turns to cut, and the other one had first choice of which 2 pieces to take. You couldn’t take 2 end pieces because they had more chocolate!

Custard was always a ‘must’, unless you had cream with it. Every so often the cook here does ‘requests’. The one I ask for is always Apple Charlotte.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

wordsandpictures.me.uk

Do you remember the first ‘really difficult’ decision you ever had to make? I do – it was whether I should have battery lamps or a dynamo on my new bike! It took weeks for me to make up my mind. Would a dynamo wear out my tyre as the knurled top rubbed against it? How would I be able to see when I stopped pedalling? Would I be able to afford replacement batteries for a front and a rear lamp? Decisions, decisions. In the end I opted for battery lamps and rode off into the early winter darkness. By Christmas I had changed my mind and asked Santa for a modern dynamo. He brought me one!

Do you remember when any repairs to the road required a steam roller to come rumbling and smoking along? To me as a little lad they were awesome. They towered above me and surrounded me – and everyone else – with the smell of hot metal, burning coal and hissing steam. They would sit to one side, sounding like a waiting giant breathing softly while the workmen laid tar and stone chippings on the road. Then with a loud hiss of released steam they moved – rumbling forward then backward as they compressed the tarred chippings into a smooth new road surface. Wonderful!

DO YOU REMEMBER?

Charlie – one of my pals as a lad – had an uncle who was a railway level crossing man. He lived next to the track and was responsible for opening and closing the gates. It was not a busy line so when Charlie and me went to see him we could play quite happily on the railway. Can’t do that now.

The wartime Home Guard created many friendships that would last a lifetime. One friendship that went a bit further in our village was that of Billy Westerman and Jenny Padget – a London lass that had joined the Women’s Land Army. Back in 1944 they decided to get married.

One of our favourite games was to turn halfpennies into pennies! We would lay a ha’penny on the line before the train came, the train would squash it flat and – bingo – our ha’penny became a penny. Old Mr Rose in the local shop wasn’t fooled though. He would not take one in payment for a penny chew!

Nan Stanley told me all about it. Food was scarce but she managed to do ‘something special’ for them. She often talked about that wedding – especially the Guard of Honour that Billy’s Home Guard mates gave the couple as they left the church. Nan said it was so lovely and it brought tears of joy to her eyes whenever she thought of it.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

One thing you never see now is children playing Cowboys and Indians. As a lad it was a game that filled many days of our life. There was one year when they started to build some new houses just behind where we lived. There were holes where they were digging the foundations and piles of dug out dirt. After all the workmen had gone home for the evening, and at weekends, that landscape was perfect for us Indians to ambush the unsuspecting cowboys. If anyone from the film industry had seen us feigning wounds and death they would have signed us up there and then.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

We always sat down to watch Dad’s Army on TV. Dad said it was just like the real thing. I couldn’t believe anyone could be as stupid as they often were on the show. Then one weekend they held a dance at the village hall where everyone came in wartime clothes. There were a number of men there who were in the real Home Guard and I told them what I thought of the programme. One hour later I had a completely different viewpoint. The TV programme was right on the spot as regards the chaos and the bravery of the Home Guard.

OVER TO YOU

Dear Mary and Jimmy

OVER TO YOU

Dear Mary and Jimmy

When I was about 15, I desperately wanted to look grown up and fashionable. I persuaded my Mum to let me have a ‘duster coat’. It was a strange name.

What rich and interesting languages we have in the British Isles. I like hearing regional accents, and I like puzzling over slang words that you often hear in different parts of the country.

Mine was a powder blue colour, and it was made of cotton poplin. I wore it with matching pale blue cotton gloves and had a navy blue handbag and sling-back shoes. Looking back on it, they were exactly the same clothes that my mother wore. She had a yellow duster coat with cream shoes and bag. Girls don’t dress like their mothers now, do they?

In Cheshire an ‘attercob’ is a spider. ‘Baggin’ time’ is another way of saying ‘elevenses’ there. If you’re in Derbyshire, and you hear someone talking about the ‘dog-shelf’, they mean the floor. If they ‘bobby off’ it means they left in a hurry. In Devon and Cornwall, the locals call tourists ‘grockles’ and ‘emmets’. Aren’t they lovely colourful words?

Best wishes from Grace

Best wishes from John

OVER TO YOU

Dear Mary and Jimmy

I know from conversations I have with my grandaughters that these days some people wash their hair just about every day. We never did that when I was young - it was once a week at the most. It was a bit of a performance too.

When my sister and I were children, whenever we went on a journey in a car or by coach we always took a packet of Spangles each. We were both inclined to feel a bit travel-sick, but our parents said that Spangles cured it. We firmly believed it!

We were always told that if we washed our hair too often it would take all the strength out of it. Maybe shampoos were different then. We didn’t have much choice about conditioners either. Also we wouldn’t have dreamt of going outdoors with wet hair. How times have changed! Best wishes from Norma

I liked the way Spangles rattled against your teeth, because they were hard and square. But they also had a satisfying round dimple in the middle that you could stick the tip of your tongue into. I liked the fruit flavours best especially the green ones. Best wishes from Shirley

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ infotech.bplaced.net

ROYAL FAMILY QUIZ

1.Who first reached the South Pole? Was it Roald Amundsen or Captain Scott?

1. Our Queen has had four children. Can you name all four?

2. Where is the Sahara Desert? Is it North Africa or South America?

2. What is the title of Prince Charles?

3. Which song begins with the line: ‘Down yonder green valley where streamlets meander’? Is it ‘The Ash Grove’ or ‘ the Old House’?

4. Prince William recently married Kate Middleton. What title did they receive? 5. What was the full name of our Queen’s sister?

ANSWERS

4. Is Tresco part of the Isles of Scilly, or the Channel Islands? 5. Is a pyracantha an animal or a plant? 6. Was Elvis Presley an actor or a singer or both?

ANSWERS 1. Roald Amundsen 2. North Africa 3. The Ash Grove 4. Isles of Scilly 5. A plant 6. Both

3. Princess Anne was born 61 years ago today and she has been married twice. Who is the father of her children?

1. Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. 2. Prince of Wales or Duke of Cornwall 3. Captain Mark Phillips. 4. The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. 5. Princess Margaret Rose.

1950s RADIO QUIZ

PUDDING QUIZ

1. Which radio serial began in 1950 and is still going strong with a new episode every day, and an omnibus edition on Sundays?

Name these popular puddings:

2. Which broadcaster first had the unenviable task of ‘Educating Archie’? (a) Peter Brough (b) Max Bygraves (c) Sid James 3. Which radio family sitcom featured Bebe Daniels whose catchphrase was “I’ll die, I’ll just die!” Clue: ‘Life With The ----’

1. Filled with fruit and nuts, and great with cream. mg4.myrecipes.com

2. Mainly fruit and meringue. kraftrecipes.com

3. A mere ----

4. Which crazy comedy show brought Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan ,Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine to fame? cooksillustrated.com

ANSWERS 1. Baked apples 2. Pavlova 3. Trifle 4. Baked Alaska

ANSWERS

4. Cold on the inside and baked very fast!

1. The Archers 2. Peter Brough 3. Life With the Lyons 4. The Goon Show

THE GREAT PRETENDER SINGALONG Oh yes, I'm the great ---Pretending I'm doing well My need is such I pretend too ---I'm lonely but no one can ----

SINGALONG Peg o' my heart I'll love you don't let us part I love you I ---- knew it would be you Since I heard your lilting ----

Oh yes, I'm the great pretender

It's your ---- heart I'm after

Adrift in a world of my ----

Peg o' my heart

I play the game but to my real shame

Your glances make my ---- say

You've left me to ---- all alone Oh yes, I'm the great pretender Just ---- and gay like a clown

How's chances come be my own Come make your home in my heart

I seem to be what I'm not you see I'm ---- my heart like a crown Pretending that you're... Pretending that you're still ----

duckgirlart.com

ANSWERS 1. always 3. Irish

2. laughter 4. heart

ANSWERS 1. pretender 3. tell 5. dream 7. wearing

2. much 4. own 6. laughing 8. around

ANSWERS

Who do you think you are kidding Mr.----? If you think we're on the ----, We are the boys who will ---your little game. We are the ---- who will make you think again. 'Cus who do you ---- you are kidding Mr. Hitler? If you think old ---- done? Mr. ---- goes off to town On the 8:21. But he comes home each ---And he's ready with his gun. So who do you think you are kidding Mr. Hitler? If you think old England's done

ANSWERS 2. run 4. boys 6. England's 8. evening

I'm gonna wash that ---- right outa my hair, (x3) And send him on his ----. I'm gonna wave that man ---outa my arms, I'm gonna wave that man right outa my arms, I'm gonna ---- that man right outa my arms, And send him on his way. If a man don't understand you, If you fly on separate beams, Waste no time, make a change, Ride that man right off your range Rub him out of the roll call And drum him out of your dreams. I'm gonna wash that man right ---- my hair, And ---- him on his way.

DAD’S ARMY SINGALONG

1. Hitler 3. stop 5. think 7. Brown

HAIR WASH SINGALONG

1. man 4. wave

2. way 5. outa

3. right 6. send