Remember Then: Women's Memories of 1946-1969 and How to Write Your Own

by Janet Few

246 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2015

About the author

The Jesuits say ‘give me a child until they are seven and I will show you the man’, or woman of course. When I was seven I spent my time making up impossibly large families in ‘my famerley book’ (spelling was not a strong point). I also wrote long stories or played complicated, extended games of schools. Although I enjoyed ‘dressing up’, I hadn’t yet started donning period costume but most other aspects of my current life were there in embryonic form.

Although I have, I hope, a reputation as an academic historian, I believe good history is for everyone. As The History Interpreter, I aim to bring history alive in a variety of ways. I am passionate about encouraging young people to become interested in the past, especially through living history or family history. Many of my ideas are shared in my booklet Harnessing the Facebook Generation: ideas for involving young people in family history and heritage. I spend part of my time as my alter ego, Mistress Agnes, living in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, managing the Swords and Spindles team of historical interpreters. My social history book Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs: the lives of our seventeenth century ancestors, emerged out of this experience. I am particularly interested in the role of women in the past and helped eighty ladies recall their memories of the pivotal period 1946-1969. These have been merged together in Remember Then: women’s memories of 1946-1969 and how to write your own.

I enjoy dissecting small, rural communities and trying to understand how they functioned in the past. I have written a guide to that peculiar blend of local and family history that is one place studies Putting Your Ancestors in their Place. I also research my own family history, with an emphasis on putting the lives of my ancestors into a wider context. I am responsible for the latest edition of the classic family history handbook Family Historian’s Enquire Within.

Recently, I was persuaded to return to fiction writing, something that I had not done since my angst-ridden teenage years. Blue Poppy Publishing will be launching Barefoot on the Cobbles on 17 November 2018. The story is based on a real scandal that lay hidden for nearly a century and includes murder, shipwrecks, disease and some lighter moments! Rooted in its unique and beautiful geographical setting, here is the unfolding of a past that reverberates unhappily through the decades and of raw emotions that are surprisingly modern in character.

You can read about my chaotic historical life on the blog at https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpre... under Latest News from the History Interpreter do click ‘follow’ if you want to keep up to date. You can also follow me on Twitter @janetfew but be warned, I have no idea where I am going.

Reviews

[Wendy Percival · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book! A collection of memories in the 50s and 60s (straying into the 70s), it recalls all aspects of life from the clothes worn, the daily chores, school, work, families, holidays and celebrations.

As someone born in the late 1950s, it took me back to my childhood - I could almost smell again the overpowering stink of home Toni perm solution and found myself laughing out loud when reminded of what was considered "common" (e.g. too much make-up, eating in the street or sitting down on the edge of the pavement), of the overlong you'll-grow-into-them "slacks" with stirrup straps or the apparent universal habit of buying crystallised lemon and orange slices at Christmas, even though no one seemed to like them!

But beyond the nostalgia the book is a true historic record of everyday lives of the period. As well as those things which might now merely seem amusing, quaint or naive, there is also a reminder of the different attitudes of society back then, both good and bad, as well as its taboos and gender inequalities.

Reading "Remember Then" also reminded me how quickly change comes and if future generations are to understand their ancestors lives, we all need to recognise our own role in ensuring they have the knowledge they need to be able to do so. With that in mind, Janet Few has ended each chapter with a list of questions which readers can use as the basis on which to create their own memoirs. After all, we're all part of our own family history and have much to contribute.

[Marjorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very frustrating. I really liked the concept - asking ordinary people about their memories to give a picture of the period concerned, and when I read the author's introduction in which she refers to having recruited volunteers from a range of different socio-economic and religious backgrounds it promised to be an interesting read.

Unfortunately it didn't deliver. For me, the biggest issue is that the information and even direct quotes for participants are often presented without context or attribution which, given that the book purportedly covers a 23 year period and that the participants have a 35 year age range, matters a lot. For instance, in the section about pregnancy and childbirth, details are given about the routine in a nursing home but with no mention or indication of the date the birth took place (or even which decade it was.

I can understand that the author was seeking to provide general information and taking about trends and changes, but the book would have been much more interesting (and much more useful, as a reference) with more information about which quotes came from which participants (if not by name, then with reference to their age / the time period they were referring to). This extends to the pictures, many of which are presented without any information as to their date (even approximate) which

I felt that the source material, the replies given by the various participants, would have been very interesting but unfortunately the way it has been summarised and presented removes a lot of the context and interest.

I would love to read the source material but the book was a disappointment. IT does include, at the end of each chapter, a list of the 'prompts' given to the participants, and these may be useful to family historians or other looking to gather memories from their own friends and relatives.

I suspect that if you grew up in the relevant period, you will find it triggers nostalgic memories, but if you didn't, and are more interested in it as a research tool, it will be much less useful or interesting . Similarly, I found the author's choices as to which cultural references to explain, and which not to, to be baffling at times, with obscure references going unexplained and mainstream ones being spelt out.

The introduction ends with the words "This book allows those born after 1969 to gain an understanding of what life was like for earlier generations. If you lived through this era yourself, you will find yourself exclaiming 'I remember that' on every page". I think the second part of that is probably true. Speaking as one of those born after 1969 (albeit not by much!) the first part isn't, really.

[Sue Nickels · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who lived through the 1940s, '50s and '60s in Great Britain this book will provide a really enjoyable trip down memory lane, and for those who weren’t around then, an invaluable insight into the lives and times of those who were.
As a child of the '50s and teenager of the '60s myself, I’ve had the privilege of being one of 80 women volunteers who have contributed memories, along with personal collections of photos, diary entries, letters, magazine cuttings etc from that era. The result is a wonderful book crammed with first-hand reminiscences and anecdotes reflecting a wide range of socio-economic and educational experiences, all drawn together by historian Janet Few to paint a comprehensive picture of life in Britain in the rapidly-changing post-war period 1946-69.
Topics covered include homes and communities, fashion, education, diet, work, health and hygiene, relationships, attitudes, youth culture and more.
Each chapter ends with ‘The Brief’ – the suggestions for discussion originally given to the contributors. These provide the perfect template for anyone, male or female, who has enjoyed reading the book and now wishes to draw on their own memories to record their own personal histories. Many of us, especially those interested in researching family history, think we’ll get around to doing this one day, and hopefully this book will provide the stimulus to get started on something which will result in a real sense of personal achievement, as well as providing a lasting record for families and friends to treasure.