1959 - Life Back Then!
The average weekly wage for men in 1959 was £8 12s 7d. This would be
worth nearly 11 Euro in today's money. And it was all they got for a
46 hour week! But at least things were very cheap back then! Where a
man earned about 22 cent an hour a woman got a lot less with the
average of 14 cent.
Bread cost about 7 cent in today's money. Back then a loaf of two lb
in weight cost 1s 2d. A dozen of eggs was naturally dearer costing
4s 2d.
Shoes were very expensive. The shoes were
often taken to cobblers to have new heels attached to make them last
longer. Phillips Stick-a-soles were used as well. This helped men
get as long use as possible out of their shoes for they were so
expensive to buy.
Looking at photos of men from the times, it
is seen that the patches on the elbows of their jackets were not
about fashion. When a jacket got old it wore at the elbows so
patches were sewn on to prolong the life of the jacket.
When a girl got too big for her homemade
dress, the mother lowered the hem so that the dress would be longer
for the growing young madam!
Wirelesses and bicycles were very dear and
often acquired through a Hire Purchase arrangement. The Rudge
bicycle was popular.
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