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The Post-War Forties

Please note that I am in the process of moving this material to a new site - www.drewfamily.uk 

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Mum started her diary in 1946, when she was 11, so there were two diaries during this period. After the war, grandma's brother Bert moved away and grandad's brother Len died. Family life continued to be centred on chapel, particularly for mum and grandma. Mum attended Nottingham High School for Girls and most of her school school years fell during this period. Mum and her friends entertained themselves in various ways including parties, outings and the cinema. 

Mum followed in grandad's footsteps in terms of enjoying listening to and taking part in musical performances. This was a period of technological advances. Grandad recorded seeing television for the first time and the family had their first telephone installed. Both grandad and mum had good, if different, practical skills which mirrored, at least to some extent, gender norms. As the Parkins did not have a car at this time, travelling around relied largely on bikes and public transport. Mum and grandad recorded a wide range of external events from the end of rationing, major sporting events and extreme weather. 

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