by Malcolm Pheby | Aug 1, 2018 | 1960s, Manchester, Music
It had to be one of the oddest encounters of the 1960s… Wacky Manchester pop group Freddie and the Dreamers rolled up at Longleat House in August 1965 to a play a gig for the aristocratic Marquess of Bath. Lead singer Freddie Garrity, all five foot three of him, went...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jul 14, 2018 | 1960s, Industry, Liverpool
When nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sped down the slipway at Birkenhead in 1969, no-one suspected it would one day sink an Argentinian battleship half way round the world. The 5,400-ton vessel, built by Cammell Laird at a cost of £30 million, was designed to hunt...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jul 7, 2018 | 1960s, Industry, Liverpool
Murmurs of discontent were rumbling round the Liverpool Docks during the stormy summer of 1960. Frustrated dockers went out on strike in early July demanding a cut in hours and an increase in wages – and the city’s seafarers soon followed suit. The seamen wanted their...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jun 30, 2018 | 1950s, 1960s, Sport
World boxing champion Hogan Bassey wasn’t the only hard-hitter for Liverpool in the 1950s and early 1960s. His good friend, battling Labour MP Bessie Braddock, packed quite a punch herself in the tough world of politics. She always fought the city’s corner, proving...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jun 27, 2018 | 1960s, Football
It was a poignant moment for Bert Trautmann when he welcomed the West German football team to Manchester for the 1966 World Cup. The Manchester City goalkeeper and former German paratrooper had stayed on in England after being captured in the Second World War. He was...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jun 27, 2018 | 1960s, 1970s, TV
Granada TV shows like Coronation Street, University Challenge and the Comedians will forever hold a special place in the nation’s viewing memories. But how many will remember less familiar productions like The Man in Room 17, Nice Time or the 1970s pop sensation...
