1961 The Dark Age of Childhood

I was born in 1963. Thank goodness.

According to the children's book of "Helping at Home" brought out in 1961 any child capable of standing up, of reasonable mobility, co-ordination and upper body strength was destined for domestic servitude at the beck and call of their Mummy and Daddy. I have seen and carefully studied the book after having come across it stashed away as though intentionally hidden from subsequent generations out of shame and fear of retribution. By my calculation those children most exposed to the inhumanities described in great detail and accurate English grammar will now be in the age range of 59 to 63. If you know of any survivors of his period please approach them and give them a warm hug and some words of genuine encouragement and support for they are a forgotten and downtrodden generation.

You will recognise them easily in the street. Smartly dressed, well groomed and with impeccable manners and politeness. Look deep into their eyes however and there will an empty void where, otherwise, the fond memories of a proper childhood would twinkle through.

The 1961 servitude apparently began very early in the day. The little boy and girl are already washed and dressed in shorts, cardigan, shirt and elasticated tie and a bight yellow knee length dress with white bobby socks respectively. Their Mummy is in a classic little black number and pearls, immaculately made up even though it is dark outside. " We are helping to lay the table" is the footnote for this scene. It does not state or imply that a hearty and nourishing breakfast was had. A turn of the page shows the children now in the kitchen, well at least it looks like a kitchen comprising an enamel sink unit, single cupboard and a freestanding dresser in the alcove. "We are helping to wash up". Tidy hands that do dishes look red raw.

Upstairs  next on the list. "We help Mummy to make the bed", an antiquated and unnecessarily labour intensive arrangement of multiple layers of sheets and a thick eiderdown, lumpy with poor distribution of feathers. I now appreciate how liberating the arrival of the continental quilt must have been some years later.

Physical graft is a major theme of the book. "We help Mummy to dust" and "polish" follow on rapidly with no intervals for orange squash. It is then back to the kitchen "We help Mummy to do some cooking". Presumably this marks the entrance of Daddy who has been very noiceable by his absence so far with expectations of his cooked start to the day. It is now evidently dawn and daylight has arrived. "We help Mummy to hang out the washing". Tasks are very much arranged on a sex and gender hierarchy in this typical household.

I have some sympathy for the Mummy at this stage. Even more so as the two children then "help to feed the animals". These appear to be simple domesticated rabbits but as a source of fresh meat or husbandry training exercise is not specific. Ancillary chores include helping  "to sweep the floor". Perhaps Daddy has actually been at work, killing and skinning the rabbits prior to hanging them up to cure.

Into the garden for more hard work. "We help to pick some flowers" and in the interests of sustainability "We help to plant some bulbs". By now the childrens clothes, hands and faces are dirty and sweat streaked but in true propaganda style their demeanour is bright, sparkling and smiley happy. Inside however they are crying.

Surprisingly there is a full public display of the modern day slavery as Mummy, still a Chanel model, takes the children to the town. Daddy comes along in a gaberdine mac, hat, chequed golfing trousers and a bad fashion choice of brown brogues. The images in the book do not show any more of this scene.

Back at home there is a flurry of jobs. "We help to clean the shoes", ".......carry the logs", ".....pick the apples" and "dig potatoes". This illustrates the culture instilled after many years of post war austerity measures. The look on the faces of the boy and girl is one of uniform determination to harvest a good crop and avoid punishment or perhaps being sold to another Mummy and Daddy gangmaster.

Daddy is a stickler for social status and the children next "help to clean the car". He anticipates the comments and admiration from his peers in the office car park for his gleaming saloon car.

At this point in the book there are strong hints that the children are split up on a task basis. The little girl disappears for her indoctrination in the skill sets of womenfolk whilst the boy bonds with his Daddy as he "helps to mend the fence", a sizeable enclosure around the residential compound, "...paint the gate", "....rake the leaves" and  ".......tidy the shed". The reward for the young lad is a bonfire but he stands downwind of the smoke and his eyes become red and watery.

The final page in the book of "Helping at Home" is an attempt at normality. The boy and girl sit on a bus in a change of clothes as they head off for school. It has already been a very, very long day.

As the morning sunlight streams into the top deck front seats their worldweary faces appear to be calm and serene. They are in fact in a deep, exhausted sleep and in their dreams they are at play and happy as all children should rightly be.