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Out & About

Children growing up in the 1940s and 1950s had far fewer toys than children do these days and spent most of their time outdoors. With little traffic on the roads they played out on the streets of their neighbourhood. For children growing up in Haslemere, a relatively rural location, children played in woods, farmland and the local recreation grounds. Children at this time were also expected to have a hobby and joining societies such as the Girl Guides or the Scouts were part and parcel of growing up.

Track 5 Playing In Woods

Credit line: Mitch Mitchell talks about playing in the woods as a young boy.

Transcription:

Interviewer: What else did you like to do outside?

Interviewee: Played in the woods – nobody was afraid of letting their kids out. In the summer holidays we went out at half past seven in the morning and didn’t come back until seven at night and just played in the woods. I had raging battles with other people. I always remember having and making bows and arrows and catapults and things like that – mad actually, dangerous, dangerous, it really was. One of our sessions when we were having battles somebody had a bow and arrow and stuck the arrow in my arm but of course you didn’t worry about it. You just pulled it out and spat on it!

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