Week 22 : 28th May-3rd June 1967

Here’s what was going on around the world this week in 1967:-

• 28th May 1967 – 65-year old Sir Francis Chichester completed his round-the-world voyage sailing into Plymouth Harbour in his 54-foot yacht, Gipsy Moth IV. He was greeted with cheers from 250,000 spectators. Chichester had departed Plymouth on August 27 and stopped only in Sydney, Australia.
• 30th May 1967 – King Hussein of Jordan made the fateful decision to sign a five-year mutual defense pact with Egypt, effectively placing Jordan’s regular army, Egypt’s command in the event of a war with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban would say later that King Hussein’s decision was, “the final step that ensured the inevitability of war”, and that until then, Israel had planned to leave Jordan (including the West Bank and East Jerusalem) out of the conflict.
• 1st June 1967 – The Beatles released their iconic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It would be the number one best selling album in the United Kingdom for 27 weeks, and number one in the United States for 15 weeks.
• 1st June 1967 – The McDonald’s fast-food chain went international with the opening of its first restaurant outside the United States, in Vancouver, Canada.
• 2nd June 1967 – A race riot began in predominantly African-American Roxbury suburb of Boston, the first of many riots during the summer of 1967. When the rioting in Boston ended after three days, 70 people had been injured, 100 arrested, and millions of dollars of property damage had taken place. Violence in June would follow in Philadelphia, Tampa, and Cincinnati, Dayton, Lansing, Michigan, Atlanta, and Buffalo.
• 3rd June 1967 – All 83 passengers and five crew on board an Air Ferry flight carrying British vacationers to a Mediterranean holiday crashed into the side of the Canigou mountain peak in the Pyrenees while circling the resort city of Perpignan preparing for landing.

But here’s what’s happening in Oxshott:-

Sunday 28th May 1967
Another stormy day. Cyril took me out for ½hr in the Anglia. The children and I spent ages clearing out the playroom and bedrooms. Landing carpet down and looking lovely. Children up late tonight – watching Francis Chichester come home.

Monday 29th May 1967
Bank Holiday.
Had a lie in this morning. Then I did some washing and had a trip to Kingston market with Mary. Bought towelling to make a beach cape. Pottered this afternoon – mowed the lawns.

Tuesday 30th May 1967
Children very good while I went to work – I came home at midday – Cyril was in town for lunch. Collected some work for the evening.

Wednesday 31st May 1967
Pay day.
Quite a nice day – children sat outside painting most of the morning. We took Gillian along to a party at 3:00pm. Had to stay in – waiting for the TV repair man.

Thursday 1st June 1967
Flaming June – but not quite! Haven’t collected my salary yet. Cyril in Cardiff, so we had a makeshift lunch then went off to Hampton Court and Bushey Park along with Phyl and Julian. Didn’t get home until 6:15. Very tired.

Friday 2nd June 1967
Worked 4 hours at the office and several hours in the home – washing, hoovering etc. etc! Collected my salary – biggest ever and have split it between deposit and current account. Cyril home from Cardiff at 5:00pm.

Saturday 3rd June 1967
Brownie fete.
Weather kept fine for the fete. Gillian and I were there from 2:20-6:15pm and was I weary! The ‘men’ left about four-ish. Have done my ironing since our return, but that’s about all. Have an aching elbow so am going to have a couple of disprin and go to bed – it’s 10:50pm – Cyril has beaten me to it!

Week 21 : 21st-27th May 1967

Here’s what’s happening in the world this week in 1967:-

• 21st May 1967 – In anticipation of war, Egypt called up its entire military reserve into service, while Palestinian commandos in the Gaza Strip announced that they were ready to attack Israel.
• 22nd May 1967 – A fire at L’Innovation, the largest department store in Brussels, killed 322 people. The blaze started with simultaneous explosions at the third-floor restaurant and the children’s clothing section on the second floor, and was fed by exploding bottles of butane gas and cardboard displays throughout the 5-story building during its “American Week” sale. Belgian police found “anti-American pamphlets demanding a ‘clean out’ of the store” scattered in the street, however, suspicions of arson would never be verified.
• 24th May 1967 – U.S. President Johnson convened a National Security Council meeting to discuss the impending war in the Middle East, and whether Israel had atomic weapons. The memorandum of “Discussion of Middle East Crisis” was only partially declassified in 1983, with more in 1992  but three sections remain secret, including all the details of, “a brief discussion of possible presence of unconventional weapons”. Response to the President’s question “What do we do?” is still redacted, as well as his response to General Wheeler’s statement that, “we would have to decide whether we were going to send in forces and confront Nasser directly.”
• 25th May 1967 – Celtic F.C., defending Scottish League champions, came from behind to become the first football club from northern Europe to win the European Cup, defeating Inter Milan, 2-1, in the final at Lisbon.
• 26th May 1967 – The 12-team United Soccer Association played its very first game, with foreign teams competing under different names in American and Canadian cities. Play opened at Washington, D.C. as the Cleveland Stokers (Stoke City F.C. of England) visited the Washington Whips (Aberdeen F.C. of Scotland). Maurice Setters of the Stokers scored the first USA goal, and Cleveland defeated Washington, 2-1 before a crowd of 9,403.
• 27th May 1967 – In a referendum in Australia, voters overwhelmingly (90.77%) approved the removal of two provisions in the Australian Constitution that allowed discrimination against the indigenous Aborigines. “Ever since,” an author would note later, “the 1967 referendum has popularly been memorialized as the moment when Aboriginal people gained equal rights with other Australians, even won the right to vote. In fact, the referendum did not achieve those outcomes.”
• 27th May 1967 – The folk rock band Fairport Convention played their first gig, with a concert at St. Michael’s Hall in Golders Green, North London.
• 27th May 1967 – Born: Paul Gascoigne, English footballer, in Dunston, Tyne and Wear

• But here’s what’s going on in Oxshott:-

Sunday 21st May 1967
Beautiful day and a very impressive ceremony at Jonkerboss. Then an excellent lunch at Erica. Jacques took us out for a drive – about 80 miles up to the German border and then sightseeing in Nijmegen. Home 5:30pm.

Peggy(on the right in the hat) at Jonkerboss.

Ceremony at Jonkerboss. 21st May 1967

(Thank you to Eileen for the photos from Auntie Joan’s collection)

Monday 22nd May 1967
A poor day! To start with our coach was over an hour late. Then it rained all day. The long trip to Amsterdam hardly seemed worthwhile – a trip on the canals – in rain! Lunch, then home – 1¾hrs late! The evening social was very good.

Tuesday 23rd May 1967
Shopped in Nijmegen. To Erica for a very good lunch. Back to Jacques house and the shops!! We are loaded! Packed eventually and bade a tearful farewell to the de Rooijs at 8pm. Train left at 8:40pm, Hook about 10:30pm. Calmer crossing but we couldn’t sleep. Pouring at Harwich on arrival.

Wednesday 24th May 1967
Arrived Harwich about 7am. Left at 8:10am. Home 11:15am. Rang Cyril from Harwich. He wasn’t able to meet me so I came home to an empty house. After unpacking I had a couple of hours on the bed. Children gave me a hearty welcome. It’s good to be home, but I’m so tired!!

Thursday 25th May 1967
Back to work today. What a load of work there is!! I’ve been at it all day and this evening too. Very showery weather. I managed to cut the lawns before another downfall this evening.

Friday 26th May 1967
Another busy day at the office – trying to catch up and get straight. Cyril was home today – he has put in four boxes of plants and is suffering with his back. Have written to Jacques and Lie. Cyril and I went shopping at lunch time – shops crowded. Joan rang.

Saturday 27th May 1967
We went to London Airport at 8:45am to meet Ron F – plane delayed and we weren’t home until 12 noon. Have pottered since then. A quick trip to Surbiton to buy underlay for the landing carpet. Phyl home – she and Julian looking very well and very brown. Nasty wet day.

Week 20 : 14th-20th May 1967

Here’s what’s happening in the world this week in 1967:-

• 14th May 1967 – On the pretext of responding to a threatened Israeli invasion of Syria, the UAR (United Arab Republic – an alliance between Egypt and Syria) sent two divisions of troops across the Suez Canal and into the Sinai peninsula.
• 15th May 1967 – The day after the celebration of the 19th anniversary of the formation of the State of Israel, Israeli Defense Forces paraded through Jerusalem, in defiance of the 1949 Armistice Agreements.
• 16th May 1967 – Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn took a stand against censorship by mailing, 250 copies of a letter to members of the Union of Soviet Writers and to editors of literary newspapers and magazines. Listing eight instances where he had been silenced by the government, he complained that his work had been “smothered, gagged, and slandered”. In order to avoid the risk of anyone other than himself being blamed for the letters, he addressed each of the envelopes in his own writing.
• 17th May 1967 – Queen Elizabeth II announced that her 18-year-old son, Prince Charles, would be invested as Prince of Wales in the summer of 1969.
• 18th May 1967 – The US state of Tennessee repealed its law that made the teaching of evolution a criminal offense. On May 16, the state senate had voted, 19-13, in favor of a bill that permitted school teachers to discuss Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in classrooms. The states of Arkansas and Mississippi would be the last to prohibit teaching evolution as the U.S. Supreme Court would strike down the laws as unconstitutional on November 12, 1968.
• 18th May 1967 – ‘Silence is Golden’ by The Tremeloes replaced Sandie Shaw’s ‘Puppet On A String’ as UK No. 1.
• 19th May 1967 – The 3,400 man UN Emergency Force departed from its observation posts along the 117-mile-longEgyptian/Israeli frontier in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, 12,000 troops of the Palestine liberation army took positions inside the Gaza Strip, and the first of more than 80,000 Egyptian troops and more than 800 tanks began crossing into the Sinai.

 

But here’s what’s going on in Oxshott:-

Sunday 14th May 1967
It’s poured with rain all day long! – haven’t felt much like work! Baked all afternoon. Philip in flood of tears tonight because I’m going away!

Monday 15th May 1967
Driving lesson went a bit better this evening – shan’t be having another until May 30th. Philip still seems a bit apprehensive about my going away. We all went out in the Anglia for 20 minutes.

Tuesday 16th May 1967
Cycle test.
Have worked hard today at the office – trying to get everything cleared up. I think all our pupils passed the cycling test, but I have a feeling it was a bit of a farce! Joan rang – she’s all set for Friday!

Wednesday 17th May 1967
Worked all day as Cyril wasn’t home to lunch – didn’t seem to get very far though! Came home and did some washing but then down came the rain and it’s poured all evening.

Thursday 18th May 1967
Hairdresser 4:15pm
Joan arriving.
Managed to get away from the office at 12:30! Turned out to be a lovely afternoon so I’ve done all the washing and ironing, cleaned the floors, had a hair do – bath and now waiting for Joan!

Friday 19th May 1967
To Holland
Left at 10:20am; boat 12 noon; off boat 6:45pm.
Joan and I left on the 7:58am train – leaving tearful children. I rang Cyril from Liverpool Street, he said they had gone to school quite happily. It was a two hour trip to Harwich and no coffee en route!

What a ghastly crossing – big waves – cups and glasses flying. I began to feel sick, but fortunately we were chatting with two fellows (!) about wartime and what have you and it passed the time. We didn’t arrive at Nijmegen until 9:30pm. Long day – it was 10:30 before we got to Lie’s house. It was very nice seeing them all again – we had much to talk about.

Saturday 20th May 1967
Went to Jonkerboss (war graves cemetery) and laid a wreath. Shopped in the afternoon and a meal at Erica (restaurant) in the evening.

 

Week 19 : 7th-13th May 1967

Here’s what’s happening in the world this week in 1967:-

• 7th May 1967 – In Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s Ministerial Committee on Security conditionally approved commencing a war with an attack on Syria.
• 8th May 1967 – In a 7-2 decision in the case of Redrup v. New York, the United States Supreme Court reversed convictions, for sale and distribution of obscene books and magazines, for defendants from New York, Kentucky, and Arkansas, concluding that under the First Amendment, the state “may not constitutionally inhibit distribution of literary material as obscene” unless three conditions were met: (1) the dominant theme must appeal to “a prurient interest in sex”; (2) the material must be “patently offensive”; and (3) the material must be “utterly without redeeming social value.”
• 10th May 1967 – By a vote of 488 to 62, with 51 abstentions, the UK House of Commons approved the government’s decision to apply for membership in the European Economic Community.
• 10th May 1967 – Hundreds of students at the historically black Jackson State College rioted after local police drove on to campus to arrest a student for speeding. The police barricaded Lynch Street in Jackson and the next day, members of the state national guard fired on the crowd, killing a bystander, Ben Brown.
• 11th May 1967 – President Nikolai Podgorny of the Soviet Union met in Moscow with a visiting group of Egyptian officials and provided them a false intelligence report that Israel was mobilizing troops “on its the border with Syria and planning to attack between 18 and 22 May 1967”. “Although the report was false and Egypt’s President Nasser knew it,” an observer would later write, Nasser mobilized troops along the Egyptian border with Israel three days later.
• 12th May 1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience debuted with the release of its first album, Are You Experienced.
• 13th May 1967 – Three million faithful in Portugal turned out to pray with Pope Paul VI during his visit to Fátima, on the 50th anniversary of the first reported appearance of the Virgin Mary there. In becoming the first Pope to visit Fátima (and the first to visit Portugal), Paul VI, in the opinion of one historian, brought new legitimacy to the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar.
• 13th May 1967 – In what was described as “a rebuttal to anti-war demonstrations”, a crowd of at least 70,000 demonstrators marched down New York City’s Fifth Avenue in support of American troops in fighting in the Vietnam War.

But here’s what’s going on in Oxshott:-

Sunday 7th May 1967
Children had a lie in this morning as they have both been coughing well. Cyril has done a lot of ‘pricking out’ – we have a good show of bedding plants now. Drove out to Chessington and bought some petrol!!!

Monday 8th May 1967
Only worked this morning! I didn’t see the boss – so was able to get away! Went up to the Clothes Line and bought a couple of shirts and a cardigan. Rang British Legion – we are due back at 11am on Weds 24th.

Tuesday 9th May 1967
½ day from school.
Worked until one – lovely afternoon which we spent on the heath (Oxshott Heath). Of course there were 1001 things I should have been doing! Came home to hoover – and the vac has gone up the spout.

Wednesday 10th May 1967
Had another lousy driving lesson tonight! Gill was late getting home from Brownies and put me in a bit of a tizzy! Cyril at Cardiff.

Thursday 11th May 1967
Coloured my hair this evening! Better to do it while I’m on my own. Cyril rang – and Joan. It’s very hot – temperature above 80º in the porch. Have put all the plants outside.

Friday 12th May 1967
Beginning to feel guilty about all the money I’m spending on my Dutch trip!! Cyril home about six. Had done all my washing before he got in.

Saturday 13th May 1967
Went to Esher. Drew a lot of money and spent a great deal. Bought presents to take to Jacq & family. Also bought Gill’s blazer and two new dresses for her. Collected Dutch money from Barclays. Going to the Leyshon’s French party tonight…. Good party!  Home about 12:30!