We'll kick off with underwear of the 40's & 50's shall we?

Well, if like me, you're a child of the forties or fifties, I'm sure you'll remember some of the horrendous contraptions that we were made to wear as under garments.

The most horrible thing that I can recall, was the liberty bodice. It was like a straight jacket for kids and those disgusting little rubber buttons were a nightmare to do and undo.  To add insult to injury, the smell of rubber pervaded the outer garments and made the poor child smell like a bicycle tire.

Woollen underpants were another horror for kids to endure. The itching they caused can only be described as akin to some perverse medieval torture. I can remember many of my classmates wriggling and scratching for most of the lessons, only to be warned by the teacher to sit still or else get the dreaded ruler across the knuckles. Match these pants with a long woollen vest and the discomfort was complete. 

The adults didn't fare much better either. I can recall seeing women in changing rooms in those pink silky cone shaped tin can type bra's.  They pointed the bust so much that had they been strap hanging on the bus or tram, I'm sure that with one bout of sharp braking, the person in front would have incurred a double back stabbing.

And so to the big knickers, or directoires as they were called. 

The memory of seeing these on an amazon of a music teacher as she sat on the edge of the stage, resplendent in beige, down to the knee drawers, oblivious to all of the goggle eyed kids wondering what she kept in them ... (many thought it was her packed lunch) and then spotting the corner of a man sized white handkerchief protruding from the knicker elastic at the knee, will stay with me and no doubt many other poor hatchlings for the rest of their days.

I still can't look at a barrage balloon without bringing her to mind.

So, if you have memories of any of these things or indeed any that still cause you pain in the memory bank, I'd love to hear from you in the comment section.

Stay in touch, I'll be posting much more nostalgia of all sorts.