Author Topic: 2 pounds a week  (Read 4112 times)

Alfred

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #15 on: Apr 17, 2019, 08:50:47 AM »
i left school at the age of 15 and started work in a wine factory i was paid £2.2s.6p per week later i had a pay rise and this went up to £2.5s.0

thanks zoony for the price comparison of then and now,

GrannyMac

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #16 on: Apr 17, 2019, 09:31:19 AM »
After a year at commercial college, I started work in the local council at 16 in 1962, and got a salary of £16 a month. 
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Michael Rolls

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #17 on: Apr 17, 2019, 10:18:59 AM »
My father died in 1952, leaving mum to bring up three children. She qualified for a widow’s pension by a fortnight – she was 40 on the 8th of June, dad died on the 23rd. Because he had been bed-ridden for 2 years and had been self-employed, his NI contributions weren’t up to date, so it was a reduced pension which, plus child benefit gave her an income of £2-14-6 a week – allowing for straightforward inflation, that’s about £54 today. I can’t be sure of the rent, but I think it was 8/- a week - £8 today. For most people back then housing costs were a much smaller cost in real terms -today, and even into the 60s that held to an extent – my first wife and I rented a 3 bed semi in Ewell in 1965 for £10 a week - £130 today. Just had a look, a similar house to ours in the very next road is actually on the market today at £1750 a month or £404 a week!
I left school at 16 in 1954 with 6 ‘O’ levels and got a job as a junior clerk (aka office boy) at £185 a year – looking at some of the other posts here, I seem to have been fortunate. This was in local government and before anyone sounds off about inflated public sector salaries, when I did my National Service (1956-58) I found that most of my contemporaries had been on better money than I had been, virtually regardless of what their jobs had been, and felt the drop to 28/- a week even more keenly!
Mike
 
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zoony

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #18 on: Apr 17, 2019, 04:05:31 PM »
It astonishes me that you all remember what your pay was back then. I have only the vaguest notion of what my army pay was, what salary I was on as a student nurse or as a teacher. I just know it was never enough. ;D
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GrannyMac

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #19 on: Apr 17, 2019, 04:20:31 PM »
Zoony, I can remember in 1968 our rent in a new, centrally heated council high rise was about £5 a week. I was working, my OH had a day job and sang with a pro band at night. The house we rented privately when we moved to Donny in 1970 (with baby) was £3. One coal fire, no leccy points upstairs and the toilet was outside. Living the dream!


After a short time ont' dole (£13 a week) OH got going on his own and had earned enough after a year or so for a deposit on our first bought house. 
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zoony

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #20 on: Apr 17, 2019, 05:02:12 PM »
Not to make light of such an achievement Mac, it seems that you followed a path trodden by most folk in those days where possible. Not so sure it's so possible nowadays. Having said that, my 30-something son, who has a house is selling it because he wants to rent...Or thinks he does. I guess we'll see..
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

                                           cowboy wisdom.

crabbyob

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #21 on: Apr 17, 2019, 05:59:25 PM »
my first wage in 56 was £2.17/6, i was devastated, i had earned £5 a week selling fruit an veg at night after school, but my parents wouldnt allow me to carry on with it [stupid people]... but the boss saw me unloading a ten ton cement lorry on my own,[the driver was standing the one CWT bags up for me] so much to the annoyance of a lot of folks i got £5 for my second packet... like Zoony i cant remember my army pay, but i think it was £5 when i left...lol
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Traveller

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #22 on: Apr 17, 2019, 06:03:06 PM »
I've always had a salary, so I've never thought it in terms of so much a week.  My first job after uni in early 70's paid about £850 pa.  When we got married in 1973 we were able to afford a new build 3 bed semi (No central heating) and when I started as a computer engineer in mid 70's I started at about £4100 pa rising to about £5k after training.

The biggest mortgage that we ever had was £10k!
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HerefordAnn

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #23 on: Apr 18, 2019, 08:12:34 AM »
My father died in 1952, leaving mum to bring up three children. She qualified for a widow’s pension by a fortnight – she was 40 on the 8th of June, dad died on the 23rd. Because he had been bed-ridden for 2 years and had been self-employed, his NI contributions weren’t up to date, so it was a reduced pension which, plus child benefit gave her an income of £2-14-6 a week – allowing for straightforward inflation, that’s about £54 today. I can’t be sure of the rent, but I think it was 8/- a week - £8 today. For most people back then housing costs were a much smaller cost in real terms -today, and even into the 60s that held to an extent – my first wife and I rented a 3 bed semi in Ewell in 1965 for £10 a week - £130 today. Just had a look, a similar house to ours in the very next road is actually on the market today at £1750 a month or £404 a week!
I left school at 16 in 1954 with 6 ‘O’ levels and got a job as a junior clerk (aka office boy) at £185 a year – looking at some of the other posts here, I seem to have been fortunate. This was in local government and before anyone sounds off about inflated public sector salaries, when I did my National Service (1956-58) I found that most of my contemporaries had been on better money than I had been, virtually regardless of what their jobs had been, and felt the drop to 28/- a week even more keenly!
Mike
 


Your mum had a really tough time then feeding and clothing three children plus herself.  I think you got more for your money back then but it was still hard.
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ronyork

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #24 on: Apr 18, 2019, 08:35:56 AM »
One pound twenty seven shillings a week of which I sent my mother seven shillings, national service pay. (1952)

GrannyMac

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #25 on: Apr 18, 2019, 09:30:20 AM »
Not to make light of such an achievement Mac, it seems that you followed a path trodden by most folk in those days where possible. Not so sure it's so possible nowadays. Having said that, my 30-something son, who has a house is selling it because he wants to rent...Or thinks he does. I guess we'll see..

I can understand why renting is attractive if you can get a decent property, at a reasonable rent, especially with a permanent or long term tenancy.  No maintenance or repairs to worry about!

Neither of our kids took on mortgages til they were in their thirties.  They were too busy building their careers, travelling, working abroad etc. Both have more valuable, larger homes than we could ever aspire to. Neither of them or their partners had a silver spoon, they've all done it on their own.
Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right.

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Michael Rolls

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #26 on: Apr 18, 2019, 12:31:54 PM »

Your mum had a really tough time then feeding and clothing three children plus herself.  I think you got more for your money back then but it was still hard.
She really did - and often it was a case of three apples, or whatever, for we kids and nothing for her. Scared if receiving bills she might not be able to pay she  had shilling in the slot meter for electricity - can't remember if we also had one for the gas.
Money did go further back then - just imagine trying to feed, clothe and house a family of four on £54 a week today  - but of course, that's just straight inflation. Incomes have far outstriped inflation since then - and so have some costs, particularly housing. Consumables were less present, of course. No TV, no telephone, obviously no car.
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!

Johned

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #27 on: Apr 22, 2019, 11:44:53 PM »
When I was a member of the Association of Engineering and Shipuilding Draughtsmen, we obtained the rates paid by our largest local engineering concern in 1939, the year war broke out.  Storemen and labourers £1/10/- per week, semi skilled £2 per week, skilled rate £3 per week, Toolroom £3/10/-, Senior draughtsman at 28 years of age with ONC £5 per week.  During the war with war bonus and productivity payments, skilled men were coming out with £10 per week, quite a fortune in those days around here.  From that time on, white collar technician wages locally were eroded in comparison with skilled shop floor rates which tended to outstrip them. When I was called up for National Service in 1953 my civvy pay was £3/10/- weekly, not bad at all.  My first week in the army, we were paid 28 shillings but with reductions, we actually drew one pound!  However, yours truly who had been caught out paying not enough income tax, in civvy, was only allowed fifteen bob until my tax had caught up!  As if it was my fault?

Michael Rolls

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #28 on: Apr 23, 2019, 06:31:01 AM »
My first pay parade - Cardington, February 1956 - in common with everyone else, of our nominal 28/- I received a crumpled ten bob note!
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!

Johned

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Re: 2 pounds a week
« Reply #29 on: Apr 25, 2019, 03:09:51 PM »
One snowy day Michael I came to a crashing halt in front of the pay table, slipped on a patch of ice and upturned the table, coins were flying everywhere.  Guys were scrabbling in the snow and slush trying to retrieve them.  The exasperated paying out officer bawled "Why is there always one hopeless individual?"  Oh happy days!  As an afterthought, the first name read out on parade was the Regimental Sergeant Major who received the absolute fortune of £20!  Us untermenschen used to mutter to ourselves, why should he receive a sum like that for just shouting about, waving his stick and making our lives miserable?