When Phones Were Immobile and Lived in Red Boxes — a charming review

RED BOXES: Easy yet moving to read real stories, innocent yet powerful memories of growing up and living in England through 1939-80

I had been anticipating reading this account of Gladys Hobson's life, for not the least reason that she hails from England, my birthplace.

I was raised on stories of the British Depression era, War time, and post War era till the early sixties, told me by my parents. We emigrated to Australia in 1964 when I was barely 7 years of age, and I was always fascinated by the experiences my parents shared with me and my younger brother.

'When Phones Were Immobile and Lived in RED BOXES' was very easy to read, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made think of my deceased mother very much, who I've missed greatly these past twenty one years. A lot of Ms Hobson's experiences were very much like my mother's, and I was especially struck by accounts of the fashion industry, because my mother's work, before she married my father, was in the retail side of fashion. Despite war time rationing being over, it was a struggle for her to find the materials for her wedding outfit; however, one of the tailors that Mum used to deal with hand made her a beautiful tweed suit and lace blouse as her wedding present – it was a worth a small fortune. This made Ms Hobson's account of her early career in the industry resonate with me rather nostalgically.

Thinking of the times when Ms Hobson was carving out her vocation in the fashion world, she would have needed to be quite a courageous woman; she, it should be noted, was raising her new family as well.

Even though poverty was a constant in the early part of her life, Ms Hobson's tenacious spirit saw her overcome the struggles that a lot of her fellow countrymen shared with her.

I would warmly recommend this book to anyone wanting to have an insight into this era in Britain, and the making of our current senior generation. There is a lot to admire about how they came through the challenges of their times; things that younger people today would not understand, and maybe not cope with should – let's hope not – such hard times return.
Janny Inkletter

The book can be purchased directly (immediate delivery) from Magpies Nest Publishing, and ordered from any good bookseller.

Read chapters at Magpies Nest Publishing, see the book's post on this author site.

When Phones Were Immobile and Lived in Red Boxes (RED BOXES)

When Phones Were Immobile and Lived in Red Boxes (RED BOXES) An illustrated book of childhood memories 1939-1953
When I was young, having few toys or books, I lived largely in a world of my own imagination. I would turn cornflowers into fairies by giving them matchstick arms and legs. I would decorate a cow-pat with sticks and wild flowers and think of it as the birthday cake I never had. (It was not eaten!). We had concerts in an attic - winding up the old gramophone and dancing to ballet music. I rarely went more than a few miles from home. Holidays were for the well-off. We were terribly ignorant and naive but we were free to be children. This book is a peek into a different world - a world of innocent childhood and where dreams can sometimes come true.
Chapter one Schooldays: sewage, sex, sport and school dinners
Chapter two No NHS!
Chapter three Of God and bananas
Chapter four Of war and play
Chapter five Innocent youth or just plain daft!
Chapter six Family affairs
Chapter seven I want to be a designer
Chapter eight Moving on to where I started!
Chapter nine Boys!
Chapter ten You shall go to the ball!
Conclusion The beginning of the new

This little book is a trip down memory lane. Just dip into its pages. If you think it quite unbelievable what we thought and did in those days, believe me, we would have laughed at the very idea of men on the moon and a handy in your pocket! As for sex, that was as hush-hush as state secrets. But, delve into these pages and all will be revealed!

This book is presently out of print. The new extended edition is now available. The first edition sold one to ten copies at a time. Copies were passed around families. Read the first two chapters and reviews
at Magpies Nest Publishing.