1960s Childhood ─ Moon Landings, the Kinks and the 1966 World Cup

The 1960s was a period of change ? the beginning of the world as we know it. It was the time of Beatlemania, the Apollo moon landings and Doctor Who, which had every small child hiding behind the sofa. Crazy fashions abounded, with bell-bottomed trousers, corduroys and cravats, and there was an explosion in British music, featuring great bands such as The Kinks, The Who and The Rolling Stones. Then who could forget the excitement of the 1966 World Cup when England beat Germany 4-2? It was every schoolboy’s dream! Much has changed in the past fifty years, but the decade lives on in music, fashion and even television. For those who grew up at this time, the Swinging Sixties never really went away.

Derek Tait has written numerous books on local, national and British history. His past jobs have included working as a photographer and as a cartoonist. He has been writing local history books for many years now and has regular columns in the Herald, the Plymouth Shopper, the Plymstock and Wembury Marketplace Magazine and the Cramleigh Magazine. He also writes blog articles for Devon Life. He lives in Plymouth.