BillF

Steve Waterman Phil Leakey Jack the Dripper

Zippy Buttons The Opener

Chippy Hill Richard Carpenter George Joyner

My dad was excused military service as he worked in public transport - seen as essential work - so he was in the Home Guard - Dad's Army. Manned an anti-aircraft gun a few miles from home.

Lovely!

Dill Jones Wilfred Pickles

But by '58 I was on to the 12" LP format and you'll notice the music had changed, too:

But by 1957 I'd moved onto this (it may say 1949, but it still looked like this); And this - also bought in 1957 (in Dobell's) - still looked like this: But those were transitional times for formats and in the same year I got this:

I hope 78 labels are allowed on this thread, as this was one of ten 78 records by Bill Haley which I bought in 1956 at the age of 16:

I was there Bob.My first jazz concert Saw them in the Autumn (Fall) of '58 at the Bodega club in Cross Street, Manchester - no recording, though. My first jazz concert was the Humphrey Lyttelton band - the "Kansas City" one with saxophone section of Tony Coe, Jimmy Skidmore and Joe Temperley - at Leeds Town Hall in 1957.

Sandra Blow Emir of Qatar Bob Fleming

Johnny Griffin, Ronnie Scott and Ronnie Ross - but who's the altoist?

The Second Herd J C Heard Def Leppard

A fine book, David. The only Philip K. Dick novel I truly enjoyed. I've even read it twice. So have I!

In 1944-45 my district (Cardiff) was full of U S soldiers. An impromptu baseball game got going with local teenagers and when I as a 5-year-old asked to join in I was refused but given a consolation prize of a huge (by wartime British standards) packet of chewing gum, which I ran home with to my parents.

A fine book, David.

Sorry to harp on about my age, but I remember the celebratory bonfire at the bottom of my street with a Hitler effigy on it.

Ian Bone Bonar Law

Cinna The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Siné

"I Dig Ed" from P.S. This is not a political post.

Humphrey Lyttelton's autobiography written in 1954 at the age of 32. Charming, witty and charts the establishment of "trad" in the UK.

The Real McCoy Shy Talk Bashful

I'll give it a try.

Arshile Gorky Mungo Park Jerry Boam

The Artists Rifles Sir Stamford Raffles Michael Winner