Recovering from the ravages of World War I, and despite high unemployment, Britain was full of change and invention. Radio provided new entertainment, supported by the advent of the ‘Radio Times’ in 1923. A radical new era in cinema was heralded by ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927. The first movie to have sound. The great outdoors beckoned ramblers and cyclists, and with motoring now more affordable, the leisure industry boomed.

Fashions for women changed dramatically as hemlines rose to reveal more and more leg. This new freedom was advocated by the French designer ‘ Coco’ Channel. The emancipated women had short hair and smoked Turkish cigarettes in public. The dance craze from America, the Charleston, arrived in 1925, followed by the Black Bottom. Both were adored by the wild young ‘flappers’ of the day.

Exploration was still a British Pastime. The fabulous treasure of Tutankhamen was discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor, Egypt, in 1922. The discovery led to a fashion for Egyptian style graphics. In 1924 a British expedition to Everest might have succeeded, but George Mallory (‘Why? Because it’s there’) and Andrew Irving perished near the summit. New speed records were constantly being set for land, rail and air, and the R100 airship was the pride of Britain.

In 1924 the first labour government took power. Under the leadership of Ramsay MacDonald, eleven cabinet members out of the twenty cam from working-class origins. In May 1926 Britain had its first general strike when more than a million workers downed tools in support of the miners’ pay dispute. It lasted nine days, during which thousands of volunteers kept services and public transport going.

In the home, housewives aspired to an all-electric house, a fridge and the new Pyrex ovenware. Children loved the books written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Rabbit and Owl appeared in ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ in 1926 and again in ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ in 1928.