1960s Britain Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lady Chatterley's Lover

The novel, by D H Lawrence, includes several uses of what are commonly called 'Anglo-Saxon four-letter words', and had previously been published only in heavily censored editions. Penguin Books issued the full text, and was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act of 1959.

The jury acquitted them, agreeing with the argument that the literary merit of the work exempted it from the provisions of the Act. All the books listed have been banned at one time or another, due to their sexual content.

Answer: Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is one of the remotest populated areas of the world. It is situated in the South Atlantic, with the nearest mainland being South Africa, over 1,700 miles away. It is a British territory, so when Queen Mary's Peak erupted in 1961, the entire population of the island was evacuated to England, via Cape Town.

This was not quite as dramatic as it sounds, as there were fewer than 300 evacuees. Most of the people returned to the island in 1963, although a few hardy souls decided that they would prefer to stay in Hampshire.

Answer: Murder

In August 1961, a man named Michael Gregsten was shot and killed, while his lover, Valerie Storie was raped, then shot, sustaining injuries which left her paralysed. The murder caught the public's attention more than most as another possible culprit was also implicated. Hanratty was found guilty, and was hanged in April 1962, making him among the last men to suffer the death penalty in the UK.

Although there were many doubts about his guilt, DNA evidence examined in 2002 appeared to prove that he was guilty.

Answer: Railways

The title of the report was 'The Reshaping of British Railways', and had been commissioned by the Government due to concern about massive financial losses. At the time, the railways were nationalised and supported by subsidies from the public purse. The Beeching report recommended the closure of over 2,000 stations and around 5,000 miles of track, most of which were carried out. Richard Beeching, as he was at the time of this report, became a life peer in 1965, as Baron Beeching, and died in 1985.

Answer: BBC2

In April 1964 BBC2, known as BBC Two in the twenty-first century, became the third television channel available for viewers. The main BBC channel had been broadcasting since the 1936, although it was taken off air during the Second World War. ITV began in 1955, with Channel 4 arriving on the screen in 1982. Channel 5 became the final terrestrial station when launched in 1997.

Answer: Winston Churchill

In the UK, a full state funeral is usually only given to the monarch, with the slightly lower status of a Royal ceremonial service being normal for other people of high status. For example, the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother were both ceremonial funerals. Apart from Churchill, a few other outstanding individuals have received the full state funeral, including Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

The Duke of Windsor, as the former King Edward VIII, was entitled to the honour but decided against it, opting for a private funeral. Mountbatten and Queen Mary also received ceremonial funerals.

Answer: Severn

The new bridge across the Severn was officially opened by the Queen and provided a means of easy travel from the western part of England to south Wales. Prior to its opening, the only options were to take a ferry from Aust or to drive via Gloucester to cross the river, adding around sixty miles to the journey. Since the ferry held only seventeen cars at a time, involved a laborious loading procedure and could only operate when the tide was right, the bridge was a welcome addition to the road network.

A second bridge, imaginatively called the 'Second Severn Crossing', opened in 1996.

Answer: Supertanker

The shipwreck, in March 1967, was the largest ever when it happened. The supertanker was en route to the oil refinery in Milford Haven, when it took a a shortcut and hit rocks between the Scilly Isles and mainland Cornwall. Attempts to control the oil leaking including massive use of detergents and setting fire to the oil. Eventually, the ship was bombed and sank.

There was a great deal of contamination to the coastlines of both France and England, and much additional damage was caused by the uncontrolled use of cleaning products designed for other uses.

The Torrey Canyon was just one of many such disasters, with the names of Exxon Valdez in 1989 and Amoco Cadiz in 1978 adding to the long list.

Answer: Immigration

The speech was controversial, to say the least, as Powell questioned the wisdom of uncontrolled immigration from Commonwealth countries. His views were considered to be racialist, since the speech referred to the black immigrants of the era. Powell was removed from his post of Shadow Defence Secretary by the Conservative party leader, Edward Heath. Powell did not actually use the phrase 'rivers of blood' during the speech, instead mentioning his vision of the 'River Tiber foaming with much blood', a reference from 'Aeneid', by Virgil, but this was soon reworded by the media.

Answer: Caernarfon

The tradition of giving the title of Prince of Wales to the monarch's heir was begun in 1301, when King Edward I created the title for his son, later to be King Edward II. Prince Charles had been Prince of Wales since 1958, but the formal investiture was left until the year of his twenty-first birthday. Swansea, in Glamorgan, was granted city status in the same year to mark the occasion. All the castles listed are in Wales, and date from mediaeval times.