Looking back – Christmas 80 years ago

As everyone gets ready for the festive period we thought it would be interesting to look back at how the people of Horsham faced Christmas 80 years ago!

The Second World War was still fresh in everyone’s mind as they attempted to get back to a ‘normal’ life in 1945.

At the start of December the Horsham Chamber of Trade announced that there would be no extension of shopping hours, except for Thursday December 20 when shops would be open all day until 5 or 6pm.

However, display lighting in any form, including shop windows, advertisement and neon signs, was still prohibited!

Coupons were still being used and the courts still came down hard on those who abused the system or stole them.

Coal supplies remained scarce and an official notice declared that the limit to most premises was 34 (cwt) hundredweight to last 12 months, but only if there were enough supplies to go round.

As to be expected, there was a general winding down of facilities set up during the war. One such example was the Carfax YMCA canteen, which closed in December 1945 – ‘one of the most successful of any run by the YMCA’, according to Sir Ewart Greaves, the VIP invited to head the ceremony.

For those interested in going to the cinema, Horsham had a good choice. There was ‘Casablanca’ (with Humphrey Bogart) at the Capitol; Tom Tyler and Rosemary Lane in ‘Fortune Hunter’ at the ODEON and ‘God is my Co-pilot’, with Raymond Massey, at the Ritz.

The ODEON also had the National Cinema Club for boys and girls on a Saturday morning.

In the final month of 1945 the main concerns were a local housing shortage, concerns about footpaths that had been ploughed up in the war being lost forever, and the fate of Denne Park (‘would the National Trust buy it?’ was the question).

However, these matters were forgotten as Christmas arrived. Even those who had to spend the time in Horsham Hospital (pictured) and the Maternity Unit were entertained with carols and a visit from Santa.

In what were very different times, of course, a record crowd turned up for the Boxing Day meet in the Carfax.

With no extra trains put on for Christmas Day, Boxing Day was the busiest for the railway and buses. Most people decided to stay at home and this meant the local churches were well attended. There was even a queue for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

After so many years of war, on New Year’s Eve 1945 it was a chance for the people of Horsham to look back on a momentous year and look ahead to a brighter future.