1972 and All That!
by So what was happening in 1972? Was it just the year in between 1971 and 1973?
It was six years after 1966 and all that. I hope Sir Geoff Hirst or those two blokes who wrote “1066 and all that” does not see this, I can’t afford the copyright.
In Britain, Edward Heath was Prime Minister, a relatively unknown Margaret Thatcher was Education Secretary and had already gained notoriety as Maggie the Milk Snatcher. She is a lovely lady and I will not write anything nasty about her. At this point imagine a few pigs flying past the nearest window. Besides she does not have an inane grin like a subsequent Prime Minister or was never dull like another with a passion for Currie of the Edwina variety (I am sorry if that gives anybody nightmarish images).
Heath had this knack of rubbing the trade unions up the wrong way, which led to a three day week at the start of 1972 and possibly an increase in the birth rate due to there being no TV to watch. Given the present standard of TV the birth rate should have tripled since 1995. Like many fathers, that was my Dad’s excuse.
In Northern Ireland the ‘Troubles’ worsened when the introduction of internment without trial increased violence rather than reduced it. Bloody Sunday as well as leaving 13 dead boosted the IRA’s recruitment of new members.
In the United States, Richard ‘Tricky Dick’ Nixon was re-elected president, visited China and signed the SALT treaty with the USSR. Nixon, now there was a man who could out spin any washing machine or Alastair Campbell and even out swear any football manager except Graeme Taylor when he managed England! It remains doubtful if he could have out sworn Ozzy Oxbourne or my dad though.
In sport, Derby County won the First Division Championship guided by Peter Taylor and Brian ‘make mine a double European Cup with a whiskey’ Clough prior to his glory years with Nottingham Forrest. FA cup winners were Don Revie’s Leeds United beating Birmingham on the way, who were to be the runners up a year later (look away Newcastle fans – losing to Sunderland). The Olympic Games in Munich were marred by tragedy with the murder of 11 Israeli athletes.
In 1972 you could have listened to Don Maclean’s American Pie, or Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water or the dulcet tones of Black Sabbath’s Volume Four LP complete with Changes and Snow-blind. And Ozzy could even complete a whole sentence, although it is debatable if he made sense.
Or you could have listened to Glam rockers such as David Bowie, T-Rex, and The Sweet, now that’s what I call a blockbuster! Sorry about the bad joke, read on there will be more. I personally blame Slade for many years of bad spelling.
And finally September 1972 saw my earlier than expected arrival, three weeks premature and almost on the number 39 Birmingham to Hockley Heath bus. The bus driver had to divert to the nearest hospital as soon as my mum’s waters broke. They were surprised to see her back so soon, she had just been for a check up and there had been no sign of my arrival! Still I must have been keen to see the last few days of summer, and I must have gone on a bus everyday since even if the fares are ruinous.
Still it was most unusual for my mum to be early with anything, and a gambling man would have understandably put money on me being born overdue. In fact they would have staked their house on it and a couple of others too. My mum has always been late which was a trait I was to inherit. My dad always panicked at the mere thought of being late, a trait my sister inherited. My Nan used to say that my mum would be late for her own funeral, but that would not be her fault and she would not be in a position to care.
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