Jack the lad

‘Coming out’ had a different meaning in 1938 to what it has today. Nearly 70 years ago the London Season followed much the same pattern as it had before the first world war.

For a small section of people there were three frantic months of entertainment. For 18-year-old girls and their young men friends there was a dance (and sometimes two) four nights a week, and often one in the country on a Friday night (not on Saturdays, because it was not seemly to dance into Sunday morning) from early May until the end of July. The bands, led by Ambrose, Carol Gibbons and, best of all, Harry Roy, played all night, every night for our pleasure.

We took this strange state of affairs for granted; it was part of life to be enjoyed or endured according to temperament. There were country weekend parties in the houses of debautantes’ parents, race meetings from Ascot and Goodwood to the local point-to-point, topped up in August by Highland gatherings, which included the jolliest and rowdiest of entertainments.