Anyone growing up during the austere and gloomy years immediately after the end of WW2 and into the second half of the 20th century will recall the influences that American culture had in brightening up our lives and introducing us to new sounds, images, fashions and foods, themselves promoted by the American servicemen who still remained among us.

With images and sounds of the era we recall some of these influences and how they remain part of our lives today. This is not so much a study of post-war social history but a celebration of the things we shared with our great ally as part of the ‘special relationship’.

It will stir the memories of those who grew up in that era and act as a reminder of how much as a nation we still share today. We shall also give some consideration to what cultural influences flowed in the opposite direction in later years.