70 years ago today

On Tuesday 7th February 1950, the front page of THE TIMES looked like this:

The newspaper cost 3d to buy, and as was normal, the front page bore no headlines, just personal and business notices.

Britain was preparing for a General Election, and most of the news coverage inside that day's issue of THE TIMES dealt with various aspects of the party-political campaigns. (The election was held on Thursday 23rd February 1950, and was won by the Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee. Their majority was, however, greatly reduced from one hundred and forty-six in 1945 to five.)

In other news, the Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) was taking place in Auckland, New Zealand, there had been riots on the streets of Hong Kong, and Pandit Nehru (the Indian Prime Minister) expressed his impatience at the slow progress being made to solve the crisis in Kashmir.

The back page had a small photo-feature about the Royal Navy Home Fleet's recent exercise in the seas near Gibraltar.

A Sea Hornet about to land on the flight deck of the aircraft-carrier Implacable, flagship of the Home Fleet, during exercises carried out near Gibraltar. A staff photographer's picture.

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STOP PRESS!
Robert George Cordery was born in the General Lying-In Hospital, Lambeth, London.

The Lying-In Hospital in 1830. Construction started in August 1765, and it was opened in April 1767. It finally closed in 1971, was refurbished in 2003, and since March 2013 has been part of the Premier Inn Waterloo Hotel.