If you could travel back in time....

[big band heaven]

Just thought this would be a bit of fun....if you could go back in time where and when would you go, what would you do and would you have a shopping list of things to bring back.....

Me I would go to London - late 1936 - I would do a bit of sight seeing first in London. I'd like to arrive on 28th November so that I could visit the crystal palace (before it burnt down on the 30th). I'd talk my way into Ally Pally to have a good look at the TV studios, Visit the Queens Hall and some of the Wren churches which would soon be oblitorated in WW2, Lunch at Derry and Tom's rooftop garens (above Oxford Street). I'd then find a record / TV shop and buy some 78s that I just can't find in 2011, some PX4s and I would also buy one of each type of TV they had or could supply me with before I left so that I would have an instant collection. I would also like to visit radio Olympia for 1936 - but I'm not sure when that took place during the year.

I'd stay at the Savoy and catch Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Orpheans playing in the evening, also swing over to the Mayfair Hotel to watch Ambrose. I'd stay for a few weeks during which I'd visit the
Grosvenor Cinema to see "SwingTime" staring Fred Asatire on the really big silver screen and also "Broadway Melody of 1936" I'd also want to experience the abdication on 10th December before coming back home.

Anyone else like to share their thoughts on where, when they would go and what they would do when they got there and also the contents of any shopping list......

[glowinganode]

Late 50's/60's, Tottenham Ct Road.
Stock up on 19 sets, T1154/R1155's, mains and output transformers.
Marvel at Goonhilly trials and Telstar.
Experience the "white heat of technology".
Ride a few classic bikes to see what they were like new.
See the Rolling Stones and Led Zepp at the local dance hall.
Find out how bad Watney's Red Barrel really was.
Stock up on petrol at tuppence ha'penny a gallon.
Rob.

[Aerodyne]

Couple of things occur to me. First, I'd like to go back to the very early 1950s and collect all the old (now valuable) radios I owned at the time!
Second, a trip back to 1940 to America to visit the dance palaces of New York and hear and see Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and others perform.
-Tony

[Jamie-Skinner]

I'd go to the mid 30's too, Pop to the EKCO factory in southend, then tour london and see what's what in the new "Car!" Would be good When Britain had a "Great"!

[beam me up schottky]

This is a question I have often thought about. There are a number of times I would need to visit but all would be in the industrial age.
My first trip would be to the mid to late 30's, mainly to see the fantastic Auto Union and Mercedes silver arrows racing and the first circuit on my agenda would be the Nurburgring, followed by the Avus circuit, then Tripoli, Monza, etc etc. During that visit I would also of course check out radio and TV shops, camera stores, garages, car showrooms, in particular a Bugatti dealer, motorcycle dealers etc. Also witness a few attempts of the Land Speed Record.

My next visit would be to the early 50's, first port of call the Vincent motorcycle factory in Stevenage for a test ride and a wallow in the ambience ! Then off to various racing circuits to watch the cars of the era dice it out, Maserati 250F, Alfa 158/9, Vanwall, BRM etc. Then a visit to some radio factories, Bush and Ecko in particular, also some component manufacturers, like Hunt and TCC !. Then visits to the Matchless, BSA and Triumph motorcycle factories. Then a tour of the BBC followed by an extensive tour of London.

Next visit would be to the 60's, flower power, the advent of the super bands, Led Zepp, Hendrix, the Floyd, etc etc. Witness the swan song of the valve era, cruise the radio TV shops of the time, see the the Ford GT40 dominate Lemans and the subsequent upstart Porsche introduce the 917. Oh, and not forgetting the emergence of the mini skirt !!

Next trip, the early 1900's to see the birth of the automobile and radio. Just to see those early cars and in particular the first racing cars would be incredible.

[glowinganode]

I'm sure a lot of us would like to go back and have words with Mr.Hunt.
Rob.

[Skywave]

I'd happily settle for going back to when I was about 13 years of age - with the proviso of knowing what I know now (some hope!) At that point in time, ambitions were high that I could make myself a worthwhile career, spanning all the years necessary until retirement - in the U.K. Electronics Industry. Now although that plan indeed did produce some memorable highlights (and a few favourable rewards), I think we all know where my line of thinking is now going.

Question is, would I still have gone down the same path? Probable answer is yes, but I would certainly have avoided the traps and pitfalls that I encountered on my journey.

At one point, I did seriously contemplate taking up a teaching career (mathematics and physics). However, I now realise that that would have been a big mistake, since teaching methods have changed dramatically over those years and I know that I would have insisted on maintaining the Old Style - which, of course, would not have gone down well! :@

As is often said, hindsight is a wonderful thing; hmm.

Al.