Life in Cheltenham: Walter Nathan Harris’s 1947 Diary
Walter Nathan Harris, known as “Wally,” was a schoolboy in Cheltenham when he kept a pocket diary throughout 1947. The entries offer a personal window into postwar Britain, two years after the end of the Second World War. At the time, Wally lived on Pittville Street, attended Cheltenham Grammar School, and faced the pressures of school exams, rationing, and the Great Winter of 1947.
He enjoyed collecting stamps, swimming when the weather permitted, and building models with Meccano. Although his exact age isn’t stated, he tells us he was born on 24 May—likely in 1932 or 1933—making him about 14 or 15 years old during the diary entries.
This diary forms part of our growing collection documenting everyday lives in postwar Britain.
Here are the extra pieces I found in his diary:
1st quarter:
2nd quarter:
3rd quarter:
4th quarter:
