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Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun

Edinburgh, 18 Oct 1930 – Inverey, 3 Sep 2024

10 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 18 Oct 1930

    Born in Edinburgh

  2. 1979–2014

    Member of the House of Lords

  3. 3 Sep 2024

    Dies in Inverey, aged 93

During her lifetime

She lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Edinburgh.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1930s · Flora is born in Edinburgh

In the news1919–1939

Council Housing Construction Began in 1919

Following the 1919 Housing Act, local authorities began building council houses to replace slums, with over 1 million built by 1939.

Getting around

Walking was the primary mode of commuting

In the 1930s, walking was the most common way for people to commute to work, remaining the primary method for one-third of the population.

What it cost

Cost of bread and bacon in 1938

In 1938, bread typically cost about 8.5 pence for a 4-pound loaf, while bacon cost roughly 1 shilling 3.5 pence per pound.

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.Around the world · 1939–1945

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.

Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent · public domain

What people wore

Wartime siren suits for air raids

The siren suit was an all-enveloping, zip-up boiler suit that people wore over pajamas for quick dashes to air raid shelters during the war.

Music

Community singing at FA Cup matches

At FA Cup football matches, thousands of fans participated in formal community singing of popular songs and the hymn Abide with me, beginning in 1927. The stadium atmosphere during the hymn was described as having a moving intensity comparable to the silence at the Cenotaph on Armistice Day.

Daily life

Limited Home Amenities and Rationing

Many homes lacked bathrooms and indoor toilets; families often used a portable tin bath in the kitchen and an outside toilet. To save fuel, authorities advised limiting bath water to a depth of five inches, a rule famously adopted even at Buckingham Palace.