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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

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

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

Train travel speeds increased significantly

The Coronation Scot express service between London and Glasgow covered 401 miles in 6.5 hours, an improvement from the previous 8.25-hour duration.

What it cost

Starting wage for a fourteen-year-old worker

A common starting wage for a fourteen-year-old starting work was 10 shillings a week for a 45-hour work week.

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

Civic celebrations and improvised instruments

To celebrate victories, civic bands often led parades through city centers, although this tradition was more common in northern industrial regions than in others. Fans traveling to major events also used improvised instruments like mouth organs, tin whistles, and rattles to provide music.

Daily life

Schooling and Classroom Life

Schools often lacked lunches, so children in winter brought a potato marked with their initials to be baked in the school coal-oven. Pupils were taught using rote learning, and in smaller schools, might start by writing in trays of sand before using chalkboards or expensive pencils.