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Barbecuing in the 1950s

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 15th and one thing that many dads / men enjoy to do is BBQing / Grilling. I know my husband and my dad is a big fan (and I am a big fan of the food).

1950s vintage photo of two men in Scottish kilts grilling on their BBQ outside of a store opening celebration.

1950s vintage photo of two men in Scottish kilts grilling on their BBQ outside of a store opening celebration (Source).

Today’s post is a collection of 1950s BBQ fun. Vintage images, advertising, cookbooks and even some fun vintage items.

Let’s fire up the grill and begin!

1950s Backyard Barbeque illustration of a 1950s housewife setting the table while her husband looks on smiling while cooking his chicken

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.


The Weber Grill is Invented & Barbecuing is all the Rage!

1952: George Stephen, a welder at Weber Brothers Metal Works, cuts a metal buoy in half to make a dome-shaped grill. He uses the top half as a lid that seals in flavor and evenly distributes heat, and adds vents to get oxygen to the fire. The iconic Weber grill is born (Source).

Further Reading: A Brief History of the BBQ Grill by Popular Mechanics

1950s vintage image of the creator of Weber Grills, George Stephen showing off his Weber Grills he created in 1952.

Source: Weber.com

Shopping note: On the Weber website they are selling Limited-Edition 70th Anniversary Kettle Collection at WEBER (avail as of June 2024). If you are looking for a grill, off you go!

Available colors from the 1950s were Jet Black, Chestnut Coppertone and Marbleized- a squiggly lined/crazed finish (source).

In 1952, WEBER founder George Stephen introduced a charcoal kettle grill that started a global outdoor cooking revolution. This limited-edition Collection celebrates Weber’s innovative spirit and passion for creating a better grilling experience for people everywhere. Available in four heritage colours with intricate details that reflect American culture in the 1950s, these kettles pay tribute to the past, present, and future of cooking outside.

1950s photo of demoing Weber grills on television.

Fun Fact: WNBQ in Chicago was the first television station in the world to broadcast all of its programming in color (source).

1950s vintage photo of a man in a hat demoing Weber grills on television.

Source: tvwbb.com

The Vintage Photos, Advertisements, Cook Books/Recipes & More!

A 1956 ‘BIG BOY BARBECUE BOOK‘ – “Shows how easy it is to cook on spit or Grill”.

1950s vintage Barbeque cookbook featuring vintage recipes for the bbq or grill -The 1956 Big Boy Barbecue Book. The cover features a dad in a BBQ chefs hat grilling steaks for his family outside.

“A Picture Treasury of Barbecuing-A test recipe institute cook book”.

1950s vintage Barbeque cookbook featuring vintage recipes for the bbq or grill -The 1956 Big Boy Barbecue Book.

Source: Etsy-CathysVintageTrunk

1956 Rheingold beer advertisement featuring “Miss Rheingold 1956-Hillie Merritt” serving up some BBQ.

Further Reading: Let’s Have A Beer! Vintage Beer Advertising

1956 Rheingold beer advertisement featuring "Miss Rheingold 1956-Hillie Merritt" serving up some BBQ. Fantastic 1950s vintage hairstyle inspiration.

Source: Vintage-ads.livejournal.com

Barbecue for two as seen in a Life Picture Cookbook, 1958.

1950s vintage photo of a couple having a barbeque on their patio in 1958 in their 1950s fashions.

Source: Pinterest

1950’s MCM vintage “Come And Get It” apron featuring a Chef with a barbecue tool.

1950’s MCM vintage "Come And Get It" Barbeque Apron featuring a Chef with a Barbecue tool

Source: eBay

Here is a 1950s man smoking a cigarette while grilling and wearing his own chef’s apron with a fun image on the front.

1950s vintage photo of a man having a BBQ in his backyard while wearing a chef apron and smoking a cigarette

Source: Everyday life in the past

1950s Reynolds Wrap advertisement. “Let’s have a Bar-b-q it’s easy!”

1950s vintage advertising for Reynolds Wrap featuring an illustration of a couple having a barbeque outside while dad grills and kids looks over the fence

Source: Pinterest

1950s vintage Mid Century enamelware platter depicting a BBQ Grill, and all the things to go with it! Fun!

1950s vintage Mid Century enamelware platter depicting a BBQ Grill, and all the things to go with it

Source: Etsy-UppityWomen

1950s BBQ cookbook: The Terraced Chef offers an array of recipes for meat, seafood, drinks, salads, desserts, For anyone that has dreamed of having a backyard cooking event that features crabs stuffed with avocado and guinea hen, or eggs stuffed with caviar and pheasant, then this book is for you.

This cook book was actually written by ‘Ruth Cheir Rosen (but her husband was given the credit) who was a very popular cook book writer during the mid-century. Learn about Ruth and see her cook books & some recipes in my blog post, ‘Dig That Dish-The Coolest Vintage Recipe Book Around

1950s BBQ cookbook: The Terraced Chef offers an array of recipes for meat, seafood, drinks, salads, desserts, For anyone that has dreamed of having a backyard cooking event that features crabs stuffed with avocado and guinea hen, or eggs stuffed with caviar and pheasant, then this book is for you.

Barbecue party planning ideas.

1950s vintage cook book showcasing party planning for your next outdoor barbecue

Source: Etsy-fabfunkyfunvintage

Vintage photo of a happy man grilling in the backyard.

1950s vintage photo of a man grilling steaks in his backyard

Source: eater.com

Stylish 1950s barbecue party.

1950s vintage illustration of well dressed men and women in 1950s fashions having a barbecue

Source: Pinterest

“It’s Cookout Time Start with SPAM for “Kabobs Neapolitan”” 1950s vintage ad.

1950s vintage advertisement for SPAM for a barbecue in the backyard with the family

Source: Vintage-ads.livejournal.com

1950s beach barbecue.

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of people Having fun at the Beach

1950s Beach Barbecue as seen in a 1950s vintage photo

Source: eBay

1957 “How to Cook Outdoors, Easy as 1-2-3”. “Charcoal Grilling, Spit Barbecuing, Hickory Smoking, Sauces and Seasoning”. Vintage cookbook is from Montgomery Ward.

1957 "How to Cook Outdoors, Easy as 1-2-3". "Charcoal Grilling, Spit Barbecuing, Hickory Smoking, Sauces and Seasoning". Vintage cookbook is from Montgomery Ward.
1950s vintage recipe for how to cook round steak on the barbeque from a vintage cook book from 1957

Source: Etsy-CopperPraire

“Time to flip the sausages!” 1950s photo of a woman barbequing with a makeshift grill stand out of concrete blocks.

1950s vintage photo of a woman having a barbeque and flipping sausages outside of her house.

Source: Etsy-RenascenceVintage

1950s Fashion: 1950’s “Kenrose” Cotton Sundress edged in Black-White Gingham. Front Pockets have Pixie-Type Girls poised at the Barbecue Grill dressed in Matching Gingham Dresses which actually have Pockets which MIRROR their images!

1950s Fashion: 1950’s “Kenrose” Cotton Sundress edged in Black-White Gingham. Front Pockets have Pixie-Type Girls poised at the Barbecue Grill dressed in Matching Gingham Dresses which actually have Pockets which MIRROR their images!

Source: Etsy-WildRoseVintageDtcom

“Gene Kelly’s Flavor Tips for the Barbecue!” “Try these exciting new outdoor cooking recipes from Durkee Foods”. June 27, 1955 Life Magazine.

1950s vintage advertisement featuring Gene Kelly giving Outdoor cooking tips and vintage recipes from Durkee Foods

Source: jana-treeclimber.blogspot.com

Father and daughter barbecuing in the backyard…in their cute 50’s fashions. Love the chefs hat dad!

1950s vintage photo of a fatgher and daughter cooking steaks together in cute 1950s summer fashions and the dad is wearing a chefs hat

Source: Photo by Josef Scaylea/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

As we end this post, here is one last 1950s cookbook that should bring on some giggle and laughter…

WONDERS WITH WIENERS-45 way to prepare.

1950s vintage cookbook-WONDERS WITH WIENERS-45 way to prepare

Source: Pinterest

Question Time: Do you like to BBQ/Grill? What do you enjoy to eat? Share any thoughts in the comment section below.

Further Reading:

Thanks for dropping by and Happy Father’s Day to all that Celebrate!

Liz

The Canadian Nursing Sisters of WW2

June 6, 2024, will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings along the Normandy coast during World War II.

Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.(scroll to the end to see Quick about facts about Canada’s HUGE part during D-Day).

Over the years on my blog, I have documented the contributions of Women during WW2, specifically Canadian Women as a way to continue to keep their stories alive. I am thrilled to add another piece to my collection, highlighting the remarkable Canadian Nurses or “Nursing Sisters” through a captivating combination of vintage photographs, magazine illustrations, and engaging stories. Join me for a brief yet powerful historical overview of these brave women who deserve to have their stories kept alive.

1940s vintage magazine cover from August 23rd 1941 from the Toronto Star Weekly showcasing an illustration of a Canadian Nurse with a wounded soldier during WW2

Source: Elinor Florence.com

The First World War Canadian Nurses

Canadian women’s first military contributions were as nurses who tended to the sick and wounded in times of conflict. They were called “Nursing Sisters” because they were originally drawn from the ranks of religious orders. More than 2,800 Canadian Nursing Sisters served with the Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War, often close to the front lines of Europe and within range of enemy attack. With their blue dresses and white veils, they were nicknamed the “bluebirds” and were greatly respected because of their compassion and courage. Canadian women were not permitted to serve in other military roles during the First World War (Source).

Left to right: Nursing Sisters, Mowat, McNichol, and Guilbride.

Vintage Photo of Canadian Nursing Sisters during WW1, Mowat, McNichol, and Guilbride in their Nursing uniforms.

Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-007350 (modified from the original). Provided by The Vimy Foundation.

The Second World War

The Second World War would see Canadian women returning to serve again as nursing sisters but this time the nursing service went beyond the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. It was expanded to both the Royal Canadian Air Force Medical Branch and the Royal Canadian Naval Medical Service. By the end of the war, 4,480 Canadian Nursing Sisters served in the military, with 3,656 in the army, 481 with the air force, and 343 with the navy. Also aside from regular nurses, therapists, dietitians, laboratory technicians, and physiotherapists were employed by the army as well (Source). More than two-thirds of them serving overseas.

Second World War nursing sisters wore a military uniform with a traditional white veil. These young women were commissioned officers and were respectfully addressed as “Sister” or “Ma’am.” In fact, Canada’s military nurses were the first in any Allied country to have officer status. Canadian women would also serve in other military roles during the war, however, and some 50,000 eventually enlisted in the air force, army and navy (Source).

Further Reading from ‘the Canadian Encyclopedia’ on the Nursing Sisters (Lots more info on these women).

1940s vintage Photo from May 1942 of a group of Canadian Nursing Sisters during WW2.

Photo: May 1942. Source: mcmaster.ca

Canadian Nursing Sisters as Seen thru Photos, Illustrations & Stories

Toronto Star Weekly from November 23rd, 1940 showcasing on the cover a Canadian Overseas Nurse.

1940s vintage magazine cover from November 23rd 1940 from the Toronto Star Weekly showing a Canadian overseas nurse in uniform during WW2

Source: Elinor Florence.com

Here is a coloured photo of a 1940s Canadian nurse.

1940s Vintage Photo of a Canadian Nursing Sister in uniform in front of an Ambulance during WW2

From ‘Historica Canada‘:

Ruth Muggeridge was a Nurse at the No. 8 Canadian General Hospital during the Second World War and remembers tending wounded soldiers during D-Day. Visit her profile from The Memory Project Archive to hear her full testimony HERE.

Canadian Women at War during WW2: Learn all about Ruth Muggeridge was a Nurse at the No. 8 Canadian General Hospital during the Second World War and remembers tending wounded soldiers during D-Day by clicking the link.

July 17th, 1944. The first nursing sisters of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.) to land in France after D-Day (source).

1940s Vintage Photo: July 17th, 1944. The first nursing sisters of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.) to land in France after D-Day

Source: Library & Archives Canada

The front cover of The Bystander features two nurses from Toronto, brought in to Britain in 1940 along with seventy-seven others to help care for wounded servicemen in wartime Britain. 1940 (Source).

1940s vintage photo: The front cover of The Bystander features two nurses from Toronto, brought in to Britain in 1940 along with seventy-seven others to help care for wounded servicemen in wartime Britain. 1940

Source: Alamy.com

Nursing Sisters Eloise MacDiarmid and Frances Caddy on night duty, No.1 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Andria, Italy, February 1944 (source).

Important Facts: After three years in England, Nursing Sisters were sent into action on the continent.  Donning battle dress, steel helmets and backpacks, Canadian General Hospital, No. 1 arrived in Sicily, the first women to land in the Eighth Army area.  Almost all hospital units deployed to the continent were initially set up under canvas.  Later, they were moved into abandoned or bombed-out buildings (source).

1940s Vintage Photo: Canadian Nursing Sisters Eloise MacDiarmid and Frances Caddy on night duty, No.1 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.), Andria, Italy, February 1944

Source: Library & Archives Canada

Nursing Sister Agnes Wilkie, the only Royal Canadian Navy nursing sister killed by enemy action during the Second World War.

Agnes Wilkie was a passenger on the ferry SS Caribou when it was sunk by a German torpedo in the Cabot Strait off Newfoundland. Despite the efforts of her companion, Nursing Sister Margaret Brooke, she died in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. For her heroism, Brooke was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), the first Canadian nursing sister so recognized (Source).

Further Reading: CBC Article-Only nurse killed by enemy action in WW II remembered as a ‘warm, gentle’ hero in Misericordia exhibit

Nursing Sister Agnes Wilkie, the only Royal Canadian Navy nursing sister killed by enemy action during the Second World War.

Source: cwgc.org

Unidentified nursing sisters of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps awaiting the inspection of one of the wards aboard the hospital ship S.S. LADY NELSON, England, 4 May 1943 (source).

1940s vintage photo: Unidentified Canadian nursing sisters of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps awaiting the inspection of one of the wards aboard the hospital ship S.S. LADY NELSON, England, 4 May 1943

Source: Library & Archives Canada

1940s Canadian Red Cross poster depicting a young nurse (source).

Description: “Give! … to relieve human suffering. $9,000,000 Needed Now. Canadian Red Cross”

1940s Canadian Red Cross poster depicting a young nurse during WW2.

Source: McMaster University Library

One more Canadian Red Cross Propaganda poster. “The Need Grows As Victory Nears”.

1940s Canadian Red Cross poster depicting a young nurse during WW2.

Source: eBay

Nursing Sister Healed the Wounds of War(read their story & see the fantastic photos by clicking on the text link or the image below).

Blog Post from Elinor Florence-Wartime Wednesday (a treasure trove of Canadian Wartime stories from those men & women who served).

Photo Description: Three young Canadian nurses from the story above. Jessie on the left with friends Mary Dowie and Queenie Rutherford.

1940s vintage photo of 3 young Canadian Nurses posing together in their nurses uniforms during WW2. Image from Elinor Florence.

Source: Elinor Florence.com

Nursing Sister, RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force), white uniform, 18 Dec 1943 (source).

1940s vintage photo of a Canadian Nursing Sister, RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force), white uniform, 18 Dec 1943.

Source: Silverhawkauthor.com via Library and Archives Canada

Nursing sisters from No. 10 Canadian General Hospital, Arromanches, France, July 1944 (source).

1940s vintage photo: Canadian Nursing sisters from No. 10 Canadian General Hospital, Arromanches, France, July 1944.

Source: Legionmagazine.com

A video interview with Nora Cook, a Canadian WWII nurse who enlisted in the medical corps in 1943, and served in a field hospital in Normandy (video link).

Read Nora’s full story HERE:

Nursing sisters of No.10 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, having a cup of tea upon arriving at Arromanches, France, 23 July 1944 (source).

1940s vintage photo: Nursing sisters of No.10 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.), having a cup of tea upon arriving at Arromanches, France, 23 July 1944

Source: Library & Archives Canada

Early on the morning of June 19, 1944, Molly (Dorothy Irene Mulholland) and another nursing sister, Winnifred “Pit” Pitkethly, became the first Canadian women to land as part of the Normandy offensive. Here is Dorothy’s Story (pictured below).

1940s vintage photo of Canadian Nurses posing with poppies during WW2

Source: Junobeach.org

Nursing sisters having tea, No.8 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Aldershot, Hampshire, England, 24 November 1943 (source).

1940s vintage photo: Canadian Nursing sisters having tea, No.8 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.), Aldershot, Hampshire, England, 24 November 1943

Source: Library & Archives Canada

July 24th, 1945: Bob Hope poses with Canadian Nursing Sisters at his Bob Hope Show Tour (source).

The other man in the photo is Jerry Colonna, American musician, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and trombonist (thank you to a reader for the name).

1940s vintage photo: July 24th, 1945: Bob Hope poses with Canadian Nursing Sisters (and a man from his show) at his Bob Hope Show Tour.

Source: Library & Archives Canada


Quick Facts about Canada on D-Day

  • D-Day and the Battle of Normandy was one of the most significant chapters in Canada’s military history.  
  • More than 450 members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion jumped inland before dawn on 6 June 1944. They were the first Canadians to engage the enemy on D-Day.
  • On 6 June 1944, some 14,000 Canadian troops from the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade stormed the beaches of Normandy. 
  • More than 90,000 Canadian soldiers who had volunteered to serve Canada during the Second World War saw action in the Normandy Campaign. 
  • The Battle of Normandy lasted for 11 weeks. Fighting through the dust and heat of the French summer, more than 5,000 Canadian soldiers were killed and another 13,000 wounded before the campaign officially came to a close in late August, 1944. 
  • The Canadians who fought on D‑Day and throughout the Battle of Normandy were among the more than one million men and women from our country who served in uniform during the Second World War (SOURCE).

Thank you for dropping by and spending some time learning about these outstanding Canadian Women. I very much enjoyed putting this post together for all of you as I learned so much along the way.

Dear readers, please share any thoughts you may have on this topic in the comments section below.

FURTHER READING:

If you live or are visiting Ottawa , Ontario Canada please make sure you visit the The Canadian War Museum. Currently as of June 6th, 2024 they have a special exhibit called “OUTSIDE THE LINES – WOMEN ARTISTS AND WAR“.

Liz