1930s BRITISH SUMMERS - THE PASSING SHOW

"The Passing Show" was an Odhams UK magazine title from 1924 - 1939 (when it merged with "Illustrated"). Much like the "Saturday Evening Post" in the United States, it featured beautifully illustrated covers of everyday events, some archly humorous, providing an insight into 1930s civilian life (and lots of useful 'uniform references' for the VBCW modeller). Here are some 1930s "summer covers":

Saturday, 3rd September 1938 - newspaper boy and exhausted father.
The Munich Crisis is just about to envelop Europe (see this TIMELINE)
but the British are, as always in summer, "at the beach".

Ice Cream Vendor, June 25th 1932. No "ice cream vans" in the 1930s,
but one man "ice cream carts". It is likely that this chap is an Italian,
as the Italians had a substantial interest in the British ice cream trade from
 around the 1880s. Mussolini's well known "ice cream intervention" in
the VBCW used such vendors as a convenient excuse for action.

Five years later, August 1937. A rather smart ice cream cart finds an
ironic customer. It may be that, by this stage, the ice cream market
was becoming more commercialised - certainly the smart livery and
ice cream man uniform would so suggest.

Village cricket, June 1935. Here it looks as if the "Lord of the Manor"
is "out for a duck". See HERE for VBCW Cricket

"Ye Olde Village Fete" - another English summer staple of the 1930s (and now)
It is not quite clear what has happened to the local Mayor here - has he lost
all his money at the coconut shy, or is he desperately looking for "the facilities"?
Whatever - the villagers (all save for the Vicar) seem to be enjoying it all.