Seventeen then and now
Although soldiers had to be 19 before they could serve overseas, the country's recruiting sergeants often turned a blind eye to the thousands of 17-year-olds who lied about their age and consequently found themselves in the trenches of the Western Front. So what was it like to be 17 around the time of the First World War, and how did their life compare to that of a teenager of today?
The fun stuff
Music and dancing |
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| • Then If you were lucky, you might have owned, or known someone who owned, a phonograph cylinder or disc player. You could then have listened to the popular music of the day, such as Ivor Novello's Keep The Home Fires Burning. You wouldn't have been able to listen to radio in the UK until the 1920s, when the British Broadcasting Company (later the British Broadcasting Corporation) first went on air. You may have gone to a nearby ballroom or community hall to dance to a live band on a special occasion. |
• Now You can listen to a vast array of music from every corner of the globe on your iPod, Walkman or phone – in other words, when you want, where you want. You can keep your tastes up-to-date by tuning in to a huge choice of analogue, digital and internet radio stations. You may go to a club or gig pretty much any night of the week. |
Fashion |
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| • Then Tailored suits were starting to become popular. When men went off to fight and more women worked in factories and offices, women started to wear trousers and clothes with a hint of the military. After the war, more extravagant-looking clothes re-appeared, and by the mid 1920s, the hemline went as high as the knee. For men, little changed, with suits worn for office work and for going out in the evening. |
• Now Casual wear like jeans and trainers are the norm for leisure and often for work too. Many nightclubs, however, insist on smart clothes. When it comes to designer fashion – from rabbit-skin outfits to rubber dresses – anything goes. |
Books and newspapers |
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| • Then With no TV or radio, a teenager would have turned to newspapers – such as The Times, The Manchester Guardian, Daily Mirror (the first daily illustrated exclusively with photographs) or Daily Herald – as the principal source of news, as well as cinema newsreels. There's more about what books young people were reading then in Childhood under fire. 
The Boys Own had existed since the 19th century, but its stories of brave fighters attracted greater interest during the war |
• Now Teenagers are spoilt for choice, with the creation of a Children's Laureate in 1999 (position currently held by Jacqueline Wilson) showing that young people's literature is taken very seriously. There is a wide variety of novels specifically aimed at teens. Escapism and fantasy are popular, with so-called cross-over books being read by older children, teenagers and adults alike. The popularity of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is record-breaking, and Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider and Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series also capture imaginations across the age groups. Many of today's books deal with difficult human issues, such as death, bullying, relationship problems and disability, in an honest, often witty, way that has not previously been available. Newspapers are fighting a battle with numerous other forms of media, such as television and the web, to provide news. Teens have a particular penchant for the tabloids – when they're not busy surfing the internet. |
TV |
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| • Then Public television broadcasts did not begin in the UK until 1932. |
• Now Hundreds of satellite and cable channels compete with the domestic television stations to offer 24-hour programming from around the world, featuring everything from wall-to-wall music, soaps and quiz shows to news, documentaries and films. And if that's not enough choice, there are also recorded media like DVD and time-shifting such as PVRs (e.g. Tivo, Sky Plus). |
Cinema/Movies |
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| • Then Films – such as DW Griffiths' The Birth of a Nation (1915) – were all silent (sound was not developed until 1923, hitting the screen with The Jazz Singer in 1927). The cinema would have been one of the main sources of news. The topical newsreels showed powerful images of war, the likes of which would never before have been seen by civilians. |
• Now Cinema is an integral part of many young people's day-to-day lives, from multiplex cinemas to movies on DVD and pay TV. Cinema technology – Dolby stereo sound, 3D effects, Imax and the like – make movies an all-encompassing experience. |
Travel |
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| • Then A trip to the closest seaside resort in the UK was the usual way to spend a summer holiday or weekend away, if you were lucky enough. As a young teenager, you would be unlikely to go away without your family. |
• Now Cheap flights offer affordable travel throughout the world. Teenagers will often go away without their parents. Extended 'gap year' travel before university is commonplace. Whole travel companies, such as Club 18-30, have boomed on the back of the teen market. |
Games |
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| • Then If you felt energetic, you might play football, rugby or tennis. If you wanted something to do at home, you might play cards or a parlour game, such as charades. |
• Now If you feel energetic, you might still play football, rugby or tennis – although skateboarding, basketball or xtreme sports might be more the norm. Computer and video games would be more likely options than cards or a parlour game, and you don't need to be at home to play them, with the advent of mobile gaming. Online games mean you can be shooting at Germans in an altogether healthier way – or it could be Americans, Australians, Japanese or Koreans on the receiving end of your laser guns. |
Shopping |
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| • Then Most people would have shopped in local stores – the greengrocer, butcher and hardware store in the high street or village – for necessities. The selection would have been limited and seasonal. Shopping for anything else, such as leisure items, was rarer. 
London greengrocers, R Bird & Son, one of the limited number of retail outlets that would have satisfied a local family's needs in the early years of the 20th century |
• Now Necessities are bought in supermarkets, where stocks are available throughout the year and from all around the world; there is no such thing as a season in a supermarket. Huge shopping centres or malls house an array of shops, and offer teens a place to hang out or spend their significant disposable income on anything from clothes to electrical equipment. |