Year	What Was Happening ?
« 1949	At St John's	In & Around Stratford	In The Church	In The World
1950	Donald A Rooke becomes vicar of St John's.			The first self-service store in Britain opens in Croydon.
1951	Myles Kenneth Raikes becomes curate at St John's Christchurch, Stratford Marsh, parish re-joined to St John's.	Population of West Ham 170,100.		Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister for a second time. The Festival of Britain.
1952				King George dies. Elizabeth II accedes to the throne.
1953	Myles Kenneth Raikes leaves St John's for Hockerill (later Vicar of St. Peter's, Bushey Heath & Diocesan Ecumenical Officer, Bath & Wells)	New church of St Pauls, Stratford New Town, consecrated. Stratford tube crash.		Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II General Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president of the United States. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquer Everest.
1954				Rationing, begun during World War II, ends in Britain. The first nuclear power plant opens near Moscow.
1955	New East Window dedicated.			Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister Nassar becomes Egypt first president. Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California.
1956				General Dwight D. Eisenhower is re-elected president of the United States. Elvis Presley records 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel' for RCA in New York. The Suez Crisis The US tests the first H bomb at Bikini Atoll.
1957		St Thomas, Rokeby Street demolished		Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister Sputnik, the first manmade satellite is successfully launched.
1958 »	Charles Fox becomes vicar of St John's