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Retro special: 37 unforgettable pictures from 1974 in the Black Country and Staffordshire - see how many you recall

Take a step back in time to 1974.

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By Tania Taylor
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Last updated

Join us as we look back at some of the moments and faces captured in the Express & Star archive - we hope you enjoy them!

Banks's Brewery, January 7, 1974. 200 barmaids who were members of the Transport and General Workers' Union were protesting over wage cuts.
Banks's Brewery, January 7, 1974. 200 barmaids who were members of the Transport and General Workers' Union were protesting over wage cuts.
Senior bird keeper at Dudley Zoo, Robin Whitewood, was trying to breed a pair of kestrels at his home Somers Road, Dudley, when this photograph was taken in January, 1974.
Senior bird keeper at Dudley Zoo, Robin Whitewood, was trying to breed a pair of kestrels at his home Somers Road, Dudley, when this photograph was taken in January, 1974.
Haven Project, Tennyson Road, Wolverhampton. Pictured are Catherine Cairns and Susan Harris who turned the house into a shelter for homeless women, January 12, 1974.
Haven Project, Tennyson Road, Wolverhampton. Pictured are Catherine Cairns and Susan Harris who turned the house into a shelter for homeless women, January 12, 1974.
Chadsmoor Infants School, Cannock. The school was running a project about "people who help us" and visited ambulance headquarters in Stafford. The photograph shows Deputy Station Officer Nevil Haughton demonstrating oxygen equipment to the children on January 30, 1974.
Chadsmoor Infants School, Cannock. The school was running a project about "people who help us" and visited ambulance headquarters in Stafford. The photograph shows Deputy Station Officer Nevil Haughton demonstrating oxygen equipment to the children on January 30, 1974.
Noah Bloomer and Sons Limited, Oak Street, Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill. The photograph shows John Brian Williams making chains on January 30, 1974.
Noah Bloomer and Sons Limited, Oak Street, Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill. The photograph shows John Brian Williams making chains on January 30, 1974.
West Bromwich Ambulance Service, Tipton. The service had its first ever female ambulance driver, Sheila Hawkins, who had previously worked as a nursing assistant at St. Margaret's Hospital, Great Barr. February 11, 1974.
West Bromwich Ambulance Service, Tipton. The service had its first ever female ambulance driver, Sheila Hawkins, who had previously worked as a nursing assistant at St. Margaret's Hospital, Great Barr. February 11, 1974.
Pickets keep warm around braziers at the entrance to West Cannock No. 5 Pit, Hednesford, during the miners' strike, February 11, 1974.
Pickets keep warm around braziers at the entrance to West Cannock No. 5 Pit, Hednesford, during the miners' strike, February 11, 1974.
Gnosall's 'three musketeers' - part-time postwomen - were back in active service. All three started at 8am collecting letters posted in the village near Stafford and delivered them locally. Pictured setting off on their rounds on February 19, 1974, are Mrs Rosa Richardson, Mrs Anna Buckless and Mrs Joan Marsh, after going on strike for a week.
'Gnosall's 'three musketeers' - part-time postwomen - were back in active service. All three started at 8am collecting letters posted in the village near Stafford and delivered them locally. Pictured setting off on their rounds on February 19, 1974, are Mrs Rosa Richardson, Mrs Anna Buckless and Mrs Joan Marsh, after going on strike for a week.'
March 3, 1974. A teenage Lenny Henry was content keeping school pals at Dudley's Blue Coat secondary school amused with some hilarious impersonations of teachers. But the 16-year-old already had his sights set high. He had just landed a spot on TV's New Faces show and, within a decade, had made it as one of Britain's top comedians.
March 3, 1974. A teenage Lenny Henry was content keeping school pals at Dudley's Blue Coat secondary school amused with some hilarious impersonations of teachers. But the 16-year-old already had his sights set high. He had just landed a spot on TV's New Faces show and, within a decade, had made it as one of Britain's top comedians.
Thomas Trevis Smith Ltd., barrel making, Cradley Heath. Joseph Gill firing the barrel after one end had been shaped and hooped. March 13, 1974.
Thomas Trevis Smith Ltd., barrel making, Cradley Heath. Joseph Gill firing the barrel after one end had been shaped and hooped. March 13, 1974.
The West Bromwich West MP Miss Betty Boothroyd in August 1974 (in checked outfit). The story began: 'A West Midland MP is to ask a major water authority 'to get on with the job' of improving a polluted canal at Tipton. Miss Betty Boothroyd, Labour, West Bromwich West, is to ask the Severn Trent Water Authority for remedial work to start immediately following her latest visit to the polluted canal arm at Gospel Oak. Residents in the Newman Road area have complained bitterly about the problem from the 'raw sewage' canal at the rear of their homes.'
The West Bromwich West MP Miss Betty Boothroyd in August 1974 (in checked outfit). The story began: 'A West Midland MP is to ask a major water authority 'to get on with the job' of improving a polluted canal at Tipton. Miss Betty Boothroyd, Labour, West Bromwich West, is to ask the Severn Trent Water Authority for remedial work to start immediately following her latest visit to the polluted canal arm at Gospel Oak. Residents in the Newman Road area have complained bitterly about the problem from the 'raw sewage' canal at the rear of their homes.'