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UK Singles Chart For December 16,1940

TW LW Wks Song-Artist

1 1 7 BLESS YOU-INK SPOTS
2 3 7 I'M NOBODY'S BABY-Judy Garland
3 5 11 SIX LESSONS FROM MADAME LA ZONGA-Jimmy Dorsey
4 6 3 BLESS 'EM ALL-George Formby
5 7 3 I'LL NEVER SMILE AGAIN-Vera Lynn
6 2 7 SIERRA SUE-Bing Crosby
7 4 16 MEET THE SUN HALF-WAY-Bing Crosby
8 8 20 FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN-Marlene Dietrich
9 11 3 GLOOMY SUNDAY-Artie Shaw
10 9 25 MAYBE-Bing Crosby
11 10 11 PENNSYLVANIA 6-5000-Glenn Miller
12 16 3 ALL OVER THE PLACE-Hutch
13 14 3 I'M NOBODY'S BABY-Nat Gonella
14 13 6 SIERRA SUE-Glenn Miller
15 12 6 YOU DO SOMETHING TO ME-Marlene Dietrich
16 15 16 APRIL PLAYED THE FIDDLE-Bing Crosby
17 17 20 COQUETTE-Ink Spots
18 18 11 WE'LL GO SMILING ALONG-Geraldo
19 19 9 FERRYBOAT SERENADE-Andrews Sisters
20 22 3 THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE-Richard Tauber
21 20 25 EMBRACEABLE YOU-Judy Garland
22 21 7 I'LL NEVER SMILE AGAIN-Hutch
23 24 3 CHINESE LAUNDRY BLUES-George Formby
24 23 11 WE'LL GO SMILING ALONG-Turner Layton
25 - 1 IF TEARS COULD BRING YOU BACK-Organ Dance Band And Me
26 27 3 ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE-Adelaide Hall
27 - 1 ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE-Joe Loss
28 - 1 UNTIL YOU FALL IN LOVE-Geraldo
29 - 1 TRADE WINDS-Turner Layton
30 29 3 A NEW KIND OF OLD FASHIONED GIRL-Max Miller

From the book "The British Hit Singles Jan 1940 - Oct 1952: The Missing Charts":

This impressive 300-page publication is subtitled “The Week by Week Top 30 Best Selling 78s: The Missing Charts”. It’s based on statistics compiled by the late Colin Brown from weekly sales figures, although sadly he did not live to see the finished project. Each page of the charts proper carries 3 columns, one per week, showing artist, title, catalogue number, and position against the previous week. That’s interspersed with photos and outline histories of some of the personalities involved, some of which look to have been written in haste. Summaries show the biggest number one hits, a list of titles indexed to artists, songs with the most recorded versions, and an index of song titles. It’s a high-quality hardback production, with an attractive cover decked out with labels of some of the featured records. It should be an indispensable purchase for any devotee of this era of popular music.

Artists that still can still re-chart in the UK charts: Bing Crosby, Vera Lynn, and Judy Garland.

The charts 5 years later:

UK Singles Chart For December 17,1945

TW LW Wks Song-Artist

1 1 7 YOU BELONG TO MY HEART-BING CROSBY
2 8 21 WHITE CHRISTMAS-Bing Crosby
3 6 3 I BEGGED HER-Frank Sinatra
4 5 3 HOLIDAY FOR STRINGS-Spike Jones
5 10 3 I'LL CLOSE MY EYES-Dorothy Squires
6 2 16 LONDON FANTASIA-London Concert Orchestra
7 11 3 I'M CONFESSIN' (That I Love You)-Harry James
8 3 7 ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET-Tommy Dorsey
9 4 7 LET THE REST OF THE WORLD GO BY/LAURA-Dick Haymes
10 7 7 OL' MAN RIVER-Frank Sinatra
11 13 3 SKYLINER-Geraldo
12 9 16 MORE AND MORE-Bing Crosby
13 12 7 MANANA-Harry Roy
14 14 12 THE THREE CABALLEROS-Edmundo Ros
15 17 3 SYMPHONY-Vera Lynn
16 15 7 I'M IN LOVE WITH TWO SWEETHEARTS-Joe Loss
17 18 3 (You Came Along) FROM OUT OF NOWHERE-Squadronaires
18 19 3 TOO BAD-Ambrose
19 20 2 IT'S BEEN A LONG LONG TIME-Carroll Gibbons
20 22 2 SYMPHONY-Hutch
21 21 6 I'LL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU-Hutch
22 24 2 LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY-Lou Preager
23 23 6 I'LL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU-Joe Loss
24 16 12 LET HIM GO, LET HIM TARRY-Joe Loss
25 26 2 UNDER THE WILLOW TREE-Harry Roy
26 25 12 THERE'S NO YOU-Frank Sinatra
27 29 2 I'LL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU-Denny Dennis
28 28 2 STARS IN YOUR EYES-Monte Rey
29 27 25 MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, LOUIS-Judy Garland
30 30 12 LET HIM GO, LET HIM TARRY-Nat Gonella

Artists that still live on: the same, but add Frank Sinatra.

And 5 years after that:

UK Singles Chart For December 18,1950

TW LW Wks Song-Artist

1 5 48 WHITE CHRISTMAS-BING CROSBY
2 3 4 RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER-Bing Crosby
3 6 3 ME AND MY IMAGINATION-Donald Peers
4 4 4 RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER-Donald Peers
5 1 7 I TAUT I TAW A PUDDY TAT-Mel Blanc
6 2 7 ORANGE COLOURED SKY-Nat 'King' Cole
7 8 3 SLEIGH RIDE-Boston Promenade Orchestra
8 7 12 MAMBO JAMBO / MAMBO NO. 5-Perez Prado
9 16 3 ORANGE COLOURED SKY-Danny Kaye & The Andrews Sisters
10 12 6 DREAM OF OLWEN-Charles Williams Orchestra
11 9 7 ORANGE COLOURED SKY-Doris Day
12 15 20 OLWEN (Dream Of Olwen)-Reggie Goff
13 10 12 PLAY A SIMPLE MELODY-Bing Crosby And Gary Crosby
14 17 6 DREAM OF OLWEN-Ronnie Ronalde
15 11 16 TZENA, TZENA, TZENA-Mitch Miller
16 18 3 SERENATA-Reggie Goff
17 21 2 MARSHMALLOW WORLD / ALL MY LOVE-Bing Crosby
18 20 3 THE THING-Teresa Brewer
19 22 4 THE HALLS OF IVY / DRINK, DRINK, DRINK-Reggie Goff
20 13 29 MONA LISA-Nat 'King' Cole
21 25 2 LIFE IS SO PECULIAR-Louis Armstrong And Louis Jordan
22 14 7 YES, I'LL BE THERE / LOVE LIKE OURS-Reggie Goff
23 24 3 I LEAVE MY HEART IN AN ENGLISH GARDEN-Lee Lawrence
24 28 12 SOMETIME-Donald Peers
25 19 16 SAM'S SONG (A Happy Tune)-Bing Crosby And Gary Crosby
26 - 1 FALLING IN LOVE WITH LOVE-Lee Lawrence
27 23 7 SINORA-Ray Ellington
28 - 1 (Down At The) FERRYBOAT INN/THE PETITE WALTZ-Tanner Sisters
29 26 6 BELOVED BE FAITHFUL-Teddy Johnson
30 27 16 I DIDN'T SLIP, I WASN'T PUSHED, I FELL-Doris Day

And artists that still live on in the festive season: Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Louis Armstrong (if you play What A Wonderful World circa New Year's Day).

Fun fact: according to these missing charts, White Christmas spent 25 weeks at #1! And he was definitely the biggest star of the 40s and early 50s with 44 #1's in total!

This post has been edited by Ne Plus Ultra: Dec 14 2020, 10:21 PM