Here in the Midlands, men have never had many reservations about smelling nice. When I was much younger, most of the men that I knew reeked of something or other, so I grew up in a "world of smell". I guess that times were very different back then, though. My earliest encounter with aftershave was a workfriend of my father reeking of Aramis, which I loved even back then. He stayed with us for a while when his house was being done up, and I remember smelling him in every room of the house, even hours after he had left for work. Aramis certainly lingered well back then. I still love it today, even though it lacks some of its former power and longevity.
I also recall that EDTs were much rarer back then than they are now. If you wanted to smell nice back then, you really only had two options - a deodorant or a conventional aftershave splash. Aftershave balms were also unheard of when I was younger. These days, of course, EDTs seem to be the dominant force when it comes to men's fragrances. How times have changed.