Web Page  No 2142

22^nd March 2015

Top Picture: A traditional School uniform cap, shorts, jacket and socks.

Middle Picture: A traditional School satchel

Lower Picture:  Sock Garters, I never wore these!!!

School

I can only speak from the male point of view but as I remember it there is now a wealth of things which to us were essential requirements when we were at school that are no longer around today.

Let’s start off with our obligatory school uniforms. When was the last time you saw a school boy wearing a cap with a school badge on it or a school girl wearing a beret or any other style of school hat for that matter? School head gear, except for very few exceptions, seem to be a thing of the past, the nearest one gets to it these days are baseball caps and beanie hats!

Blazers with school badges on the pocket and white shirts or blouses with a school tie all seem to have gone out the window, it is now polo shirts with the school logo on them and fleeces and not a scarf in sight! (you also never seem to see college scarves any more either, I still have mine it is a little to worse for wear but I still have it !) Did you, like me, have to wear those thick heavy gabardine coats in the winter? It was a relief when the duffle coat became popular.

For the boys uniform meant short grey trousers and long grey socks and here was hidden those long forgotten pieces of equipment, the garters. I remember my mother sitting with a length of elastic and sewing it into hoops to keep my socks up. Now whose father’s wore sock suspenders? I know mine did and Pam tells me her Dad did as well. Or course this vital piece of equipment was not needed by the girls as they wore short white ankle socks. All this and we wore Aertex underwear and Start-Rite shoes as well.

Taking things to school, especially when we started senior school, we were sent off each day with our things packed into a leather satchel, or later a duffle bag never anything bigger. Sometimes these days, when I look out of the window, I wonder at the school children going off to school in the mornings with a rucksack full of books etc. I wonder how they manage.  I understand that this is now the norm as the pupils no longer have desks or lockers to keep their books in within the classroom as we did. Mind you I understand that satchels have recently made a comeback as a fashion accessory.

Some months back I spoke about plimsolls being replaced by trainers but I think I omitted to mention the all-important homemade shoe bag that we all had to carry our PE kit in.     

Fountain pens were an essential as ball point pens were not allowed for schoolwork and this then opened up another collection of essential items to carry to school. The Gosport made Osmiroid or Parker pen, a bottle of Stephens, Watermans or Quink ink, some sheets of blotting paper were all packed into the satchel as was the Geometry set, a rules, pencils, sharpeners and erasers. In fact we always seemed to carry a portable stationary store with us wherever we went.

Ah well! Just a few more thoughts about our childhood days, no tablet or computer, no calculator or mobile phone, but it stood us in good stead. Mind you my hand writing is still terrible but I can still recite my times tables!  

Stay in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

Mary Writes more about Dr. Cheyne

Like Maureen I had every reason to be grateful to Dr Cheyne. My mother was taken very ill with virus pneumonia and Dr Cheyne stayed all night at our house until she showed signs of improvement. I remember how distressed my father was. She even asked to see me late at night so must have realised how ill she was. I wasn`t 8yrs old. He was a wonderful doctor, who was much missed when we moved out into the countryside

News and Views:

On this day 22^nd  March 1960-1965

On 22/03/1960 the number one single was Running Bear - Johnny Preston and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was The Larkins (ATV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/03/1961 the number one single was Walk Right Back/Ebony Eyes - Everly Brothers and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

On 22/03/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

On 22/03/1963 the number one single was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/03/1964 the number one single was Little Children - Billy J Kramer and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/03/1965 the number one single was The Last Time - Rolling Stones and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.