Web Page No 2656

28th January 2020

1st Picture. Solent Road School tie

2nd Picture. Solent Road pupils all in uniform

3rd Picture. 1950’s satchel

4th Picture. School street sign

School Uniform

I really is scary when you realise that it is almost 70 years ago when you first put on a school uniform. Not the casual wear that they wear today but a regulated smart uniform to be proud of.

Starting at the top it was the cap or in the girls case a beret. Mine, for Solent Road Infant School was a navy blue cap with a badge in the centre consisting of a dark blue background with SR in light blue on it. Naturally these initials soon got known as the Southern Railway badge. With this both boys and girls wore a grey shirt with a light and dark blue striped tie (a tie they are still wearing 70 years later) and for the boys grey shorts plus for the girls a grey skirt or a gymslip, no trousers or ski pants in those days! Most dresses were shirtwaist style with cinched-in waists and added coordinated belts. The lengths went from below the knee to mid-calf.

We all wore long grey socks with garters to hold them up and black shoes. The whole topped off with a Navy Blue blazer, again with the school badge attached to the pocket.

A navy blue gabardine mackintosh and school scarf, (again two tone blue) completed the ensemble. The mac was essential because, unlike todays school children, we had to walk to school and back everyday, sometimes twice a day if you did not stay for school dinners. One other item that was required wear in the winter was a pair of black wellington boots.

I do not remember a sports kit but I do remember having sports shorts and plimsoles either lace up ones or those with elasticated fronts. All of this was carried in a homemade shoe bag with a drawstring top.

Everything, of course, had to have your name either embroidered on it of a Cash’s name tape applied.

Then came the schoolbag or satchel in which to carry your shoe bag, sports shorts, biscuits for break and the essential pencil case, normally wooden, with pens, pencils, crayons, rubbers and pencil sharpeners in them.

Looking back school uniforms when we started school reflected the British class system like never before. Many private schools changed their uniforms to distance themselves from state schools, for example the Portsmouth High School, Daley’s and the Southern Grammar for Girls had very different hats for their pupils from the Secondary Moderns. The Southern Grammar for Girls even had a deportment sash that was awarded to some girls who carried themselves in the correct way. (my wife Pam had one of these). Also, in some schools boys were not allowed to wear long trousers until they reached the grand old age of fourteen!

The Butler Reforms in the late 1950’s raised the school leaving age to 15. Mixed gender schools became popular and schools were encouraged to create uniforms codes based on the time of the year, light weight dresses for the girls in summer. Grey knitted jumpers for the winter. Leather satchels became popular.

Come the 1960’s pupils began rebelling against tradition, often unbuttoning their blazers and slackening their ties. Girls started to wear pleated skirt with tights, a blouse and blazer. Boys were allow to wear long trousers from a young age, however, one tradition remained and that was that both girls and boys always wore ties with shirts at all times.

All this before we even try to consider the very odd uniforms worn by the pupils attending public schools. But that, my friends, is a totally different subject.

Stay in touch

Peter

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Part 2 from Griff

Found it !!     Ricky Dean & The Rivals.  My photo... and I'll stick my neck out and say it's the only one in existence, hence my crease in it.  To the best of my knowledge it was taken in Kimberly's Ballroom, Southsea, Autumn 1961.  Ricky was a very good singer as were The Rivals as an instrumental group and they use to start their act with a few instrumentals mainly The Shadows or The Ventures to start with and then Ricky would leap out onto the stage and belt out an Elvis or Billy Fury song to get the dancing going. 

Ricky and The Rivals won the Southern TV search for a group competition that year. Unlikely anyone remembers that fact now though .... lol     I can't remember when the group broke up but I think it was around 1964.

News and Views:

On this day 28th January 1960-1965

On 28/01/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was North by Northwest. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Call for higher police pay.

On 28/01/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was The Russ Conway Show (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £ 13.25. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 28/01/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows 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 28/01/1963 the number one single was Dance On - The Shadows and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was The Prime Minister (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 28/01/1964 the number one single was Glad All Over - Dave Clark Five and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24.

On 28/01/1965 the number one single was Go Now! - Moody Blues and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. 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.