Figure 1.--

During our second tour in Germany, this time at an RAF base, all three brothers were at boarding school in England so we visited our parents only in the holidays. It was clear that the German boys of my age still wore shorts. Having by now got used to having my legs covered most of the time, I was intrigued by this. The older teenagers wore leather shorts they had presumably grown up in, as the leather was very well worn and, the shorts having grown no longer, the boys’ legs were now almost completely bare. Some shorts were so brief that the wearer’s underpants showed below the hem of the shorts. The clothing the German boys wore above the waist suited the climate, their woollens and anoraks seeming much more sophisticated than ours. I would have been mortified having to expose so much leg, even in summer but the boys never seemed uncomfortable or self conscious. I suppose it just wasn’t an issue, any more than it had been an issue for me to wear school uniform at home, or on holiday. And of course I have to tell you about our Paddy. One issue associated with the move to Germany was our family dog.

Boarding School in East Anglia (1960-64)

My family returned to England in 1960 and, thankfully, I transferred to another boarding school, in East Anglia. It was a public school like the school in Dorset. I was much happier there, for a variety of reasons. One sas there was no mandatory Cadets. By now, it seemed normal to wear school uniform. We had a uniform of gray suits. Now I was back into long trousers – for the whole of each term. We wore grey shirts, but 6th formers could wear white shirts. We also had a striped blazer for sports, a jaunty black, purple, and white. Caps were required, but the older boys could wear boaters which were popular. We did possess other, scruffier clothes which we wore for what then seemed like daring escapades on our bikes into the surrounding countryside in search of illicit drinks in quiet pubs. That was, of course, because we didn’t want to be identified. How naïve! I was now beginning to acquire more relaxed clothes for wearing at home in the holidays – a pair of jeans made its first appearance.

Second Tour in Germany

Dad was posted to Germany for a scecod time, this time at an RAF base. I was not fully aware of it at the time, but the early 1960s was a critical time in the Cold War. The principle issue was Berlin. It was an escape route for East Germans who wanted to get to West Germany. The Soviets finally solved that problem by building the Berlin Wall (1961). RAF and American bases began as part of the occupation of Germany. By this time they were beadrock for the defense of Germany.

Holiday Visits

When dad got his second posting to Germany, all three brothers were at boarding school in England so we visited our parents only in the holidays.

Germany Boys

I was a little older at this time and found the contrast between Britaun and Germany interesting in many ways. It was clear that the German boys of my age still wore shorts. Having by now got used to having my legs covered most of the time, I was intrigued by this. The older teenagers wore leather shorts they had presumably grown up in, as the leather was very well worn and, the shorts having grown no longer, the boys’ legs were now almost completely bare. Some shorts were so brief that the wearer’s underpants showed below the hem of the shorts. The clothing the German boys wore above the waist suited the climate, their woollens and anoraks seeming much more sophisticated than ours. I would have been mortified having to expose so much leg, even in summer but the boys never seemed uncomfortable or self conscious. I suppose it just wasn’t an issue, any more than it had been an issue for me to wear school uniform at home, or on holiday.

Our Clothes

Children's wardrobes at the time were much more limited at the time. Thus we commonly wore school uniforms items, including ties, even out of school. We often used our school uniforms when we dressed up. And play/leisure wear was very limited indeed--often our older clothes. Leisure clothes were few in those days and children were expected to be smart unless they were playing games which involved getting dirty. I think this was especially true for a military family, but it was still a commonly held idea even among civilians in Britain. I might mention that even in the 1950s and 60s, private schools were expensive. We never could have gone if the military had not paid for it. Thus many of the boys at school came from families far bettr off than us. They may have had wardrobes with both leisure wear and dress up clothes. We commonly made use of our school uniform when dressing up.

Our Paddy

We couldn't bear to part with our family dog--Paddy. Dad took the photograph here of our family taken on Christmas Day 1963 (figure 1). Notice Paddy. My brothers and I were spending the holiday with our parents, having flown over from our boarding school in East Anglia. It's interesting because it shows an English family living in West Germany with their pet dog. My father was based at an RAF base and we are pictured outside our married quarters. In spite of Paddy having to face 6 months in quarantine on our return to England, we still felt it important to have Paddy with us. Many British families felt likewise. The other interesting point is that my younger brothers are in their school uniform, even on Christmas Day. We were expected to dress smartky on important days and our school uniform was used for our dress up clothing. I'll also attach a photo of my family and the dog taken a few months later, still in Germany, and my brothers, aged 12 and 14, now seem to have been given some leisure clothing!