Figure 1.-.

I mostly wore short trousers as a boy. Most boys I knew did so also. Mum never explained why and it was so common that we never really questioned this, even in the Winter. Most of my shorts were grey school shorts. Our school required grey shorts as part of the school uniform. Not all schools had this requirement, but many did. Mum almost always had us wear shorts after school as well. I wore new ones to school and then as they wore out I wore them for play. I also had cord shorts for play and casual wear. They weren't allowed at school even grey ones. Not all boys had cord shorts. As far as I can recall you either liked cords or hated them when I was a kid. I think I liked them precisely because my older brother didn't!I didn't mind wearing shorts, except for a horrid pair of checked shorts my grandmother bought for best wear. Mum also bought Summer shorts for us. I noticed substantial differences in how boys viewed short trousers in the 1970s and 80s.

School Shorts

My most vivid memories (and the happiest) were of when I was at primary school and that was the period when I, along with most boys, did wear short trousers both in school and out. Most of my shorts were grey school shorts. Our primary school required grey shorts as part of the school uniform. Not all schools had this requirement, but many did. We wore grey school shorts of various styles. I remember objecting to wearing my brother's "hand me down" shorts as at one time (I was about 9). They were too "baggy" in comparison with my friends'. Again by the time I was eleven (1970) the shorts worn by boys at my school were pretty standardised coming from BHS. The school didn't allow corduroy shorts. At least I think that was the case – I never saw any boy wearing them. Some wore thicker type shorts in the Winter and lighter grey cotton ones in Summer but never cords. Some schools might have – but I never saw them in London. School uniform requations varied as different schools. I've noted on HBC that some boys wore cord shorts as part of their uniform. I think this was mostly private preparatory schools. Shorts were worn at my grammar school, but were not common even with the new boys by the time I arrived. There was a kind of associated prep departmentschool, however, which did require short trousers.

Types of School Shorts

I remember all the different types of school shorts that we had. I wore short grey short trousers all through primary school. Looking back, however, the shorts I wore were surprisingly varied. While I do not recall ever wearing strap shorts to school, I do recall very clearly all the different methods that were devised to hold shorts up and make them look smart. Around the age of 9 years of age or so I did start to notice things and have my preferences and this led to arguments with my older brother. As I've said Mum would get all of our school clothes ready on the Sunday night and then we'd put them in neat piles in the airing cupboard. Then she'd iron them fresh each morning for school and I remember getting into a race with my brother to finish our porridge first and brush our teeth so that we could get to Mum first and get the "best" pair of shorts. We never knew which two pairs she'd have got out and ironed but there was usually one pair out of the two that one or other of us would prefer as they were all of different types.

Corduroy

As far as I can recall you either liked cords or hated them when I was a kid. I think I liked them precisely because my older brother didn't! It wasn't just that I was secretly glad when mum made him wear a pair in the Winter and he used to argue. It made a change as it was usually me who argued with her about clothes. He was pretty good that way. It was also because since he didn't like wearing them unless he had to they were mostly “mine” and not among the clothes we had to share. I was quite possessive about my favourite pair – the green faded ones that mum had bought me from the sisters' shop. He would sometimes say that he wanted to wear them if mum wanted him in cords. I used to go mad – and it seemed to me really unfair if mum let him wear them rather than one of the grey pairs. She thought that we were just arguing for the sake of it. She didn't realise that it was bad enough me not being able to wear my favourite cords, but then for him to be wearing them was almost unbearable. She wouldn't make him take them off though if he'd got them on first and it would normally end up with me being seen as the one at fault. I would be in a bad mood all day and couldn't even bear to look at my brother walking along in MY shorts!. I also then refused to wear them again until mum had washed them – at which point she used to go mad at me – saying one day I was complaining that I wanted to wear them and the next refusing to! The one thing we both agreed on as far as cords were concerned were that neither of us wanted to wear a brown pair that we had.They were dark brown – or “chocolate brown” as my mum used to call them (probably to make them seem more appealing by associating them with something nice!) - and if my mum had them out there would be a real fight over who was going to wear them. This would normally end up with the both of us getting smacked and then mum grabbing the nearest one – and I swear that nine times out of ten that was me but I couldn't prove it now – and putting the brown cords on to us without any further discussion. At least in this case we were both then in mum's bad books so we didn't try to make fun of each other.

Strap Shorts

Suspender shorts (or strap shorts as we called them) were probably less common in England than in other European countries but they were not unknown even when I was growing up even for school. I recall that some boys wore grey strap shorts for school when I started there and even one or two when I was in class 2 (8 and 9-year-olds). I think that these were more hand-me-down shorts from older brothers as I never saw school strap shorts on sale except for the younger boys. A lot of girls wore strap skirts for Winter and that is why boys who wore them got a hard time.

Play Shorts

Mum almost always had us wear shorts after school as well. I wore new ones to school and then as they wore out I wore them for play. Mum also bought Summer shorts for us. I remember in particular some Summer shorts mum brought for my trip to Germany. We also had jean shorts. I had cut-offs, but my little brother had actual store bought jean shorts. He even wore them to school. I thought they looked odd, especilly when he wore them with a white shirt.

Checked Shorts

I didn't mind wearing shorts, except for a HORRID pair of checked shorts I had to wear for best. My brother loved to tease me about them. The major "dress up" occaisions were the thrice yearly visits to our grandparents in Yorkshire. The shorts thmselves were the normal style for the time. I think some wealthier men wore Prince of Wales check suits. It may have been an expensive cloth. I only had the shorts. - I think my Grandparents must have bought them. They were from Leeds where a lot of cloth was woven so maybe they got them from a local firm. They were odd in London which is why I hated them. My cousin, who lived in Richmond, Yorkshire, did wear more this type of clothing - so maybe it was cheaper up there. It was just unusual for a boy to wear patterned ones like these for best rather than his plain school ones, especially around my area. As mom absolutely insisted I wear them during our trips to visit our granparents, it must have been grandmother who purchased them for me. My elder brother had a much more acceptable blue suit with long, slightly flared trousers at this time and my younger brother wore his grey school shorts and they started ribbing me before we even left the house.

Reasons

I mostly wore short trousers as a boy. Most boys I knew did so also. Mum never explained why and it was so common that we never really questioned this, even in the Winter. I noticed an HBC page assessing this topic and have a few comments.

Boys' Attitudes

I noticed substantial differences in how boys viewed short trousers in the 1970s and 80s.

The 1970s

As regards short trousers in general (and the 70s was very much a turning point in this) a minority of boys started secondary school in them but most primary schools still required them. Most boys who wore them to the "big school" were the youngest or only boys in their family so, having no younger brothers to pass them on to, were wearing them out. Some boys however were bought new shorts to start with and some of these wore them into the second or even third year - but these were only one or two. There was a school - St. Marks in Fulham, London- where the uniform required short trousers for all boys and nobody wanted to go there! This rule was retained until 1979 for the first year boys at that school. Out of school most boys wanted to wear long trousers - but those who wore shorts to school would also wear these for "best" - visiting relatives etc. Even in the Summer primary school boys would change into jeans when they got home from school - a reaction against having to wear shorts to school I suppose. They accepted, however, wearing their shorts to Cubs or family occaisions. Some mothers insisted on their sons wearing cotton shorts in the Summer. Other boys wore their football shorts but most wanted to be in jeans or, if allowed, flared trousers for going out.

The 1980s

Funnily enough in the 1980's when most primary schoolboys still had to wear shorts to school they didn't seem to react so strongly to wearing them out of school. (I suppose the "post 60s" rebellion was over). Many boys did not object as long as they were "fashionable" casual shorts. And these were short cut versions of their school shorts in various colours made for Summer wear). Their older brothers never willingly wore shorts - and few had to for school.

Long Trousers

My older brother and I normally wore short trousers while we were still in primary school. It was different for my little brother who began attending a primary school without a uniform restriction. He wore long trousers a lot more than my older brother and I ever did. My older brother was the first to get proper long trousers. He got long trousers when he began his secondary school at age 11 and I did as well when I began. He also had long trousers for Scouts which changed the uniform by the time he moved on from Cubs. He also had a suit with flared trousers. At the time that I was still wearing those checked shorts I mentioned. Our first long trousers though were jeans, although mum didn't really approve of them. As far as denim out of school goes - it was still frowned on by some parents in the 60s/70s. We had them, both long and short versions. My little brother even wore them to school. My mum wouldn't let us wear them, however, when out with her - even shopping - or on a Sunday for some reason.

Bill