Figure 1.--Here is a Winter 1968 photograph in the snow. We're leaving for school in the snow, warmly wrapped up in Wellingtons, duffle coats and macs, school caps ... and shorts! My friend an I are wearing duffel coats. Michael and Andrew are wearing Macintoshes. I remember those very well too, and pulling the belt round to do them up! Don't be too confused by the Rover 90, even in '68 it was looking a bit dated. Notice the wellington boots. In the bags we're carrying are our shoes which we changed into in the cloakrooms.

I went to an English primary school for most of my primary school years. I was at a state primary (Infants and Juniors) then a state secondary (Grammar School) for one year, then it was off to Belgium where I did much of my secondary studies.

English Schools

I went to a fairly standard English primary school for most of my primary school years. It was at a state primary with both an Infants and Juniors division. The school had a basic uniform. I was briefly at another primary school, but then went back to the one I began at. Theres a story to tell there. I did well on my 11+ and gained enttry to a grammar school for my secondary studies. I was there only 1 year, however, before we moved to Belgium.

Move to Belgium

My family moved to Belgium when I was 12 years old in 1974. I was immediately "gobsmacked" at the short trousers that the Belgian boys were all wearing. They were so much shorter than what boys were wearing at the time in England. I was terrified that I might have to wear them--but fortunately I never did. I couldn't bring myself to wear shorts even in heatwaves until I was well into my 20s as a result! I was startled to often seeing boys as old as 14 or 15 still wearing shorts all year round sometimes, even in the bitterest of cold, and at the time the style was VERY short. I remember one day my dad was driving us into town and we stopped at some traffic lights. It was a bitter cold winter's day. Nxt to us a boy pulled up on his bike. Warm anorak, scarf, balaclava, brown shoes, long shocks with a criss-cross patten... and no sign of any trousers. Just bear legs which he was rubbing to keep warm. It was a main road and he was at least 14, about my age at the time. That's what made it so memorable, because I was thinking "Wow, imagine, if I'd been born here I could be dressed like that now!" I had friends in secondary school who would wear jeans to school, but if they came round after school to ask if I wanted to come out, they'd appear at the door looking as if they didn't have any trousers on! I remember my mum commenting on the shorts some of the boys in the street were wearing and how incredibly short they were. We didn't wear smocks although for metal work and electricity we wore grey "overalls" as I call them which were identical to the ones you'll see in these pix, which I believe HBC refers to as smocks.

Author: Jonathan

Created: 3:29 AM 9/14/2005
Last updated: 9:13 PM 9/17/2005