Figure 1.--This English class portrait has no accompnying information except that it was an usued post-card back portrait. We can only estimate the date, we think about 1930, meaning the late-20s or the early-30s. Most of the boys are wearing suits, with both ties and open collars. One boy wears his Cub uniform. A reader thinks that the V-necked jumpers (sweaters) look like 1930s styles. A few boys have school caps, but note the one school blazer has a crest that does not match the cap badge. We think this is a primary, but not astte primary. It was probably a Church of England (CoE) primary. In England CoE schools were largely funded by the state. This probably explains the caps. The building in the background looks much more like a state or CoE primary than a private preparatory school. The boys look to be about 10 years old, some may be age 11. These primary schools did not have uniforms, but we believe that some primaries had caps which we think were optional. We are entirely syre about that. We see both high-top and low-cut shoes. This mix suggests to us the late-20s or early-30s.

Here you can view English school uniform trends decade by decade during the inter-War era. There was a high degree of similarity throughout the inter-War era in school outfits. This was especially the case in the private schools. It is somewhat less true in the state primry schools as they dd not have uniforms. Thus schoolwear was a matter of overall fashion trends. But even here there were a substantual degree of similarity. It is easy to tell the difference between the 1920s nd 40s, but the period in between is more difficult. And unfortunately while we are archived quite a numbr of school portraits, many are undated. We can roughly date the images, but those at the decade changes (late-20s/early-30s and late-30s/early-40s are very difficult to date with any certainty. So what we are going to do is make our best effort at dating. And the allows readers to agree or disagree. We can easily change the date assessment as appropriate. Actually as we will point out fashion changes in the caption, this will help develop the chronological indicators. As we add actual dated impages, this will help with the dating. There are several useful garment indicators, but none are fool proof. Collars are useful. We still see Eton collars in the 20s, but they were much less common in the 30s. Double-breasted jackets were still popular in the 20s, but by the 30s, single breasted jackets were becoming standard. Another very help indicator are the shoes. High-top shoes were very common in the 20s, but sandals and low-top shoes were more common in the 30s. We notice both open collars nd ties, but re not yet sure about the chronology. Some schools may have had seasonal rules. And at ste schools it was up to the parents. We hope to develop other indicator as we develop this section. Now they are not absolute indicators, but they do suggest probability, especially is multiple indicators are present. If differing indicators are found we are probably close to decade changes.

The 1920s

Major changes occured in English school uniforms during the 1920s. The Eton collar which had for years dominated school uniforms began to disapper. We see see quit a few Eton collars in the early-20s. By mid-decade they had declined notably. And we see mostly attached soft collars. We still see boys commonly wearing neckties, in some cases even with sweaters. We are not sure abour open collars. They became fairly common in the 1930s, but we are not yet sure about the 1920s. We see some images with the boys motly wearing neckties. The neckties are an especially good indicator of the type of schools. Private schools generally had a standard school tie, although their could be differences for sports awards and prefects. At state schools the boys all had different ties presumably by their mother. Ties were mostly required at private schools, but at least in the primaries without uniforms this was generally a matter of parental discussions. We see some bowties. Most prep schools required short pants and even public schools and state secondary schools began requiring them for their junior forms. State primary schools did not require uniforms, but boys mostly wore short pants as this was standard boys' wear at the time. Prep school began adopting closed toe-sandals in the 1920s, but we mostly see shoes in the state schools, especially in the early-20s. High-top shoes were still very commn in the primary schools.

The 1930s

Few new school trends developed in the 1930s. The trends appearing in the 1930s continued. The Eton collar, so common before World War I, were much less common in the 1930s. A few conservative schools did continue to require them, in some cases just for formal dress. Most boys wore soft collars and neckties in the school colors. Sweater (jumper) styles varied, but the V-neck styles began to become widely adopted in the 1930s. Prep school boys commonly wore closed toe-sandals which began to be referred to as school sandals. Most prep schools required short pants and even public schools and state secondary schools began required them for their junior forms. A few public schhools introduced them for boys of all ages, including the senior boys. State elementary schools did not require uniforms A reader sends us this portrait from his grammar school in 1937. He explains, "You see considerable variation at most grammar schools in the 1930s. This lack of uniformity continued until the late 1940s - find attached a detail from a 1937 year picture from my own grammar school. It's not until the 1950s that the standard cap/blazer uniform becomes de rigeur (at least in my own school)." Many schools did require the boys wear the school cap. The tie was also commonly a uniform item, although as seen here, the bnoys were not always required to werar it.

The 1940s

Few new trends appeared in the 1940s. World War II (1939-45) of course had a major impact. Rationing and the focus on the War precluded much attention to fashion. For the most part school uniform trends continued unchanged from the 1930s. Some English observers report that rationing regulations caused manufacturers to produce mostly short pants for boys, but I do not have details on this. Clothing manufacturers shifted to making military uniforms. In the 5 years of the War ulilitarian clothes were meeded. Clohes like food were rarioned. Photographic image, however, show choldren reasonably dressed. There my have been little room for extavagances, but the children look to us reasonably dressed throughout the War. Few new trends appeared in the 1940s. World War II (1939-45) of course had a major impact. Rationing and the focus on the War precluded much attention to fashion. For the most part school uniform trends continued unchanged from the 1930s. Some English observers report that rationing regulations caused manufacturers to produce mostly short pants for boys, but I do not have details on this. Shorts continued to be ong and baggy. Most primary school boys wore sut jackets and short pants to school, but few scools required uniforms. Primary boys often wore school sandals and usually kneesocks. Britain inituiated a new state secondary system in the 1940s. The younger boys going to these schools often wore short pants. I do not knopw if this was a requirement are simply what the boys wore.

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Created: 10:55 PM 7/22/2015
Last updated: 5:48 AM 7/13/2016