Figure 1.-- The boy to the right of the headmaster is the boy that some of our readers think is the headboy at the school. Image courtesy of the MD collection.
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Figure 1.-- The boy to the right of the headmaster is the boy that some of our readers think is the headboy at the school. Image courtesy of the MD collection. |
There is some difference of opinion among HBC reades as to just who the headboy was at this school in Eastbourne. English schools with uniforms are notable for making small or sometimes very significant differences in the uniform to reflect a boy's status in the school. One very common method of doing this was changing the school tie. There was a standard tie the school would use, but boys who gained their colors or wre appointed prefects might wear a differebt color tie. At this school, the cap seems to have been used more to identify these boys. There is, however, one boy with a different color tie--a solid rather than stripped yie. We had thought that the boy in the solid color tie to the headmaster's left was almost certainly the head boy. An English reader, however, writes, "The headboy would as like as not be next to the headmaster and I think he is the boy at the back on the head's right." While we were fairly sure the solid color tie identified the head boy, our English reader is correct that logically the head boy would have been placed to the headmaster's right. Another English reader writes, however, "I think the head-boy would also be standing beside the headmaster--I noticed two boys with dark ties in the photo, perhaps they were in mourning for someone." HBC detects one boy toward the right of the image in a prefects cap that looks to be wearing a solid colored tie. We are not convinced, however, that his tie is not tied so that the dark diagonals have come together so that it looks like a solid colored tie. Unlike the boy in the back row, only a small part of his tie is available. We do not yet see the third boy in a solid-colored tie. We do see a boy on the left side by the bush. He looks to be wearing a solid colored tie, but in fact there seem to be narrow white stripes in it. Also he does not have a prefects cap.
Figure 2.-- This is the boy with the solid-colored tie that we thought might be the headboy, but he is not standing immediately next to the headmaster. Image courtesy of the MD collection. |
At this school, the cap seems to have been used more to identify the prefects or boys who had won their colors. At many schools these would have been largely the same boys. These are thre boys in solid colored caps with the school badges. Presumably all the badges are identical, but we are not positive about that. As several boys wear the solid colored caps, they do not identify the head boy. The head boy, however, would almost certainly one of the boys wearing the solid colored caps.
Figure 3.-- This is another boy who seems to be wearing a solid-colored tie, but not mich of the tie is vissible and it may be that only that it is tieds so only the dark segments of a stripped tie show. As he does nit have a prefects cap, he could not be the head boy. Image courtesy of the MD collection. |
There is some difference of opinion among HBC reades as to just who the headboy was at this school in Eastbourne and here the ties may or may not be a factor. There is, however, one boy with a different color tie--a solid rather than stripped tie (figure 2). We had thought that the boy in the solid color tie to the headmaster's left was almost certainly the head boy. An English reader writes, "I noticed two boys with dark ties in the photo, perhaps they were in mourning for someone." HBC detects one boy toward the right of the image that looks to be wearing a solid colored tie (figure 3). We are not convinced, however, that his tie is not tied so that the dark diagonals have come together so that it looks like a solid colored tie. Unlike the boy in the back row, only a small part of his tie is available. Also he dies not wear a prefects cap. We do not yet see the third boy in a solid-colored tie. We do see a boy on the left side by the bush. He looks to be wearing a solid colored tie, but in fact there seem to be narrow white stripes in it (figure 4). Also he does not have a prefects cap. We have no idea why he is wearing a destinctive tie.
Figure 4.-- This boy looks to be wearing a solid-colored tie, but it actually has narrow white stripes. We are not sure why he had a dixtinctive tie. Image courtesy of the MD collection. |
Some readers believe that the placement of the boys in the photograph are most important. Rather than where one stood next to Stalin in the annual May Day parade. An English reader, however, writes, "The headboy would as like as not be next to the headmaster and I think he is the boy at the back on the head's right (figure 1)." While we were fairly sure the solid color tie identified the head boy, our English reader is correct that logically the head boy would have been placed to the headmaster's right. Another English reader writes, however, "I think the head-boy would also be standing beside the headmaster." We note though that the prefects are not all clustered around the headmaster.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
[The 1890s]
[The 1900s]
[The 1910s]
[The 1920s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits]
[Short pants suits]
[Socks]
[Eton suits]
[Jacket and trousers]
[Blazer]
[School sandals]