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Scottish school uniform : chronologies early-20th century
Scottish School Uniform Chronologies: Inter-War Decades (1920-45)
Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait is undated, but looks like the 1920s to us. It looks like some of the older boys at a state primary. The school is in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire in the Scottish Low Lands.
We see some changes from the early-20th century. The girls no longer wear pinafores, but we still see a few large hairbows. One girl wears her Guide uniform. We only see one boy with an Eton collar. Most of the boys wear short pants and knee socks. One boy has school socks. Only one boy wears long stockings which were still common in the 1910s. The studio was MacDonald in Airdrie
HBC has few images of Scottish school children during the inter-War era. Those we do have suggest that boys generally dressed much like English school boys to the south. Here we not only look at the 1920s and 30s, but the first half of the 1940s as little changed during the War years, but there were differences. Major changes occurred in Scottish schools after World War I in the 1920s. The most obvious Pinafores very quickly disappeared for the girls, but we still see a few large hairbows. Boys began wearing soft rather than Eton collars more commonly. This was especially the case in the state schools. We see fewer suits in the state schools, but they were still common. Most boys still wore ties. Knee pants very quickly disappeared as short pants became common. And knee socks also became standard, sometimes school socks. We no longer see boys wearing long stockings at least after the early-20s. Here only one boy wears long stockings. Some girls did continue wearing them, but knee socks were more common with the girls as well, but not school socks. The Airdrie school here is a good example (figure 1). We do not see many changes in the 1930s. The new styles set in the 1920s had become standard. Shorts were slightly shorter, but still worn at fairly long lengths. The end of the War in the 1940s was a major dividing point in many countries. This was somewhat less true in Scotland and the rest of Britain. This was because World War II rationing continued into the 1950s. The principal factor here was the Socialist economic policies adopted by the post-War Labour Government. Unlike Germany and other Western European countries on the Continent, there was no British economic miracle.
Major changes occurred in Scottish schools after World War I in the 1920s. The most obvious was that pinafores very quickly disappeared for the girls. We still see some at the beginning of the decade, but not by the end of the decade. We still see a few large hairbows, but they too became less common. Boys began wearing soft collared shirts rather than the stiff detchable Eton collars that had been so common. This was especially the case in the state schools. We still see some at the beginning of the decade, but had become the exception by the end of the decade. We see fewer suits in the state schools, but they were still common. Most boys still wore ties. Knee pants very quickly disappeared as short pants became common. And knee socks also became standard, sometimes school socks. We no longer see boys wearing long stockings at least after the early-20s. Here only one boy wears long stockings. Some girls did continue wearing long stokings but knee socks were more common with the girls as well, but not school socks. The Airdrie school here is a good example (figure 1). This is the same general pattern we see in England. One minor difference is that the sandals that became popular in England were never as popular in Scotalnd.
The 1930s
We do not see many changes in the 1930s, but there were some. We no longer see long stockings to any extent. . The new styles set in the 1920s had become standard. Shorts were slightly shorter, but still worn at fairly long lengths.
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1940-45
The British did all they could to prevent another war, appeasing Hitler in the 1930s. When war came they were unpreoared. Hitler swept over much of Europe. Only the Channel stopped him from taking Britain as well. The War demanded a huge national effort. The Btitain had to marshal all of her resources to stop the Germans. This required not only a military draft, but mobilized civilians as well. And an extrodinaryrationing program was introduced, far more severe than in Geramny. A great deal has been written about food ratiining. Candy became a rare treat for British children. Clothes were also severely rationed. Biys pants thriugh agev12 weeevonly done as short boants to save material. The end of the War in the 1940s was a major dividing point in many countries. This was somewhat less true in Scotland and the rest of Britain. This was because World War II rationing continued into the 1950s. The principal factor here was the Socialist economic policies adopted by the post-War Labour Government. Unlike Germany and other Western European countries on the Continent, there was no British economic miracle.
