Figure 1.--.

I can just about remember wearing blue t bar sandles before I went to school with white socks. Between 5 and 10 1/2 I wore brown t bar sandles with grey socks and short trousers. I probably wore this as part of my school uniform. I can also remember some other boys in my class wearing similar footwear and clothing. However I do remember one boy when I was seven wearing the blue t bars with grey trousers. I think nearly all boys wore short trousers till they were 10 or 11 years old at school. Another boy sometimes wore white socks with brown sandles. I attended a state infant and primary school in Engalnd between 1969 and 1975.

My School

I attended a state infant and primary school in Engalnd. I went to a state school in Bexley, Kent, in England, on the border between London and Kent. I cannot remember if my school had regulations about footwear. I would assume they asked parents to ensure that their children had sensible footwear, considered suitable for a child between five and elevan, at the time. I don't believe that they permitted trainers.

Chronology

I attended primary school between 1969 and 1975.

Styles

I can just about remember wearing blue t bar sandles before I went to school with white socks. Between 5 and 10 1/2 I wore brown t bar sandles with grey socks and short trousers. I probably wore this as part of my school uniform. I can also remember some other boys in my class wearing similar footwear and clothing. However I do remember one boy when I was seven wearing the blue t bars with grey trousers. I think nearly all boys wore short trousers till they were 10 or 11 years old at school. Another boy sometimes wore white socks with brown sandles. I do not think I did have a preference for style. I think the one's I wore had a medium width strap. I am sure that girls also had identical sandles with the same width strap.

Mum

Mum brought them for me, but She would always take me to have my feet measured. I think my sister who was a year older than me may have worn a similar style, as we possibly had our feet measured at the same time. am pretty certain my mum would have considred the t bar style to be a lot more siutable for children irrespective of gender. She would have been horrified to see children in trainers, as unlike the sandles, rainers do not allow the feet to breath.

Discussions

I do not think anyone ever discussed what footwear we wore. I do not think small children were fashion contious then. We just took what we wore as normal.

Preferences

I did not know if I liked them. I was never asked by my mum. I did not even think about it at the time, or feel self conscious wearing them, even if they were also worn by girls. I am sure both girls and boys wore very similar styles of sandles then. I am not sure if the same would be true today, given that young children do seem to have a lot more say on what they wear. I know this as I am an uncle to a 9-year old niece.

Utility

I did not just wear sandles for school. I also remember wearing them for play, running about, and going out in, just as I wore short trousers.

Regular Lace-up Shoes

I do not know why I stopped wearing them. I think it was shortly after I started wearing long trousers, during the months before I started secondary school. Maybe my mum thought they were more appropriate for younger children.

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Created: April 17, 2004
Last updated: April 17, 2004