Figure 1.--.

I have always beebn fascinated by nationality. I remember friends I had as a boy with foreign backgrounds. I am intreagued by some of the differences such as different approaches to games like Cowboys and Indians.

Games

I'm still fascinated by the thought that German boys were more into "Indians" and French "Cowboys" as you report readers saying on the country trend pages on that topic. I hope more German/French readers write in to confirm/deny it. Maybe in the postwar period it was because German boys could not be "cowboys" as they weren't allowed toy guns. I wonder if they were even sold in the shops. Bows and arrows may have been seen as "safe". Also I wonder what the toy gun situation was like in France?.

Friend with Polish parents

I know a friend of mine, who was English but had Polish parents, was not allowed toy guns as a kid. He claims that for all the devastation of "The Blitz" and such Britain as a whole had not experienced war in the way that much of mainland Europe had - and maybe he's right. His parents also sent him to a non-uniform primary school but made him dress up to go to "Polish School" on Saturday mornings where they learnt the language and Polish folk dancing and stuff. He says he didn't like it at the time but appreciates it now.

Irish mum

The same with a mate of mine who's mum was Irish and made him go Irish dancing on Saturday mornings and as he had to attend mass on Saturday he complained he never got a day off like we did . He didn't go to our school but a Catholic primary which had a uniform even stricter than ours - all blue and gold. That's why he was always one of the wildest in our Summer cowboy and Indian games on the bombsite - and it was always to his house we retired if any of us got injured as his mum would patch us up (she didn't work) without going on at us for the state we were in so she had two sides to her.

Bill