Figure 1.--

The only extra expense for Mum was buying the socks in the school colours. We had to get them at the school's own shop and they were very expensive - about three times the price of our primary school socks which just had two green rings on and could be bought at BHS. The new socks were three-coloured (you can see the prep school boys wearing them in the photo I sent you - and the jumper has the same three bands in my passport photo). One incident I reall was around bonfire night (November 5) a group of us had been larking around with fireworks and a banger had gone off behind me. I wasn't burnt or anything but the spray had pretty badly scorched one of my school socks. I didn't realise how bad then and just went home and chucked them in the laundary basket. Mum was not at all pleased when she discovered the sock a few days later as there was a visible scorchmark across and up it. I now realise that socks would have been pretty expensive as they were a combination of white, blue and black--the school colours. Worse still what is more I couldn't blame it on anyone else like I could have when we all wore the same primary school socks. That was when she put her foot down about coming straight home from school--and once she got me in she kept me in to do the homework I was supposed to be doing, like my older brother was! I made do with the remaining school socks for the rest of the term - I think she washed them nightly--and I didn't have many pairs.

School Socks

At secondary school boys wearing shorts were expected to wear the correct kneesocks. I use the term "kneesocks" just to be clear that the school required knee-length socks. In fact at the time we simply called them socks or school socks. The school socks were in three colours and more expensive being bought in the school shop not from a chainstore. Most of the uniform items at my new grammar schools were basic items such as grey shirts and shorts that I lready had and could be bouught inexpensively at BHS where mum liked to shop. The only extra expense for Mum was buying the socks in the school colours. We had to get them at the school's own shop and they were very expensive - about three times the price of our primary school socks which just had two green rings on and could be bought at BHS. The new socks were three-coloured (you can see the prep school boys wearing them in the photo I sent you - and the jumper has the same three bands in my passport photo).

Bon Fire Night

One incident I reall was around bonfire night (November 5). This of course id Guy Fawkes Day which is celebrated by huge bonfire where we burn the Guy. A group of us had been larking around with fireworks and a banger had gone off behind me. I wasn't burnt or anything but the spray had pretty badly scorched one of my school socks. I didn't realise how bad then and just went home and chucked them in the laundary basket. Mum was not at all pleased when she discovered the sock a few days later as there was a visible scorchmark across and up it. I now realise that socks would have been pretty expensive as they were a combination of white, blue and black--the school colours. Worse still what is more I couldn't blame it on anyone else like I could have when we all wore the same primary school socks. That was when she put her foot down about coming straight home from school--and once she got me in she kept me in to do the homework I was supposed to be doing, like my older brother was! I made do with the remaining school socks for the rest of the term - I think she washed them nightly--and I didn't have many pairs.

Compliance

Again nearly all the boys did wear them as far as I can recall as the school was quite strict about uniform when I started at least (it slackened off later)

Enforcement

For some reason the school was pretty strict about wearing the correct kneesocks at that point. How far the rules were enforced and to what degree depended on which teachers you ran into. I remember a boy in our form being hauled up by the form master for wearing kneesocks with plain blue rings round the tops. They were probably his primary school socks or something. The boy apparently claimed that he hadn't noticed which brought him further trouble for cheek! In fact this form master arranged for him to be called out of a maths lesson to go and see the school doctor for an eye test! Petty or what? He was probably making a point in a humourous way and I don't think that that boy wore incorrect socks again. Anyway I was pleased I still had enough correct socks to see me through. The uniform was most strictly enforced in the prep department I suppose but then so was it at my primary school where there were fewer of us and we had the same teacher for all subjects. At secondary school what went depended on the teacher. Some would let you take off your blazers on a hot day in their class and others wouldn't. Some form teachers had formal uniform inspections before assembly and some just told you to straighten your tie and socks or tuck your shirt in or whatever. One Latin master used to march past you in the corridor and just shout "ties and socks" and then move on! He never seemed to stop to check that you were pulling your socks up or adjusting your tie but everyone did it - in fact some started doing it just on seeing him approaching!

Punishment

Otherwise not wearing correct uniform might lead to lines or detention - the lines sometimes being written in detention and often being copying out the relevaant section of the school uniform regulations which were printed out for us in a "journal" that we were issued with at the start of each term (this was also like a diary where we wrote down what homework we had - the school regulations being at the front). I remember that the uniform rules ended with "Each boy is responsible for his own uniform" and boys who tried to claim that wearing the incorrect uniform was due to their Mum being sick or something were made to write that out a hundred times oir something along with the relevant passage about the rule that they had broken - like "Black lace up shoes which should be polished" or "Grey socks. If shorts are worn they should be accompanied by regulation school stockings which can be purchased at the school shop". You remember these things if you have had to write them out several times! Sometimes the masters would add their own pieces to them like "NO boots!". I also remember the regulations on trousers - "Dark grey shorts or long trousers. Long trousers are not permitted in the prep department". The last in italics. I remember this because we spent the whole of one English lesson arguing that the first sentence meant that shorts had to be grey but that we could wear any coloured trousers including jeans. The English master told us that for that to be true there would have had to be a comma after the word "shorts" but we had quite an argument over it and the subject of ambiguity in language. The boy who was most strident went on to become a lawyer and he was wearing shorts anyway so it wouldn't even have affected him!

Cost

The British Home Stores (BHS) was a good source of reasonbly priced school gear, including school socks. School socks in three colors were not carried by BHS. They were more expensive to produce and could have presented a complication stocking the various color cominations. As a result, we had to buy them at the more expensive school shop rather than a chain store. I think that that was what persauded my mum to buy to long trousers. A new pair of these and short socks would work out cheaper than the shorts (still cheaper than long trousers) with the expensive socks to go with them. My older brother got long trousers straight away for secondary school, but that was only because I was there to wear out his shorts if need be.

Created: 9:28 PM 7/14/2006
Last updated: 8:25 PM 8/31/2006