Figure 1.--The choristers at the St. Mary-of-the Angels Song School used the smock as their everyday uniform. They called it a "blue coat". Apparently in the warm summer weather they did not wear their ties and kneesocks.

The boys and wore a practical blue smock as their every day school uniform. The boys called it a "blue coat", although it was more like a smock than the tunic-like garments worn at the Blue Coat Schools. Rather than a standard peaked school cap they wore a rather academic-looking mortar board. We note minor differences overvtime in the smocks that the boys wore. The back buttoning smocks had a front button for the waistband and the school badge worn on the left chest, although this appears to be an addition in the 1960s. Earlier photographs show the boys without the badge. There were also buttons on the shoulders of the smocks. The smocks had a cut away square collar so the shirt collar and ties showed. Some of the smocks had a small fromt pocket, but many did not have these pockets. The smocks looked more like a French than an English school uniform. There do not appear any indication of seniority in this everyday uniform. All the boys from the youngest to the oldest dressed identically. Under their smocks they wore grey shirts and short trousers with plain grey turn-over-top kneesocks and school sandals. Apparently in the warm summer weather they did not wear their kneesocks and also did not have to wear their ties. All of the boyswear school sandals although we note that they wear both the "T" strap style and the double bar style. Either were acceptable. I am not sure what color the tie was, but it was a light-colored solid color tie. The boys not only wore this uniform at school, but it was also used for traveling while coming and going to school. Note the smock from this period (picture from the 1960s) with the tie worn hanging outside.

Garments

We have the following details on the uniform worn bt the boys at the St. Mary-of-the Angels Song School. It was certainly a very destincrive uniform. We have not noted a British school with a uniform quite like it.

Caps

Rather than a standard peaked school cap they wore a rather academic-looking mortar board with a tassel.

Smock

The boys and wore a practical blue smock as their every day school uniform. The boys called it a "blue coat", although it was more like a smock than the tunic-like garments worn at the Blue Coat Schools. The smocks were very plain. All we notice is a single line of detailing accross the chest. We note minor differences overvtime in the smocks that the boys wore. Some of the back buttoning smocks had a front button for the waistband. Some smocks had the school badge worn on the left chest, although this appears to be an addition in the 1960s. Earlier photographs show the boys without the badge. There were also buttons on the shoulders of some of these smocks. The boy here (figure 1), for example, does not have the school badge on his smock or the shoulder buttons. The smocks had a cut away square collar so the shirt collar and ties showed. Some of the smocks had a small front pocket, but many did not have these pockers. The smocks looked more like a French than an English school uniform. HBC knows of no other English schools, except schools for very young boys, where smocks were worn. A European reader asks, "In this land of tradition where smocks were realtively unknown for school children, what is the origin of such a unusual uniform. Do we know who designed the uniform? Did Desmond Morse-Boycott spend some time in France or Italy in his double definition of priest and choir conductor, from where he would have imported this notion of protective uniform?" Unfortunately, HBC does not know the answer to these questions. Hopefully some of the choristers can tell us something about the school. One reader tells us, "I think the smocks were the idea of the founder, the Reverend Desmond Morse-Boycott, but I am not sure just why he selected smocks for the choristers." A former chorister tells us, "The smocks you refer to were actually called 'Bluecoats' and it was the everyday wear when in school, but not when we attended the local school for general education. The Bluecoat was I think inspired by the uniform of the famous Bluecoat School in Birmingham." [King]

Ties

Note the smock from this period (picture from the 1960s) with the tie worn hanging outside. I am not sure what color the tie was, but it was a light-colored solid color tie.

Shirts

The boys under their smocks they wore standard grey long-sleeved school shirts.

Short Trousers

They also wore short grey trousers. They were rather baggy shorts worn at knee length.

Kneesocks

They wore plain grey turn-over-top kneesocks withoit any colored top bands.

Footwear

All of the boyswear school sandals although we note that they wear both the "T" strap style and the double bar style. Either were acceptable. They look to be dark brown sandals. We note that when traveling that the boys wore black oxford shoes rather than the sandals that they wore at school.

Use

The boys not only this standard somock uniform at school, but it was also used for traveling while coming and going to and from school. While traveling theu wore their mortar-board hats.

Seasonality

Apparently in the warm summer weather they did not wear their kneesocks and also did not have to wear their ties.

Chronology

We do not have details on the changes in the uniform over time. We do not know, for example, when the smock uniform was introfuced. The images here look to be from the eraly 1960s. We do not know if the unifirm was cahnged in the late 60s or early 70s before the school was closed in 1972.

Age

The school looks to be for boys of prep school age or about 8-13 years old. Before World War II boys' voices commonly broke at a later age than was common by the 1970s. Thus boys mihjy still be able to participate in the choir at age 14 and 15. We do not know if these boysremained with the choir until their voices broke. The available images suggest that there was no indication of seniority in this everyday uniform. All the boys from the youngest to the oldest appaer to have dressed identically in the same blue smock uniform.

Boys' Attitudes

We have no information at this time as to just what the boys thought of their smock uniform.