Trevor: Ceylon (1951-53)


Figure 1.--This photograph shows me, with my baby brother decked out in rompers and our Sinhalese nanny, Rosalind (December 1951). We are off to a Christmas party. We wear white outfits. They weren't that common in England. Notice all the tropical vegetation and palm trees. That was the area around which are quarters were located. And we had a wonderful tropical garden.

Our father who was in the Royal Air Force was assigned to Ceylon (modern SrinLanka) in 1951. I was 5 years old at the time. So the whole family moved for 2 years to Ceylon. As I was so young, I can remember very much about it and wouldn't feel competent to write anything for HBC about boys' clothing in that part of the world, except that there was no need to wear much of it. There are some family photographs. Notice all the tropical vegetation and palm trees. That was the area around which are quarters were located. One shows me, with my baby brother and our Sinhalese nanny, Rosalind (December 1951). We are off to a Christmas party. We wear white outfits. They weren't that common in England. Another photograph shows me with my small suitcase (June 1952). I am off to spend a few days in the RAF hospital, to have my tonsils taken out. It was my first time away from home. I'm kitted out now rather like a school boy back in England, only without a tie. The final Ceylon photograph is me and my brother again. We are off to another party. This one was to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (June 1953). I doubt if I knew just who Queen Elizabeth was, but then again it was party. Now I have my tie on.

Ceylon

Our father who was in the Royal Air Force was assigned to Ceylon (modern SrinLanka) in 1951. Ceylon was still apart of the Empire, on its way to beoming independent. Britain as a result of the Empire and World War II still had bases all over the world. I was 5 years old at the time. So the whole family moved for 2 years to Ceylon. As I was so young, I can remember very much about it and wouldn't feel competent to write anything for HBC about boys' clothing in that part of the world, except that there was no need to wear much of it. It's a shame really. Ceylon is a fascinating country and if I had been a little older I would have been able to learn a little about it.

Comfortable Life

We service people did lead a good life in the Empire. Although I was entirely unaware of it as a little boy, while I was picking fresh pineapples from our garden in Ceylon and eating coconuts and bananas from way above my head, the people in Britain were still subject to food rationing. Of course, even that was luxury, compared to what some other European countries had to face in the early-1950s, let alone Stalin's USSR. And of course we had servants. That was something people like my parents did not even think about in Britain.

Rosalind and Kandy

Our nanny was a lovely Sinhalese girl called Rosalind who was so gentle and sweet to me and my baby brother. We also had a house-boy called Kandy, who was a Tamil. He saved my life at least twice. One night he was doing night rounds of the house; in my sleep I had pulled my mosquito net off and I was tossing and turning in the heat. Kandy saw a scorpion with its tail up advancing towards me. He caught it in a bucket and chloroformed it and we kept it in a cigarette tin for years. I slept through it all, apparently. I'll attach a photo of Rosalind and Kandy. The second occasion I remember well; it was when I'd accidentally driven my pedal car off the road and onto the jungle floor. Kandy came to pull it out of the monsoon ditch for me and I was keen to help. He suddenly lifted me up in his arms and ran up onto the road. I'd been standing on the tail of a 5 foot tic prolonga, a highly venomous snake! I'll attach a photo of me in the jungle which adjoined our house. When I read of the fighting between the Sinhalese and Tamils on Sri Lanka today it is so saddening. I think back at Rosalind and Kandy and our happy little home.

Ceylon Experiences

There are some family photographs. Notice all the tropical vegetation and palm trees. The jungle was very close to us. That was the area around which are quarters were located. Three photographs show me dressed up for different special occassions. There are other photos of me in Ceylon but all I'm wearing is a pair of shorts, so they don't exactly help to illustrate the sartorial elegance of a young English boy in the tropics in the early 1950s.

Christmas Party (December 1951)

One photigraph shows me, with my baby brother decked out in rompers and Rosalind (December 1951). We also had a houseboy and cook. Military families in postings like Ceylon lived very well. My brother had just turned 1 year old. We are off to a Christmas party (figure 1). I don't recall anything about the party. All we have to go by is the pohotograph. We wear white outfits. They weren't that common in England. Of course it doesn't look like an English Christmas, but we were more excited about Father Christmas than the weather. I'm sure I worked out that he would find us even in Ceylon.

Tonsilectomy (June 1952)

Another photograph shows me with my small suitcase (June 1952). I am off to spend a few days in the RAF hospital, to have my tonsils taken out. I'm kitted out now rather like a school boy back in England, only without a tie. I don't look to concerned, but it must have been a scary experience for a little guy. It was my first time away from home. Not sure just what I had in my suitcase, but looking back I bet I have my Benjamin Bunny in there.

Coronation Party (June 1953)

The final Ceylon photograph is me and my brother again. We are off to another party. This one was to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (June 1953). This was a big event throughout the Empire, including Ceylon. And of course military families were especially tied up with the monarchy and patriotism. As the Coronation approached, we were made very aware of who Princess Elizabeth was. Her father, King George VI, died just before my 6th birthday in February 1952. I remember it clearly. We had no electricity in our house and certainly no radio. Someone called at our house to tell us the King had died. Immediately, our nanny, cook and houseboy burst into tears. Thinking that this is what you do when your monarch dies, I lay face down on a sofa and began to cry. Here in the photograph for the Coronation party I have my tie on. I guess I was considered old enough to begin wearing a necktie.

The jungle

The jungle was very close to us. While not advancing the cause of historical boys clothing very far, the photo does show me investigating the natural world. I don't look too happy about it! The leopard was on a chain and was very definitely alive! I do not know the story behind this photograph, but I'm sure Kipling's Jungle Book meant more to me than most English boys. . But given the heat, this is how I commonly dressed while at home.






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Created: 2:36 AM 8/8/2008
Last updated: 8:20 PM 8/8/2008