English School Clothes: Grandfther (1910s)


Figure 1.--.

My Grandfather was born in 1902, and was catholic. He told me that he attended the local catholic school - St Nicholas's - in Witton, Northwich, Cheshire, England. At that time most children did not have primary and secondary schools, they simply attended school until they left. My Grandad recalled that whilst at school in 1915/16 and aged 13/14 all of the boys spent their afternoons on "War work". This consisted of walking from school to a nearby factory, where they would make wooden splints to be sent to France, to be used to patch up soldiers injured in the trenches. There was some instruction in the use of machinery, and hand-tools, but the boys quickly mastered these. There was some mathematics, in terms of rate of production, number of splints failing inspection, and cost of production.

Grandfather

My Grandfather was born in 1902, and was catholic.

Catholic School

He told me that he attended the local catholic school - St Nicholas's - in Witton, Northwich, Cheshire, England. At that time most children did not have primary and secondary schools, they simply attended school until they left. Some left at the minimum legal age, some quit earlier, and a few stayed longer. 14 was considered to be a good age to leave school, some kids walked out on their 14th birthday, after thumping the teacher!

War Work

My Grandad recalled that whilst at school in 1915/16 and aged 13/14 all of the boys spent their afternoons on "War work". This consisted of walking from school to a nearby factory, where they would make wooden splints to be sent to France, to be used to patch up soldiers injured in the trenches. The girls would stay in class, but sew pieces of cloth into triangular bandages. >br>

Machinery

There was some instruction in the use of machinery, and hand-tools, but the boys quickly mastered these. There was some mathematics, in terms of rate of production, number of splints failing inspection, and cost of production. But the emphasis was on getting the job done. Apparently the younger men who used to work in the factory had gone to war, and older ones were doing the night shifts. Other schools were doing the morning shifts.

Glasgow School

Your picture of a group of boys using benches to make wooden objects fits so closely to this tale, he could almost have been one of the boys in the scene. Except your picture was taken in Glasgow, 200 miles further north. Grandad died in 1973.

Clothes

The only thing that my paternal grandad ever said about his childhood clothing was that he wore trousers which finished just below the knee, and were buttoned or buckled there. Everybody wore flat caps in those days, the boys caps being identical to the mens, big and peaked. The kids wore the same clothes to school, play, work, and sometimes even to bed! It was cold and we were poor.





HBC






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Created: 2:10 AM 4/13/2007
Last updated: 2:10 AM 4/13/2007