Figure 1.--All us boys looked forward to Guy Fawkes night(about November 5). Here I am by the bonfire, probably 1962. I'm wearing shorts, long socks inside my wellies, and an old raincoat. (It wouldn't have been the current one, not for a bonfire!) My clothes will end up smelling strongly of smoke. We normally had the bonfire in daylight as it was at the top of the garden, rather a long way from the house. Put your cursor on the image to see me a year later. The second photo is dated 1962 but I think it's actually 1963, i.e. after I'd stopped wearing shorts. That red jersey is going to come out smelling like a kipper and I'm going to be in trouble with my Mum as a result!

I began at my school in 1956. Over the next few years while I was at the school, little changed regarding clothes. I stopped wearing cardigans, but otherwise it was much the same. Outside, I would wear a long gabardine coat - the same one I wore for school if I had to be smart, the old one I’d more or less grown out of for rough wear. For snow or seriously wet conditions, I’d wear Wellington boots but otherwise lace-up shoes outside and sandals inside (outside as well in the summer). At one point I had a pair of jeans, but these I normally wore on top of my shorts, for very cold conditions. I never liked this procedure - it was my mother’s idea - and I would have preferred to stay in shorts and put up with cold knees. I always wore shorts for school, anyway, and all through the long hard winter of 1962-63 I wore shorts to school without problems. I had light-weight summer shorts. There is a photograph of me at home on a hot day without a shirt. This was a very rare occurrence. I can't remember the circumstances. During this period, the shorts came to a little above my knees, except for the last pair of school shorts I had, which were presumably bought to allow for growth which didn’t take place on schedule, and consequently reached down to the tops of my knees.

Caps

I had my school cap, but otherwise I didn't normally wear anything on my head. I've never been keen on anything which covers my ears.

Jumpers

By this stage, I'd stopped wearing cardigans. For school, if it was cold, I'd wear a pullover under my blazer, At home, I'd wear a jersey, with a pullover on top if it was cold. (See the Christmas photo.)

Coats

I would wear a long gabardine coat when the weather got cool. It was the same one I wore for school if I had to be smart, the old one I’d more or less grown out of for rough wear.

Shirts

In the winter, I wore long-sleeved shirts of a fairly thick material (Clydellon?) In the spring and autumn, I'd still be in long-sleeved shirts but of thinner material (cotton - the synthetics hadn't appeared at this stage). In the summer, I'd wear short-sleeved cotton shirts. The only difference between school and home was that the school shirts were always white, whereas those for home were patterned and/or coloured. Short-sleeved shirts were not permitted at school.

Trousers

I mostly wore different kinds of short trousers in my prep-school years. When I was about 5 years old five I'd had corduroy shorts for winter wear, but after I was about eight these were not replaced; I can't remember what material the shorts were made of - probably wool in the winter and cotton in the summer. At one point I had a pair of jeans, but these I normally wore on top of my shorts, for very cold conditions. I never liked this procedure - it was my mother’s idea - and I would have preferred to stay in shorts and put up with cold knees. I always wore shorts for school, anyway, and all through the long hard winter of 1962-63 I wore shorts to school without problems. I had light-weight summer shorts. There is a photograph of me at home on a hot day without a shirt. This was a very rare occurrence. I can't remember the circumstances. During this period, the shorts came to a little above my knees, except for the last pair of school shorts I had, which were presumably bought to allow for growth which didn’t take place on schedule, and consequently reached down to the tops of my knees.

Hosiery

In the winter, I'd wear long socks with turn-over tops - I can't remember what they were officially called - both for home and school. In the summer, for school I'd wear long socks without turn-over tops, but at home I'd wear either ankle socks or none if it was warm enough. The definition of "warm enough" became broader over the years! Socks for school were, of course, grey; the ankle socks, as far as I can remember, were either grey or pale brown.

Footwear

Footwear was somewhat seasonal. For snow or seriously wet conditions, I’d wear Wellington boots but otherwise lace-up shoes outside and sandals inside (outside as well in the summer).

David