Figure 1.--.

I attended an English prep school in the early 1970s from age 7 to 13. The school was very traditional and the uniform regulations were strictly enforced. The uniform had to be purchased from the schools recommended suppliers which was a boys clothes shop in the local town. I suppose they wanted all boys in exactly the same uniform and did not want anyone interpreting the rules and wearing something even slightly different. I remember going to the shop at the end of every summer to get my new uniform for the items I had either outgrown or worn out. The uniform was very boring as it was mainly grey. I guess it was like this so it would not show the dirt too easily. The full uniform was grey shirt, red and white tie, heavy wool pullover with red trim round the neck, grey cord shorts and grey socks with obligatory garters.

My Parents

I think like most parents mine liked to see me looking smart. They were proud that I went to a well respected school and our neighbours knew that. They were quite strict and therefore dictated what I should wear and did not accept any arguements from me on the subject. I don't think they would have preferred a fancier uniform though as I am sure it had a fancier price!!

Primary School

My pre-prep school was quite informal and didn't really have a uniform. This informality was quite a contrast to my prep school. Boys at pre-prep were expected to wear t shirt and shorts in the summer and shorts with a long sleeve shirt and jumper in the winter.

Prep School Uniform

The uniform was very boring as it was mainly grey. I guess it was like this so it would not show the dirt too easily. We all had caps which were red with a white school badge.These had to be worn at all times when outside school. This rule was particularly strictly enforced. The full uniform was grey shirt, red and white tie, heavy wool pullover with red trim round the neck, grey cord shorts and grey socks with obligatory garters. The boys in the two senior classes had to wear a blazer on Sundays, with a white shirt. When wearing a blazer, we wore grey wool shorts. Apart from these occassions, it was always grey cords. Sandals were not worn. It was always black lace up shoes which had to be clean.

I remember discussing our uniform with my mates at school. I thought it rather plain as it was mostly grey. As school uniforms went it was quite simple so easy to change in and out of for PE/Games. I think we generally thought as uniforms went ours was okay.

The bits of the uniform that we objected to were the cap and as older boys the shorts. We did not like the cap at all as it was so impractical. When you ran it often fell off and it was too tempting for other boys to "steal" and hide,to try and get them into trouble with the teachers for not wearing it. As we reached 11 or 12 we began to consider ourselves too old still to be in short trousers,let alone when we left prep school at nearly 14. This was particularly the case for taller boys. The part that I especially liked were the jumpers [HBC note: English term for sweaters]. They were nice as they were very warm in the Winter.

The Uniform Shop

The uniform had to be purchased from the schools recommended suppliers which was a boys clothes shop in the local town. I suppose they wanted all boys in exactly the same uniform and did not want anyone interpreting the rules and wearing something even slightly different. I remember going to the shop at the end of every summer to get my new uniform for the items I had either outgrown or worn out.

When we went to the uniform shop my mum would tell the attendant which school I went to and a give her a list of what we wanted. The attendant would ask for various sizes, like shoe size for new socks, then she would go away and find everything from various parts of the shop. I think as she had been there for so long she could work out boys sizes just by looking at us. When she returned she put everything in a changing room and I was sent to try it on. Once I came out my mother wanted to ensure it fitted but that it also had sufficent room for growth. She would ask the attendant if she thought I would be better with the next size so I would be sent back to try that on. I don't recall much conversation, as the uniform was stipulated by the school, so there was no choice over colours or styles.

Other Schools

I also remember comparing our uniform to some other local prep schools. Some were very elaborate with blazers for every day use and some had extemely bright colours which made them stand out. They weren't considered to be poshier. The main difference was that at some of the other schools, all boys wore blazers as standard uniform. We boys were glad this was not the case for us.

Corduroy

Cord was popular with parents as it did not wear out so easily, which is probably why so many schools adopted cord shorts. Whilst grey was the most popular colour for school uniforms, other colours were available for casual wear.Blue and brown were most common,but also green and a rust colour.

The cord shorts were not that popular with us boys. I don't think anyboy enjoys being made to wear shorts, especially in the winter. Cord did have the benefit of being quite warm so better in the winter but not in the summer. They also took longer to dry is they got wet whilst playing outside.

Home Clothes

For playing in, it would either be some school cord shorts that were passed their best and no longer suitable for school or blue or khaki shorts with either a "t" shirt or jumper depending on the season, ankle socks and usually sandals. These were the days before jeans sweatshirts and trainers. For going out, I would wear a proper shirt and tie, jacket and depending on the weather and my parents, either long grey trousers or grey shorts with knee socks. One item I especially disliked were sandals. In fact, I hated them. But my mother approved as they had soft sole which was better for playing around the house. I was glad my prep school didn't require them. Many did at the time.

My First Longs

I remember destinctly when I got my first long trousers. When shopping for a new smart jacket, I asked mum if I could have some long trousers to go with it. I would have been about 12 at the time. She agreed but said they had to be kept for special occassions. I must have been 14 before I got to wear long pants on a regular basis. My parents view was that as I wore shorts to school so I should wear shorts all the time as they were ideal for younger boys.