Figure 1.--This is me in my first school uniform for the 1966-67 school porttrait. You can see my grey shirt and sweater with a red tie. Schools tended to have grey shirts for every day wear and white shirts for special occassions.

An Irish reader tells us about his school experiences in the 1960s-70s. He was the older brother in a family of four. His family moved around a bit and he attended several different schools in England and Ireland, all with different uniforms. He began his prep boarding school a year earlier than most children -- at 7 years of age. His prep school was St. Hugh's at Woodhall Spa in England where he had problems because of dyslexia. He also attended a Belfast day school before beginning his public school, another boarding school.

Norwich Pre-Prep

Here is a photo of me in uniform at age 6/7 years old while I was still in a school in Norwich just before I was sent away to board at a preparatory school.

St. Hugh's Prep School

My boarding school was St. Hugh's Woodhall Spa Preparatory school. I seem cheerful here, but life for me at the new school as I remember it was not enjoyable being so young was a huge upheaval. I had undiagnosed dyslexia, so my schoolwork was nether great or appreciated. Dyslexia was not understood at the time, and many children suffered under the school system. This was a time too when corporal punishment was rampant in school in the UK and I got my fair share as many other boys at this time. My school uniform; was grey or sometimes a white shirt. I remember wearing both cotton and nylon shirts in the later 60s/early 70s as was the fashion, the tie was normal, cotton grey jumper long and short sleeves and grey shorts, and grey long socks and Garters, topped off by a red school badged cap At St Hugh's, which then was boys only from 7 to 13 years I attended from 7 to 9 1/2, we wore corduroy shorts, when not wearing Sunday best. See full list.

Belfast Day School

I went to a day school in Belfast from age 9 to 12 years in 1969. The only difference was no cap, the blazer was bright red and the school had rule that only anyone over 5ft could wear long trousers. He was adopted and he is now 6ft 6in tall. I was a small boy and was only 5ft 4in at 16. The prep school we were both at had this rule that if a boy was over a certain hieght he was allowed to wear long trousers no matter what his age was. My brother reached the height at age 9 years old. Lukily our parents didin't go with this rule. Thus he stayed in shorts like me. I was very upset at the time and scince all my mates were going into long trousers before it was all the more humiliating to think that my younger brother of 2 years would be in longs before me. I remember that at the School in Belfast Northern Ireland there was a red and white scarf as part of the uniform too. If it turns up I will send a pic of it on. I was thinking about the significance of the Red/Scarlet and white uniform colours and that it might have had something to do with the union jack colours that some preparatory schools use these colours, a sort of instilling of Britishness maybe? just a thought. Did not work on me though as I am Irish really and just happened to be born in the UK and educated there till I was 11/12. I find the HBC site fascinating. It brings back so many memories. I never thought about clothes until the school in Belfast made it an issue.

Waterford Boarding School

At 12 years old we moved yet again. I was sent to yet another boarding school, this one in Waterford Ireland. It was what we in Britain call a public school, meaning a private secondary boarding school. This school was coeducational and a bit more relaxed with the uniform, but he had a white shirt, blazer, striped tie, and long trousers. I went to a different school which was very liberal and short trousers were not part of the uniform. I do, however, remember that as a disapline measure the head master writing a letter to parents suggesting that first year boys would wear shorts as part of a new uniform this never happened as parents didin't feel this solve the disapline problems.

Created: 9:24 PM 11/8/2020
Last Updated: 3:46 PM 11/11/2020