Figure 1.--Sainte-Marie de Beaucamps appears to be a primary school or ecole. We do not know if there was also a secondary section. I'm not sure where the school was located, but believe it was Ligny. Presumbably the school was a Catholic school, given its name. It was also an all boys schools as most Catholic schools were single gender schools at the time. This class portrait was taken in 1953. |
Sainte-Marie de Beaucamps appears to be an ecole. I'm not sure where the school was located, but believe it was Ligny. Presumbably the school was a Catholic school, given its name. It wa also an all boys schools as most Catholic schools were single gender schools at the time. We have very little information about the school, but we have found a few school portraits from the 1950s. There was no school uniform. Nor do we see school smocks, even though smocks were commonly worn in France during the 1950s. Most came to school wearing sweaters or shirts. A few boys wore suits. Some of the boys wore ties. And a few boys wore the military style jacket that looks to have been for special occasions. We do notice the boys very smartly done up in uniforms for their First Communion. I think the military-style jacket was not just for First Communion, but other special occassions as well. Perhaps our French readers will know more about this.
Sainte-Marie de Beaucamps appears to be an ecole. At least the images we have are of primary classes. I'm not sure if there was a secondary section at the time. I'm not sure where the school was located. I think Beaucamps may be a small village in Ligny. The school has a rather rural setting. We wonder if it might be a boarding school. We have seen the military style uniforms like the omes worn for First Communion at Catholic boarding schools in the 1920s and 30s. We think that the school was a Catholic school, given its name. It wa also an all boys schools as most Catholic schools were single gender schools at the time. Of course the First Communion also suggests a Catholic school. We have very little information about the school at this time. For some reason the staff did not pose with the boys for the class portraits.
We have very little chronological information about the school. We only have some photographs from the 1950s. Thus we do not know when the school was founded. The school websites indicates the school still exists. There are now both primary and secondary sections.
There was no everyday school uniform. Nor do we see school smocks, even though smocks were commonly worn in France during the 1950s. The boys wore quite a variety of schools. Most came to school wearing sweaters or shirts. A few boys wore suits. Some of the boys wore ties. And a few boys wore the military style jacket that looks to have been for special occasions such as First Communion. Most of the boys wore short pants, but we also notice those long knickers that fastened just above the ankles. Many boys wore kneesocks in cold weather. There are both grey and patterened kneesocks. The white kneesocks worn for First Communion seem to have only been for special occassions. We also notice bott-like high-top shoes, low-cut shoes, sneakers, and sandals.
We do notice the boys very smartly done up in uniforms, presumably for their First Communion. Although boys may have sat for a portrait dressed in their formal uniforms, the boys here are definitelly sitting for a First Communion portrait. They certainly look different than in the I think the military-style jacket was not just for First Communion, but other special occassions as well. It was perhaps a formal school uniform. We notice similar uniforms being worn at French Catholic schools in the 1920s-30s as everyday uniforms. Perhaps our French readers will know more about this.
The former students of the school maintain an interesting website.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main Chronology Page]
[The 1880s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
