Figure 1.--This English boy is helping clean up the Grand Union Canal (which runs from London up to the Midlands) in the 1980s. I thought at first that he was wearing a school uniform, but British readers report that he is wearing a gret "T"-shirt with football shorts. Notice the Doc Marten boots.

This English boy is helping clean up the Grand Union Canal (which runs from London up to the Midlands) in the 1980s. He looks to be wearing a school uniform with Doc Marten boots. A British reader reports that he is wearing a grey school shirt and black sports shorts. When we first saw this photograph we thought the boy was wearing his school uniform, a grey shirt and charcoal gret shorts. We were confused by the Doc Martin boots. A British reader provides some background on the image. "These are not school shorts. As I've told you before once schools started allowing long trousers for younger boys we all wanted them - and that is why those who were not allowed them by their parents were ridiculed. After a while though boys wanted to wear shorts in the Summer. It was only when school rules/parents insisted on them that wearing shorts was seen as "nonce". I know that later on after games in the Summer we would keep our sports shorts on to go home in - even though it was against the rules. My little brother - who went to a totally different type of school - a comprehensive - sometimes wanted to wear his football shorts to school in the mornings when it was hot - but my Mum wouldn't have it as he didn't have the proper socks to go with them. Again - this was different from when I was his age. Once we got into long trousers we never wore shorts except for playing sport. The black shorts with the elastic back in this picture are sports shorts not proper school shorts which were always grey." Another British reader writes about the photograph here. "Just had a look at the pic on this page and the shorts the boy is wearing look very much like those I wore for my PE lessons. These were of black sateen coton and I recall they had a dull sheen to them. It seems strange to think that when I was 12 I wanted long trousers so I could appear more grown up and yet I would think nothing about wearing shorts for PE or sports. At my school it was compulsory to wear shorts for PE or games even cricket. I remember wearing khaki shorts for cricket." Another reader writes, "I think he has a grey T-shirt and black football/training/casual shorts. The shorts seem too shiny for ordinary schoolwear." Yes, at first we thought he was wearing a grey school shirt, but I think our reader is correct that this looks like a grey "T"-shirt. There seems to be uniform agreement that he is wearing football shorts.

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Created: 8:12 PM 6/12/2005
Last updated: 7:06 PM 6/13/2005