Did I dream this?

[michael scuffil]

I refer, as ever, to the School Rules of 1961, which I have in front of me:

Section E: DRESS

Sub-section 3: 'Normal forms of dress and their use in bounds'

Sub-sub-section (iv) Cricket Clothes

Clause (b): 'Grey shirts are for wear in the evening (for tea but not before) when permission to "stay changed" is given by the Headmaster.'

So much is on the record. My recollection is that the parenthesis '(for tea but not before)' was introduced with this new rule book, and previously grey shirts were only to be worn after tea. The change was not uncontroversial, because we only had one grey shirt, which therefore was never laundered the whole term (I remember discussing the hygienic aspects of this at a House Captains' Meeting. It was suggested a drip-dry version might be introduced, which boys might wash themselves (ha, ha).)

The blue cravat replaced the far more voluminous blue square. The rule book says it had to be worn by seniors 'when cricket clothes are worn in Dining Hall, Chapel or Horsham.' (I still have my blue cravat; it is far easier to tie than a tie.)

[Spoonbill]

One grey shirt only?

I had one pair of flannels only. When I was in the Third Form, I accidentally knelt in a pool of spilt orange squash on a worktop in the hobbies room whilst wearing my flannels and as a result spent the next seven or eight weeks with an extensive stiff patch on one trouser leg, so stiff I could drum on it and could probably have struck matches on it too. Why was we left to live in filth? And is this why I live in squalor to this very day?

[sejintenej]

46-54 when it got hot we changed into blazer and flannels instead of bluecoat after morning PT, at least that's what I remember. No recollection at all of this cravat thing.

I remember it coming in - I think a few years after you left; my guess is 1958

[J.R.]

46-54 when it got hot we changed into blazer and flannels instead of bluecoat after morning PT, at least that's what I remember. No recollection at all of this cravat thing.

I remember it coming in - I think a few years after you left; my guess is 1958

I went into Prep B in January 1958 and I have vague recollections of changing into flannels in that summer term to go up to the dining hall for tea.

I'm still not 100% sure if the shirt was white or grey.

The cravat was easy to put on whereas it took me ages to master 'bands'.

[J.R.]

46-54 when it got hot we changed into blazer and flannels instead of bluecoat after morning PT, at least that's what I remember. No recollection at all of this cravat thing.

I remember it coming in - I think a few years after you left; my guess is 1958

I went into Prep B in January 1958 and I have vague recollections of changing into flannels in that summer term to go up to the dining hall for tea. The cravat was easy to learn on to put on whereas it took me ages to master 'bands'.

I'm still not 100% sure if the shirt was white or grey.

I vividly remember that there were several avid butterfly collectors who used to go out in front of Prep house with butterfly nets to catch their prey, then euthanase them them using a jam-jar and crushed laurel leaves - Something I still find abhorrent to this day.

[michael scuffil]

If you had School Cricket Colours you had a very posh cravat with diagonal yellow stripes.

Cravats were for seniors only. But do you remember the grey felt sunhats for juniors, to be worn, in the words of the rule-book, 'unadorned and in the proper shape'? Sunhats and cravats were in complementary distribution, i.e. one could only be worn when the other could not (quite apart from the senior/junior distinction). I remember sunhats were regarded as ridiculous, and few people wore them.

There was a woman in Barns Green who, for a small fee, would 'take in' flannel trousers (i.e. turn them into drainpipes). Her services were popular among a certain set.

[J.R.]

If you had School Cricket Colours you had a very posh cravat with diagonal yellow stripes.

Cravats were for seniors only. But do you remember the grey felt sunhats for juniors, to be worn, in the words of the rule-book, 'unadorned and in the proper shape'? Sunhats and cravats were in complementary distribution, i.e. one could only be worn when the other could not (quite apart from the senior/junior distinction). I remember sunhats were regarded as ridiculous, and few people wore them.

There was a woman in Barns Green who, for a small fee, would 'take in' flannel trousers (i.e. turn them into drainpipes). Her services were popular among a certain set.

I remember hearing that ! However there was another rather nice young lady who lived quite near the main school gates on the road towards the 'Bax Castle' who would also do trousers, and in hindsight, as I can still picture her well, but I was too young then and modesty prevents......

I can't ever rember being issued with or having to wear a sun-hat !!

[jhopgood]

Remember the sun hat but not the grey shirt.

[J.R.]

Remember the sun hat but not the grey shirt.

As I said previously John, neither can I. I'm sure the shirt was white !

[michael scuffil]

You had two (or maybe three) white (or whitish) shirts, for playing cricket in, and for wearing with flannels during the daytime. Each shirt had to last a week before being washed. You also had ONE (!) grey shirt, for wear in the evening (honest!). This latter was not washed the whole term.

I am not a clothes-washing fanatic, but of all the privations of 1950s/60s' CH, the infrequency of clean clothes is the one that fills me with most horror in retrospect.

[Katharine]

At Hertford we firmly believed that Sir Harry Vanderpant had paid for an extra set of underpants for everyone at Horsham. I can't now remember whether we thought that this meant you could change them once a week instead of once a fortnight, but certainly something like that. Strangely enough, I never discussed this kind of thing with my brother - he is 4 years older than me!

All the time I was at Hertford we had clean underwear twice a week.

[J.R.]

At Hertford we firmly believed that Sir Harry Vanderpant had paid for an extra set of underpants for everyone at Horsham. I can't now remember whether we thought that this meant you could change them once a week instead of once a fortnight, but certainly something like that. Strangely enough, I never discussed this kind of thing with my brother - he is 4 years older than me!

All the time I was at Hertford we had clean underwear twice a week.

The mind boggles !!!

[Katharine]

How often did you have it at Horsham?

I'm talking about the official laundry times.

[sejintenej]

How often did you have it at Horsham?

I'm talking about the official laundry times.

From a dimming memory, weekly.

[dsmg]

In 70s Thorn B I remember we had little lockers with our names on them halfway down the stairs to the dorms in which they placed clean hankies every now and again. Can't remember how it worked with socks or undies though.