The colder weather the other day had me thinking of school days and the amazing garb we wore in those days, when our torso’s were wrapped and packed but our legs were bare, got me mentally listing the school uniform. In the winter a vest, liberty bodice (oh, those rubber buttons!), amazing navy blue bloomers with legs that pulled down to just above the knees, school blouse, tie, pinafore dress, school cardigan, gabardine mac, black lace up heavy shoes and knee high socks. Every winter throughout infants and juniors the back of my knees would crack and bleed from the cold weather. In the summer it was a breeze in red gingham dresses, school cardigan and white ankle socks with buckled sandals, but still in the navy bloomers and as mum’s motto was “ne’er cast a clout ‘til may is out” the liberty bodice was around for a while too! The boys worn the same all the time, heavy flannel short trousers that came just above the knee, grey shirts, striped school tie and thick v necked jumper.
Thankfully secondary school brought with it the opportunity, for girls, to wear thick stockings in the winter (no we did not have tights in those days!) but also brought with it an amazing navy blocked felt hat in the winter and a bright green tailored beret in the summer. Detention if you were caught out of correct school uniform meant that hats had to be worn all the way home, even if you were riding your bike, so they were not taken off and stuffed into satchels, unlike the boys who were always taking off their caps! However in the winter when it rained and the front brim of the felt hat peeped out from under the hood of your gabardine mac it shrank right out of shape and some girls who didn’t wear hoods ended up with hats that looked more like a kippah.
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