Dictionaries & Short Trousers


Jackie just wandered in to my office to borrow my old dictionary. It's the Oxford Concise (with thumb index) that my parents bought for me in 1964 as part of the required kit for Salvo. Its eccentricities include a preferred spelling of 'tire' rather than 'tyre'. A virus is a 'morbid poison' (though the micro-organism is mentioned in the addendum). No 'rude' words, but several, marked merely as slang, which would nowadays get you immediately sacked from a TV sports commentating job.
Ian Hennessey (64 ~ 71)


In 1971 we got a "list" which, if memory serves me correctly, included aforesaid pocket Oxford concise dictionary (mine's without the thumb index), an Atlas, 2b pencils, fountain pen, geometry set and ... er ... um ... any clues?
Robin Lambert (71 ~ 78)


All from Universal Stationers in Harrow.
Paul Green (69 ~ 75)


Not the cricket whites, the cast-iron football boots, and other sports kit. And then there were the compulsory Cash's Name Tags which had to be sewn into every last article of clothing. Did the school badge have to be sewn on to the blazer, or am I misremembering?
Ian Hennessey (64 ~ 71)


Re Blazer Badges I think you could save a few bob by buying an unbadged new blazer when needed and transferring the badge.

Didn't we have to wear special shoes to stop Bruv's nicely polished lino in the corridors getting scuffed. Was there a cloak room near the dining hall where you left your shoe bag? And did gym shoes have to have soles that were not black to prevent the gym floor looking like my soul allegedly did after all too frequent palm Sundays? And did the seated one always wear hideous brown sandals with socks? Aaargh! Horrible thought! Bad boy! Six Our Fathers and a Hail Mary!

Oh lord I feel this all may be false memories again. I may get one right

Did Bruv have one of those circular rotating polishing machines? I have always wanted to have a go with one of those but I never did yet. They say you regret what you don't do, not what you do. Also used at St Joseph's church Wembley.
Andy Collins (62 ~ 69)


Blazer badges would have been a budget option if we had plain blazers in 'school green' available at reasonable prices. However, we did not. False memory I think.

Indoor shoes were those unisex Summer sandals with buckles. These had to be changed for outdoor shoes every break time.

Doc had the adult version of these sandals.

Other items on 'the list' were long grey trousers, with bottoms no less than 16 inches (an anti-'drainpipes' edict). If you measured Marks and Spencer's long trousers for 11 year olds, they were actually narrower than this. Fortunately, I don't recall any enforcement squads armed with tape measures. An extra task for Bayross? Suits you Sir?
Peter Campbell (63 ~ 70)


I thought the most embarrassing thing was some people wearing short trousers, but open topped sandals gets close, by 69 this era had happily passed by. Sandals ... no, surely not.
Paul Green (69 ~ 75)


A 2H pencil for Doc ... and an empty fountain pen to conceal a ciggie in.
Declan Galvin (76 ~ 81)


Long trousers for 11 year olds??? My old man had me in short trousers until the end of the 2nd year, I still remember the pain of chapped legs during the winter & the embarrassment of being one of only two still wearing them!!
Denis Herson (63 ~ 68)


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