When I was growing up in the 20's and 30's,all us schoolboys wore short trousers,but when you reached 13,you were "Britched",meaning you were allowed to wear long trousers for the first time. Like reaching a further stage in your young life. Nowadays,children as young as 2 or 3 start wearing long pants. They should get their knees brown as we used to! I wonder when the tradition stopped - possibly when the war started I suppose.

When I was growing up in the 20's and 30's,all us schoolboys wore short trousers,but when you reached 13,you were "Britched",meaning you were allowed to wear long trousers for the first time. Like reaching a further stage in your young life. Nowadays,children as young as 2 or 3 start wearing long pants. They should get their knees brown as we used to! I wonder when the tradition stopped - possibly when the war started I suppose.

We were wearing them in the early 1950's. I think my parents got me some long trousers around 1953 when I was nine.

We were wearing them in the early 1950's. I think my parents got me some long trousers around 1953 when I was nine.

I was born in 1944 and wore short trousers till I was about ten or eleven.

Snap Grahame. I was born 1945 and wore short trousers until I passed the scholarship aged 11 in '56. I never dreamed that I would be wearing shorts again until a sharp wake up call when serving in the Far East in the Navy.

I remember a guy whose mom made him wear short trousers until he was in his early 20's. He eventually moved to Austria.

I remember getting my first pair of long trousers for school in 1966. 3 months later we emigrated to NZ and the only other people wearing long trousers at school were other immigrants. Even the upper 6th form boys wore shorts all the year round. My parents didn't let me wear shorts to school until the trousers wore out and that took a long time.

Its strange looking at it the other way around - nobody (over 11) really wore shorts in the UK until quite recently - even in the middle of summer (apart from maybe football shorts or cut off jeans).

We had to wear shorts as part of the School uniform for the first two years....this was at age 11 and 12 in the sixties. Firth Park Grammar School, sadly destroyed by yobs setting fire to it in recent years.

We had to wear shorts as part of the School uniform for the first two years....this was at age 11 and 12 in the sixties. Firth Park Grammar School, sadly destroyed by yobs setting fire to it in recent years.

Owler Lane Sec. Int. 1956. A good example of lads in short trousers. I am to the left of the teacher Mr. MacDonald sporting the dodgy Tony Curtis.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/rba93/PersonalPictures071-1.jpg

We had to wear shorts as part of the School uniform for the first two years....this was at age 11 and 12 in the sixties. Firth Park Grammar School, sadly destroyed by yobs setting fire to it in recent years.

........and here is the photo to prove it !http://www.firthparkgrammarschool.co.uk/houses.htm

........and here is the photo to prove it !http://www.firthparkgrammarschool.co.uk/houses.htm

But John Fowler and Mick Kershaw are wearing long trousers :confused:

..and who was Pongo Strong ? :)

The rule at Nether Edge was no long trousers until first term of third year.

I thought you said "birched" how dissapointing