Burnley Grammar School

In response to James 2 there was no set rules at my secondary school about short or long trousers.Furthermore I also had no say or choice in the matter shorts it was and the lack of choice included any other clothes. We wore what we were bought and often clothes with "plenty of left in them" were handed down from my elder brother because he grew out of them rather than wearing them out. The "joys" of being a younger brother. The only new clothes were socks undies and shoes.

Early 'short' shorts in the 60s were cotton - I had a pair of Umbro cotton football shorts in 1966 time.

Cotton remained for running shorts into the 70s and onwards - people like 'Ron Hill' produced them until quiet late and also produced them in polycotton.

Regarding lemgth - I've an old pair of Addidas 'Sprinter' running shorts (in shiny nylon) from the 80s - the outseam is 10 1/2 inches, the inseam 2 1/4".

(For pictures of how shorts were worn in the 60s: dig out anything on the 1966 World Cup final - http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/i411901-8/jubilee-the-royal-family-through-the-years-the-queen-and-bobby-moore.html for example)

In reply to Bryan,I think many parents were face with the difficult decision at what age to promote boys into to long trousers.This was often pre-empted by a change of school where boys weren't allowed to wear short trousers.
Although at my secondary school that I attended we could wear them right through to leaving, if parents so desired.
Ironically I was not allowed to choose for myself and stayed in shorts in perpetuity.
Certainly very few boys wore short trousers at my school and were often ridiculed caused by this misdemeanour.
I certainly found it difficult to adjust to the situation where I was the eldest boy in my school to kept in shorts right through to leaving.

Not everyone's nylon shorts were tight fitting. Parents buying uniform tend to buy a size larger than necessary to allow for growth. Mine were still short, but loose fitting, . I had some of the slightly thicker, harder nylon variety. These provided little restraint, and often produced a kind of rythmic swishing/slapping noise when running. I remember being made fun of when on a cross-country run because of this.

I have looked at the three photos, Hesketh, Clitheroe and this one Burnley and all of the shorts are nowhere as short or thin as the ones we wore in the mid 60's and were white thin nylon. Also ours we very tight, and no one was ever instructed to wear any support. I suppose it was because the shorts were so tight there was no need for anything else.

I am assuming that when these photos were taken, nylon was was for not available, but certainly in my era nylon seemed to be the "in" thing and our shorts were white thin & very see through. I beleive thees were manufactured for the benefit for mums because I understand that nylon was easy to wash and quick to dry. Furthermore these shorts were seen to be the fashion whereas hicker cotton shorts were considered "old fashioned"

However, having to wear wearing nylon shorts outdoors in the rain everything showed through and they were so flimsy with a wind blowing you might as well be wearing nothing.

I also recall that the grey school unioform shorts were very short and as another person has written the attitude was if you are going to wear shorts they should be short. No long trousers for me until I was 14.

In fact as a Scout ( and I am still a keen supporting of Scouting because my son is a Scout) Our uniform was shorts until the Advance Party Report in 1966 changed the uniform to Long Trousers.

So shorts even for adults albeit in uniform was usual for those of us who were Scouts. I still like to wear tailored shorts in the summer, but so many are now so long and come down so low below the knees.

Just thought I would say there are two James's posting here, so it's a bit confusing.

Matt,I wore shorts with similar measurements to the ones you mentioned but with a one inch inseam.
When I attended secondary school shorts were very short and were bought to fit neatly and trim, not baggy and long in the leg.It was very daring to wear them and I was often ostracized but I became accustomed to wearing.
As my mum used to say "if you put a boy in long shorts he may as well wear long trousers.
Did you wear those shiny satin shorts like I used to wear?

Last night ITV 6 o'clock news showed part of a public information film from the 50's, I guess, showing a group fitness training. The four guys were all shirtless wearing white PE shorts. So I reckon that shirtless was common among adults in the gym.
I've always loved shirtless running - possibly as a result of school PE, but I've noticed that fewer guys do it nowadays - and hardly ever in PE shorts. They cover themselves with more and more designer clothes. But I converted a friend to shirtless a year or two ago.
Just thought I'd mention I still have a pair of PE shorts the size I used to wear at school - 32" waist, 10.5" outside seam, 1.5" inside. A bit neater than in the photo and minute compared with the Hesketh gym photo on this site.

Boys and girls were dealt with separately but female staff(teachers and office staff) did sometimes have to supervise the naked boys as we awaited our turns to see the doctor.

The boys and girls were examined separately and sometimes female staff(teachers and office staff) did supervise the boys.

Sam and Dave, was it the same for both boys and girls, and were they examined separately?
When you say staff, was it teachers or office staff, and were there any female staff supervising the boys while you stood all naked waiting for the exam?

We were supervised by staff at all times and it was in both primary and secondary school.
In addition we had to hold our arms at our sides as many boys tried to hide their bits as much as they could.

Yes Bill we were supervised by staff and it was at both primary and secondary schools.

To Dave and Sam, when you say that you had to line up completely naked outside the examination room, were you supervised by teachers or school staff?
Was this in primary or secondary school?

At my Scottish school in the 60's, one of the doctors wanted his boys to be in PE shorts (the other boys could wear trousers and underpants for the other doctors). I forgot mine so a strict prefect ordered me to strip naked. After he'd come and gone to the doctor and other places, I was given the medical. The doctor then took out a Lochgelly tawse from his bag and gave me six strokes.
Later that day, I was summoned by our toughest PE teacher to a punishment training session along with several other boys who had crossed the doctor and prefect. Both were in attendance to witness the session and indeed the doctor suggested ways of making it harder. He then praised my master's belting skills as among the best he'd seen.

Like Sam we did have a medical at the beginning of each school year and we had to line up outside the M.I. room naked.
We were then called in individually for the exam including examining our genitalia.
Again I do recall hearing of a few boys being advised to be circumcised as a result.

We had medical exams very like the ones Sam described, where everyone had to line up bare-chested. I also never understand why I had to take my shirt off just to have my eyes tested! For the rest of the exam you went through to the doctor's room and stripped to your briefs or boxers, then as and when necessary you'd be instructed to pull them down.

Sam you were lucky.
When we had our annual medical we had to line up outside the M.I. room stark naked until called in.
Again why we had to be naked to have our eyes and ears tested was beyond me although in a perverse way it made some sense to be naked to have our penises and testicles inspected!

When we had medicals(usually once a year)we had to line up outside the M.I. room stripped to the waist until called in individually.
Why we had to be bare-chested to have our eyes and ears tested I shall never know although it was obviously necessary for other parts.
Although done privately the most embarrassing part was having to drop our shorts for examination of our penises and testicles.

In reply to Bryan,it was a minor operation done under local anaeshetic was I was six years old.
I understand there are many reasons for this procedure :- religious,a necessary reason to prevent too tight a foreskin,hygiene and simply aesthetic reasons.
It certainly wasn't common practice at my school and boys are naturally inquisitive and were quite intrigued, as I was the odd one out.

I've no idea why it was as it was but I first noticed other boys being circumcised when starting secondary school i.e. about 11 years old.

To Roy, as you have shared that with us do you know why , and how old were you?

When I was at school in the sixties nearly all the boys were circumcised myself included.

Although people say "ouch" when referring to the circumcision of boys, I presume if they had reached puberty it was carried out under a general anaesthetic. Is this correct?

Interesting Bill`s comment re circumcision sometimes resulting as a consequence of school medical examinations.

In the context of communal naked showering at the end of school PE and games lessons (also naked swimming) one obvious (in the case of boys) distinction or difference that was there to be noticed was that some (normally the minority) were in fact circumcised (in the US though they were/are usually the majority).

When I was a boy there were three operations or medical procedures that it was fashionable to perform on boys (often contentiously on account of them not necessarily being medically necessary).These were tonsillectomy,"adenoids",and circumcision (the only one of these that I myself succumbed to was circumcision).

I have read that in the aforementioned shower and swimming situations circumcised boys (in the UK context) were made fun of or were objects of curiosity on account of being "different".Whilst I don`t doubt that this did indeed sometimes happen I have to say that as far as I am concerned personally (and posters may have had a different experience) I have never ever come across anything like this.

Since the BGS photo isn`t too far removed from the time when I was a boy and grammar schools being essentially middle class institutions (circumcision traditionally being favoured by the middle and upper classes) it is perhaps a fair bet that a sizeable minority of the boys pictured would have undergone at least one of the operations or procedures mentioned previously (including circumcision).

To Andrea. I remember a few boys being recommended for circumcision because of a tight foreskin. Ouch!

Yes I imagine that having your nan there would have been embarrassing - I certainly wouldn't have wanted my dad there for mine!

Does anyone recall the doctors finding anything that needed treatment during the tests on their classmates - I certainly can't?

With regards to school medical examinations, I only became worried when, I was about 15. It was an all boys school & the medicals had been held over a few days. The boys who had attended earlier in the week were telling us about how at the end of the check up they had to drop trousers and pants for the cough & drop and foreskin check. My problem was that parents had received letters inviting them to attend(but there was no mention of the intimate part of the check up.) So far no parents had attended and it those days it would be mostly mothers available as they tended to stay at home & dad worked had attended and I was concerned because I lived with my nan and I was horrified that she would feel she needed to come along and if she did she would see my bits.
Luckily, I managed to persuade her that as I was 15 I was old enough to go alone & there was no need for her to attend and she didn't. Just as well because, what the other boys had said would happen was true, and we stood there all our glory showing but at least we were seen individually whereas some boys tried to convince us we had to stand in a line. But it was a female doctor. Who introduced the final part of the exam with "drop your trousers & pants & don't be silly I've seen it so many times before.

To John from Ireland. What was it about your medical inspections which you hated so much?
I only remember one medical inspection in late primary school at about age 10. We had no privacy, it was done in groups in the presence of our female class teachers.

For others who had medical inspections at school, was there any privacy or was it done in front of others?
I know of some schools who required parents or some school staff to be present during the medical exams.

I remember school medicals very well. We had them every year. I was examined in my underpants, and at the end had to drop them, whilst foreskin was checked, and the good old "cough" test. Latterly I had my rectum inspected, but thankfully nothing was inserted. Embarrassing at the time.