2 April, 2018 on Facebook:

Terry Ashcroft: My Old School tie!

John Tuddenham: I still have my WH tie ..... I left WH in December 1957!!!!!

Terry Ashcroft: Mine was a 1958 version.

Greg James: We were never made to wear the tie when I was there ..... nor the blazer. (1984-1988)

Chris Snuggs: Standards went downhill fast after I left ......

Terry Ashcroft: Standards had to be maintained: blazer, cap, tie, short grey trousers, grey socks, and a scarf as I recall

Greg James: Chris Snuggs when did you leave?

Chris Snuggs: 1964 ....... here is a lovely pic of David Holmes modelling the then uniform - must have been 1958.

John Tuddenham: Here's the pre 1958 version.

Roger Evans: And even this was different in my time. Was this not the 6th form tie? Had the blue and yellow stripe tie in the lower forms. Left WHS 75)

John Tuddenham: Can't remember....

Greg James: I remember the striped one, but wasnt a compulsory wear for us.

Jon Kemp: We had broad yellow and blue striped ties in the juniors; the tie shown above (blue with thin yellow stripes) was the intermediates and the fifth form was just blue. Sixth form didn't have to wear ties.

John Tuddenham: A few variations here ..... Oct 58


Chris Snuggs: And some from 1958 ....

Jon Kemp: I guess it was ever changing. My comments relate to the 70's.

Roger Evans: Goodness what a memory ... indeed that was the "style" in my day.

Jim Hayter: I don't have the old school tie as it changed as you moved up through the school. In the sixth form we had to wear ties but they were of your own choice. I however still have my colours tie for representing the 1st XV. It has double yellow stripe on a navy blue background.

Graham Forster: I still wear my Old Boys tie.

Harvey Angel: So do I. It goes quite well in the parade ring at Ascot, Newmarket, Goodwood etc.

Chris Snuggs: GREAT TIE Terry - added to my collection .....57 years since I last saw you, Terry ..... remember the old crystal radio set? I think that was yours ...... ultra hi-tech at the time: we listened to Radio Caroline on it ... (when it worked!)

Thomas Newsham: I recall that one very hot summer day in 1958, cycling, with a handful of pals, to Ipswich lido. Just as we were making the last turn into our destination, we were seen by the Headmaster Mr.Smitherman and ordered to return to school forthwith where we had to wait for his return.After what seemed for ever he did return and proceeded to cane us. The crime? not wearing a cap outside the school boundary. The rules were upheld rigorously in those days!!!!

Jon Kemp: All this talk about uniform and no one has mentioned Grimwades.

Roger Evans: Oh .. where do you dig this up. Are they still there? .. Grimwades indeed and grey shirts from the NAAFI.

Thomas Newsham: Bentalls of Kingston were the official uniform suppliers in my time.

Roger Evans: did we not all. Got my first official reeeaaall rugger boots ..... only to change them to soccer a term later.

Jon Kemp: This was the 70's. I walked in with my Mum and Dad and walked out an hour or so later with, uniform and rugby kit.

David Clark: I never had the optional tweed jacket from Grimwades - it cost far too much. I was always jealous of those who had one. The tie I do recall, wasn’t it only given out as school colours? I got mine for sailing but as I walked up to collect them I was told they had nothing to give me as the stock of penants and ties was on order! Much hilarity across the assembly hall! Waited months to get the tie. Never got the sailing penant which was yellow with a blue wolf’s head. Funny what you remember.

David Waterhouse: Tweed Jackets: Not optional in my time (58-61). These were everyday wear, blazers kept for Sundays. They were either Harris tweed or a cheaper (Borderdale?) tweed. When the elbows and cuffs wore out, Matron would sew on leather patches. Mine lasted the three years I was there - just.

Ties: Years 1 and 2 - blue/yellow horizontal stripes, knitted. Years 3 and 4 - "proper" ties, blue with diagonal yellow stripe. Years 5 and 6 - plain blue. Prefects - blue patterned with small yellow wolf's heads. Head Boy - blue, one larger wolf's head.

Chris Snuggs: UNIFORM? If I think about uniform at WHS, I think that it wasn't much of an issue. We were told what to get; we got it; we wore it. I personally never had any problem or hassle with uniform. It wasn't like it has been in some day-schools in recent years: an endless fight with teachers over what was or wasn't "getawaywithable" - and the fashions of jewellery, tatoos or or nose-rings was way in the future. Others may have been more rebellious than me of course, or more desperate to set themselves apart with some personal uniform-tweaking, but that all passed me by.

Except on ONE occasion. In the 4th year I began to feel I was suffering from an image problem; too good, too anonymous, too submissive, and from somewhere I got hold of a raincoat. Now I do not remember what the regs said about raincoats. I certainly didn't have any kind of official one and I don't remember other boys wearing raincoats. In truth, one hardly ever NEEDED a raincoat anyway.

Well, I got this raincoat, which if truth be told was not really in the Peter Wyngarde/Jason King league It was more like something that Columbo would have rejected as too scruffy. No matter; it was different. I started wearing it around the school on vaguely rainy days, and nobody seemed to bother much, until one day Doc Thornbery stopped me as I was walking towards the science block and said: "That's a very nice raincoat (an outright lie, in fact!!) but it isn't really regulation, is it?" or some such. What could I say? Nothing, and so that is what I said, apart from a vague mumbling. And he went on.: "You'd better leave it in the dorm next time."

I was a bit irritated insofar as the Head had seen me in this thing and not commented, but I did not feel it diplomatic to point this out to Doc T! No, I wasn't one to defy Doc, or indeed anyone else much, so that was that: a brief spurt of individualisation that fizzled out before it had hardly got going.

The ONLY other issue I ever remember was feeling irked at having to wear short trousers in the second form, by which time I was briefly the tallest and largest in the year and definitely looked silly in short trousers. But there was nothing to be done; the year whizzed past, and we could move on to long trousers in year 3. (1960-1961)

Actually, if one MUST have a school uniform (which I doubt - but that is another debate) the WHS uniform was pretty good: sensible and conservative, and with a certain amount of evolution as one rose through the ranks. I wonder how they chose it: by committee, in the governors or by decision of the head?