Growing up in the 70,s

[jukel123 10,260]

5 minutes ago, mel b said:

If it wasn't for the free school uniform , I wouldn't have had any clothes at all , and if it wasn't for free school meals , I wouldn't have had any lunch either.

I might be in a minority , but looking back , I was f***ing glad of a school uniform. 

I did occasionally get clothes , but they were always second hand . I never had new clothes until I was working , and bought my own.

That's what's always pushed me to work and earn money . I was f***ing well determined that my kids would never feel the shame of going to school in dirty clothes with holes in them.

Since my kids took there first breath , I've always made sure that they've had everything they've needed , and some to spare. They always had the best trainers , the best clothes,  the best phones,  and enough food that they could leave some on the plate because they had full bellies.

f****n ell. You beat me in the hard luck stories. I thought I had it bad hopping up that f***ing cobbled Stree with one clog  to get the morning Hovis.

I hated school uniform and wouldn't wear it. I was sent to a grammar school and they didn't like refuseniks. Especially those with Elvis hairstyles and winkle pickers. They also didn't play football but played rugby instead.

So we parted ways within a year. The only thing I regret was my mother's disappointment, but shit happens and you have to play the cards you're dealt.

[gunter 4,090]

21 hours ago, chartpolski said:

In the late 60’s, early 70’s I was a young, single mod without a care in the world;

By the late 70’s I was married with kids and working in the Middle East bringing electricity to remote communities;

The path of life takes many twists and turns…….

Cheers.

 

Good looking man back in your day bet you done some lip tickling with the moustache 

[gunter 4,090]

57 minutes ago, mackem said:

@Bangersanmash just spoke about the dearth of negro’s or persons of colour when he went up to the north-east to visit family recently,I never saw one single black person in Sunderland in the 1970’s,not one,I saw them on TV in films like Zulu but I never saw a live one.

How did it feel what did you think at time 

[mackem 31,656]

8 minutes ago, gunter said:

How did it feel what did you think at time 

I was like “Holy shit,an African…….”(The novelty soon wore off ).

[mel b 4,813]

35 minutes ago, jukel123 said:

f****n ell. You beat me in the hard luck stories. I thought I had it bad hopping up that f***ing cobbled Stree with one clog  to get the morning Hovis.

I hated school uniform and wouldn't wear it. I was sent to a grammar school and they didn't like refuseniks. Especially those with Elvis hairstyles and winkle pickers. They also didn't play football but played rugby instead.

So we parted ways within a year. The only thing I regret was my mother's disappointment, but shit happens and you have to play the cards you're dealt.

To be honest juke , compared to some of the other kids I knew , I wasn't too bad off .

[mC HULL 18,256]

22 minutes ago, gunter said:

Good looking man back in your day bet you done some lip tickling with the moustache 

Built like a greyhound the young chart 

[gunter 4,090]

27 minutes ago, mC HULL said:

Built like a greyhound the young chart 

Finely tuned lol 

[jukel123 10,260]

36 minutes ago, mel b said:

To be honest juke , compared to some of the other kids I knew , I wasn't too bad off .

Me neither. I came from 9 of a family but we were always fed and warm one way or another. I remember  the electricity being cut off occasionally but it was more of an adventure and we had primus stoves. I had hand me downs until I was 14 but I honestly  never thought anything of it.

 I remember some kids had it really rough.  My Mrs had it really rough. The poverty you saw haunts you to this day.

One lad I remember, Alfie,  used to be always late on a Monday morning. He came from a large family with no father and he had to go to the pawn shop every Monday morning. The teachers used to lay into him with the cane for lateness and bollock him for the slightest thing. Totally unnecessary, he wasn't a threat to anybody. They just did it because they could. They made him an example to frighten the rest of us knowing there would be no comeback from his mother.

We were caned for lateness, insubordination, having dirty hands, not paying attention and plenty were caned for what we now know as dyslexia or just not  being able to keep up.. We were drilled and marched  like soldiers and taught military songs. We were basically being prepared for obedient factory life or the army.

The quality of teachers was pish. They were a shower of b*****ds without exception.

I hate thinking about those days and previous generations had it a lot worse than us. f**k the good old days.

Edited February 23 by jukel123

[gnasher16 31,866]

Without school uniform we would have been out on the thief at 10 and 11 just to keep up with the cool kids.....as it was we didnt start till about 15 .....wasnt a sports shop in East London that would let us try 2 trainers on at the same time 

[gunter 4,090]

1 minute ago, gnasher16 said:

Without school uniform we would have been out on the thief at 10 and 11 just to keep up with the cool kids.....as it was we didnt start till about 15 .....wasnt a sports shop in East London that would let us try 2 trainers on at the same time 

Should of had some of you in the Olympic games 

[chartpolski 29,620]

My school didn’t really have a dress code or uniform. The nearest we had was typical mod attire; Ben Sherman shirt, Levi Sta-press or 501 jeans, and desert boots.

I do remember going through some pretty eclectic get ups at school, one was dressing like one of Eliot Ness’s Untouchables; fedora hat, blue chalk stripe double breasted suit and overcoat !

Another was like Fidel Castro’s son; ex US Army fatigues and cap complete with the obligatory, at the time, CND and Ban The Bomb badges.

I also remember a fad for ex Air Raid Wardens blue jackets or navy greatcoats .

There were lots of Army and Navy Surplus Stores back then.

Dear god, what were we thinking

Cheers.

[pesky1972 5,926]

6 hours ago, gnasher16 said:

Without school uniform we would have been out on the thief at 10 and 11 just to keep up with the cool kids.....as it was we didnt start till about 15 .....wasnt a sports shop in East London that would let us try 2 trainers on at the same time 

Worked out pretty quickly that with some shops they’d have all the right ones out on display, and some of the left ones would be in the window display.., but usually out the same box. I say usually, I remember one little tea leaf once trying to sell a ‘pair’ that were two different sizes.

[mitre 539]

Just look at the school uniforms now it all burkas and nicams in the west Midlands and a lot in Sheffield and Bradford 

[gnasher16 31,866]

On 24/02/2026 at 04:47, pesky1972 said:

Worked out pretty quickly that with some shops they’d have all the right ones out on display, and some of the left ones would be in the window display.., but usually out the same box. I say usually, I remember one little tea leaf once trying to sell a ‘pair’ that were two different sizes.

We was big kids they never displayed bigger sizes in shops round our way it was always little size 6 and 7's....a,they took up less space and b,they didnt look quite as cumbersome.

No we had to be a little bit more inventive the young Saturday boys were usually easy targets but they wouldnt lace them up out of the box,the times we'd put them on and leg it for the door only to trip over the laces on the way out 

Some of the shops got wise and put staff on the door when young lads went in,others even made you pay for the trainers before you even tried them on......the best ones of all was taking handful of shirts or jumpers into the changing room to try on you'd walk back out with your normal clobber on but looking like the Michelin man 

Edited February 25 by gnasher16

[dai dogs 2,313]

Before the roller shutter door days we would tape a few bamboo sticks together with a dart on the end poke it through shop letter box at night stab the cigarettes