Tag Archives: 1950s

Toxic elitism in British grammar schools in the 1950s

” In the sixth form we were divided into subject based groups on a very traditional basis. The academically brilliant were encouraged to enter Sixth Classics to study [ancient] Greek and Latin. The next most able were encouraged to go into Sixth … Continue reading

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Revisiting old memories

Just on a whim, the other day I decided to revisit the place in Islington North London, where I and my family lived from the late forties to the mid sixties. A tedious tube journey mostly on the District line … Continue reading

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Toxic English Snobbery: 1950s Cricket

“Worcester and England leg- spinner Roly Jenkins [had] a flippant attitude towards the amateur*…. had produced a well-written piece on spin bowling. Walter Robbins, a class- conscious autocrat who found it inconceivable that a mere professional could be so erudite, … Continue reading

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The Best Jam.

It always rained in autumn Mum, holding her old “Trug” We trudged to New River Walk No one’s hedges were safe. Blackberries, Blueberries, Rosehips We gathered while she told us the names My turn to carry the burgeoning feast The … Continue reading

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Spike Milligan’s Crossword for Idiots*

Clues 1 Across: First letter of the alphabet 1 Down:   The indefinite article *An Equal Opportunities Crossword .

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