When boys wore frocks
QUESTION
Was there a brief fashion, during the Victorian era, for dressing boys as girls until they were five years old? My father, henry Zacharias, was born in Cornwall in 1895. he wore frocks until he was five. Pictured right are sisters Olive and Mabel, with henry in the middle.
One of his favourite songs was the Little shirt My Mother Made for Me, which included the lines: ‘When first I wore my little knickerbocks / I felt so foolish after wearing frocks.’
H. R. Jennings, Bedford. the dressing of boys as girls goes way back before the Victorians.
historically, in the 16th century, babies were wrapped in swaddling. they were dressed in a shirt, and then bandages were wound the length of their entire body. they also wore a small cap called a biggin.
During the day, the swaddling was removed and then replaced to enable washing, feeding and movement of limbs.
after four to six months, the swaddling was removed so the child could be shortcoated in a waisted frock that just covered the feet. false sleeves were often attached at the armholes and were used as leading strings to help with walking.
Boys and girls often wore aprons over these frocks until they were six or seven years old. however, for boys, by the age of five the bodice part of the frock was shaped into a doublet, while girls followed adult female fashions.
When a boy reached six or seven, the frock was discarded and he would be ‘breeched’, meaning he would be dressed in the clothes of an adult male. this was an important occasion for the boy and his family in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the 18th century, at about the age of four, boys discarded their long frocks and aprons for a mini-version of male adult clothes; from the age of two, girls wore a version of their mother’s outfits.
In the 1780s, boys wore the skeleton suit, so named because of its close fit to the body. It consisted of high-waisted trousers fastened on to the bottom of a short jacket by buttons. It was a practical outfit and was worn by all classes until it went out of fashion in the 1840s.
the skeleton suit would be worn until the age of 11, after which the boy wore a tailcoat, breeches and waistcoat. In the 19th century, boys were breeched at a much earlier age than previously.
the transition to boyhood was made at the age of two, where skirts were substituted with a tunic-like dress with matching trousers. this outfit was popular for boys and girls until the end of the 19th century.
however, by six or seven, the tunic and trousers would be dropped for a jacket and knickerbockers, and, eventually, a short jacket and long trousers.
through the Victorian era, children’s clothing followed adult fashion, but very young boys and girls were put into frilled dresses with their hair falling in curls around the face.
World War I had a dramatic effect on children’s clothing as formal and restrictive clothes were replaced by more practical garments, much to the delight, no doubt, of the children of the time.
Anthea Hall, Stourbridge, W. Mids.
QUESTION
Why did John Robert Fox call an artillery strike upon himself during World War II? JOHN ROBERT FOX was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 18, 1915. he attended Wilberforce University, an african-american college, where he met his wife, arlene, and later had a daughter. fox joined the U.s. army in february 1941 and graduated from Infantry school in august, just months before the U.s entered World War II.
In December 1944, Lt fox was a forward operator with the Cannon Company of the 366th Infantry regiment, the 92nd Infantry Division.
he was stationed in the town of sommocolonia, Italy, when German soldiers disguised as civilians stole into the town on Christmas Day.
the German attack began at 4am the following morning. the american troops were quickly overwhelmed and were forced to withdraw. fox, along with eight Italian soldiers, volunteered to stay behind as part of a small forward observer party. from his position on the second floor of a house, fox directed defensive artillery fire to enable the retreat.
fox progressively called for the artillery to aim shells closer and closer to his position, matching the German advance. finally, just before noon on December 26, fox requested that the artillery be aimed squarely at his position.
the soldier manning the radio, Lt Otis Zachary, and his commanding officer then asked fox if he knew this strike would destroy his position. fox’s reply was: ‘fire it!’ his position was hit with high explosive shells, killing fox, his comrades and 100 German soldiers.
fox’s brave act delayed the Germans sufficiently for the americans to regroup and retake the town.
Lt fox’s commanding officer nominated him for the Distinguished service Cross, but this was shamefully overlooked at the time. In 1982, 38 years after being nominated, he was finally awarded the medal, accepted by his widow.
Andy Davies, Wrexham, Denbighshire.