[BITList] Blue collars

[HUGH]

Malcolm,

Some of my earliest memories are of shipyard workers with no collars, let alone blue ones.  We used to sit on the pavement in summer, opposite the building where we lived, and outside The Glen Vaults, better known as Morrison's Pub.  Short collarless men weighed down by a few bottles of ale would stagger out now and then after just a wee drink before going home after work.

On frilly shirts, etc - I never owned one of these, but I used to have a purple plastic zip jacket and a yellow tie with a red dragon on it. One night in the 60s, Janet and I were going to a big dance in Largs. The venue was the Marine and Curlinghall Hotel, a really swish place, and we'd been to dances there before. Janet had on her best frock and hairdo and a stole, etc, and I had hired a dinner suit, etc. My shirt may well have had a frilly front. There was a special bus, and we got on it near where we lived at that time.  As far as we could see, mine was the only dinner suit - the nearest was a blue velvet jacket one worn by a chap who hadn't bothered with a tie. The rest of the men were dressed as for a night in the pub with their pals. The ladies were all dressed like film stars. "Bugger this," I said.  Janet agreed to take ill, and we got off in Gourock to sympathetic murmurs. I phoned my pal, got a few cans of something, and we took a taxi to the pal's place.

Similar happened one evening at a Masonic dance here.  It wasn't a big do, so lounge suits were worn by all, - all, that is, bar the representatives from the Knights of St Columba, who were among the guests and who arrived in dinner suits.  There was a quick meeting in a corner, and half a dozen officials went swiftly home and came back post haste in dinner suits before the function started.

One of my favourite men, Fred Dibnah, was on TV tonight.  He wore a blue shirt, but no collar.

Regards,

Hugh.

.  
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