I’m the chubster on the right, my brother in the front middle and Peter Wilkinson on the left. We all went to the same boarding school in nearby Preston. The photo taken of the three of us in out back garden in Ince in Makerfield in what was then a very industrial Wigan. We are wearing our ‘Sunday Suits’ which as I recall were itchy wooly things. We were occasionally allowed out on Sundays and parents would come and collect us, feed us up in the day ( as you can see I was not really in need of feeding up ) They would then take us back Sunday night ready for school on the Monday. The school was a grammar school with aspirations and took just about 60 kids as boarders. A few fellow boarders were to son’s of servicemen stationed abroad, mainly RAF. I recall that we put a brick in the luggage of one of these kids when he was due to fly out to Cyrprus, and his mother was less than amused when it arrived at the RAF station where they were stationed. No one asked if you’d packed your own bags in those days. Our parents did not want us to keep moving whilst they moved with work, which in our case was quite often. As I recall Peter’s parents were doctor’s in Liverpool, he’s probably a retired doctor now. Never ever saw him again after we left school.

I was curious looking at this which would have been around 1958/9 at how little we knew about what was in store for us. Here we are loyally wearing our school caps on a day off. Not long after this I was taken to get my teeth straightened in Blackburn where a bald headed dentist inserted a wire contraption and plate which stayed with me for the next few years. I was able to drink tea at near nuclear temperature.

The Beatles were still to be, and a lot of history in front of us. What was around, and might be a clue to my chubster profile was puddings. It seemed to be the only part of any school dinner that was universally liked by me : Spotted Dick.

And now I’ve found that it still exists in all its glory. Here in Cheltenham where I’m on a luxury all puds paid for stay, whilst they try and find out what’s making me a little immobile that is not the expected arthritis that they thought it was.

Here I’ve found food that takes me back to the time of the school photo, it’s a small consolation. Custard is a brilliant and necessary bonus.