There will always be an England
Letters to the editor in today's London Times, collected under the headline: "Bowled Over, But Still Not Out."
Sir,
Mr D. W. S. Gray (letter, October 27) comments that he can no longer wear his bowler hat in the street without inviting public comment.
This seems also to apply to any hat worn with a business suit, which presents a problem to those of us who need to protect our heads from the weather. Being a little short of hair on my head it can be painfully cold crossing London Bridge in the morning without a hat. The trouble is, any hat worn with a suit now invites comment or even ridicule, and, at best, makes an unwanted fashion statement. Trilby, bowler, flat cap, woolly hat: all have their connotations. For all of us balding suit-wearers, a new design of classless and practical headgear acceptable for use with a suit is urgently needed, preferably before the next cold snap this winter.
Yours sincerely,
MARTIN PETTINGER,
1 The Chestnuts,
Gardner Street,
Herstmonceux,
Hailsham,
East Sussex BN27 4LD.
Sir,
In the world of the horse, the bowler usefully distinguishes officials at three-day events and race meetings, though female holders of these posts seem to cope without.
Yours faithfully,
CHRISTOPHER WITTS,
Ashleigh Cottage,
Opposite the Church,
Oaksey, Malmesbury SN16 9TQ.
Sir,
My grandfather, a Belfast engineer, told me that foremen in the local shipyards wore bowler hats not only as a mark of status but also as protection from dropped rivets, accidental and otherwise. I suspect that their use on building sites was for similar reasons.
Yours faithfully,
C. H. EMELEUS,
62 Hallgarth Street,
Durham DH1 3AY.
Sir,
The bowler has also served at sea. When I made mine redundant, because of dying fashion, it was acquired by my son, who was then serving in submarines. It was adorned with an RN cap tally and worn whenever opportunity and surface-running permitted.
It was finally buried at sea when a messmate removed it from my son’s head, and the wind whipped it from his hand.
Yours faithfully,
P. MOTTE-HARRISON,
17 The Meadway,
Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5RN.
Sir,
Recently, while planning the visit of a service engineer to a Korean motor plant, I was asked by the client to arrange for our engineer to bring with him a bowler hat; apparently it bestowed great prestige on the wearer. A thorough search throughout central Scotland finally located the correct size in an Edinburgh shop.
Yours faithfully,
A. DAVID PAGE,
14 Springwood Avenue,
Stirling FK8 2HN.
Sir,
The bowler remained a special item of working-class headgear north of Watford until at least the late 1950s. My wife’s ex-miner grandfather kept one in his wardrobe to wear in place of his cloth cap when attending funerals.
Your faithfully,
JOHN ACKLAW,
Conifer House,
Ferry Road,
North Fambridge,
Essex CM3 6LS.
Sir,
Mr D. W. S. Gray (letter, October 27) comments that he can no longer wear his bowler hat in the street without inviting public comment.
This seems also to apply to any hat worn with a business suit, which presents a problem to those of us who need to protect our heads from the weather. Being a little short of hair on my head it can be painfully cold crossing London Bridge in the morning without a hat. The trouble is, any hat worn with a suit now invites comment or even ridicule, and, at best, makes an unwanted fashion statement. Trilby, bowler, flat cap, woolly hat: all have their connotations. For all of us balding suit-wearers, a new design of classless and practical headgear acceptable for use with a suit is urgently needed, preferably before the next cold snap this winter.
Yours sincerely,
MARTIN PETTINGER,
1 The Chestnuts,
Gardner Street,
Herstmonceux,
Hailsham,
East Sussex BN27 4LD.
Sir,
In the world of the horse, the bowler usefully distinguishes officials at three-day events and race meetings, though female holders of these posts seem to cope without.
Yours faithfully,
CHRISTOPHER WITTS,
Ashleigh Cottage,
Opposite the Church,
Oaksey, Malmesbury SN16 9TQ.
Sir,
My grandfather, a Belfast engineer, told me that foremen in the local shipyards wore bowler hats not only as a mark of status but also as protection from dropped rivets, accidental and otherwise. I suspect that their use on building sites was for similar reasons.
Yours faithfully,
C. H. EMELEUS,
62 Hallgarth Street,
Durham DH1 3AY.
Sir,
The bowler has also served at sea. When I made mine redundant, because of dying fashion, it was acquired by my son, who was then serving in submarines. It was adorned with an RN cap tally and worn whenever opportunity and surface-running permitted.
It was finally buried at sea when a messmate removed it from my son’s head, and the wind whipped it from his hand.
Yours faithfully,
P. MOTTE-HARRISON,
17 The Meadway,
Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5RN.
Sir,
Recently, while planning the visit of a service engineer to a Korean motor plant, I was asked by the client to arrange for our engineer to bring with him a bowler hat; apparently it bestowed great prestige on the wearer. A thorough search throughout central Scotland finally located the correct size in an Edinburgh shop.
Yours faithfully,
A. DAVID PAGE,
14 Springwood Avenue,
Stirling FK8 2HN.
Sir,
The bowler remained a special item of working-class headgear north of Watford until at least the late 1950s. My wife’s ex-miner grandfather kept one in his wardrobe to wear in place of his cloth cap when attending funerals.
Your faithfully,
JOHN ACKLAW,
Conifer House,
Ferry Road,
North Fambridge,
Essex CM3 6LS.
posted by S.Y. Silverstein at 9:05 AM
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