When I were a lad

[octo0072000]

the four in lake district was all non swimmers kids jumped of a pier but it was deep adult jumped but was also out of there depth another person rescued one
who in there right mind jumps in off a pier into the water as a non swimmer Darwin comes to mind

 

[My Old Landy]

I didn't learn until my mid 30's I'm 55 now. I haven't been swimming for 10 years or more so probably a bit rusty!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

No swimming baths when I was a lad, it was the North Sea or nothing.

I can't swim to this day.....

 

[KemppiFrog]

the four in lake district was all non swimmers kids jumped of a pier but it was deep adult jumped but was also out of there depth another person rescued one
who in there right mind jumps in off a pier into the water as a non swimmer Darwin comes to mind

Blimey, who jumps off a pier expecting the water to be shallow?

Not been sea swimming myself for quite a while, last time was involuntary in march...fully clothed and had to swim around 400mtrs with a thumb in the lifejacket inflater tube, as the valve had blown out while I was adjusting it having realized it was going to be a long haul, when the boat was going faster than I could swim forwards. As soon as you inflate, it is on your back and slow. Knacked? You betcha! When I got to the beach, i couldn't use my legs and just lay in the shallow water until things worked again.

 

[Gragson]

I was born in Gibraltar and taught to swim by the folks from a very early age in the sea.
We had an outdoor non heated pool at school in England and it was compulsory from recall unless you had a good excuse like you were about to die.

The experience was so painful I don't think any class mates went on to drown as they would not go near the stuff again

 

[Robotstar5]

We had a girl in our class that was so quick at butterfly stroke she ended up as a reserve for the 1976 Olympic squad

 

[octo0072000]

Blimey, who jumps off a pier expecting the water to be shallow?

Not been sea swimming myself for quite a while, last time was involuntary in march...fully clothed and had to swim around 400mtrs with a thumb in the lifejacket inflater tube, as the valve had blown out while I was adjusting it having realized it was going to be a long haul, when the boat was going faster than I could swim forwards. As soon as you inflate, it is on your back and slow. Knacked? You betcha! When I got to the beach, i couldn't use my legs and just lay in the shallow water until things worked again.

i know that feeling
did my BSAC sport diver quals tired diver tow about 400 yards both divers in full gear on surface but i had a head wind against me nearly killed me as you said just felt like a lump of jelly

 

[dobbslc]

We learnt to swim in the Watford Girls Grammer school pool as we didn’t have one, on the first visit all the boys ran into the changing room for a wee as instructed by the teachers but what we didn’t realise until the teacher came in shouting was that we were all peeing into the shower trough as we thought it was a urinal.
Apparently girls schools don’t have urinals

 

[awemawson]

We were all taught to swim at school, and had to have a white button sewn onto the crown of our school caps if we hadn't passed the basic swimming test ( a single 25 yard 'length' of the pool)

As you got older you were expected to progress up the ladder of swimming tests which included swimming fully dressed, and being able to rescue people.

It was all considered normal and no one objected. No doubt these days the school would be done for child cruelty and abusing our human rights.

How things have changed, and not for the better.

 

[Gragson]

We had a similar regime, and we were all secretly proud of the mounting swimming badges sewn onto our swim bags

 

[zx9]

When i were a lad, my dad bought a Sanyo Microwave oven with digital display and everything ..............

37 years later its still in regular use

His microwave out lived Sanyo, they were bought by Panasonic a few years ago presumably for some small part of the business, much of it was just shut down which was a shame they had some good products in direct competition with those of Panasonic.

 

[dobbslc]

Ni-cad cells!

 

[Keith 66]

We had a swimming pool at school, for the first few years it was heated but the heating system broke down frequently. We still had to go swimming in it & it was bloody freezing, It had shoals of veruccas & the changing rooms had slats like a cattle shed which made it draughty.
It was filled in & concreted over a couple of years ago. Good riddance!

 

[brewdexta]

Our first school pool was outdoors, we swam it in all weathers. Probably a bit extreme nowadays but if you have ever seen people up t'north going out on the town in next to nowt in all weathers then it seems more normal.

I think I remember having to swim in pyjamas carrying a brick in one of the swimming exams, or was they just trying to drown us? Bricks were expensive back then, I think they locked it up at night

 

[graffian]

When I was about seven a group of us went fishing most days after school.
We all learned to swim when pushed in.

 

[dobbslc]

I got pushed into the school pond by my mate once, I went in up to my nuts, after biding my time I got him back and he went in head first
We both got a detention for that

 

[chriskelland]

Flipping 'eck are you really that old ?

When I were a lad computers hadn't been invented.

 

[brewdexta]

When I were a lad computers hadn't been invented.

Blimey, you are old. Babbage's difference engine went on display in 1862, and arguable that's not the first computer

 

[Farside]

When I was at junior school in the 50s we went to the local corporation baths ( closed in 2003 ) for swimming lessons, everybody was taught and got a certificate. I never knew of anyone drowning back then even though we swam in the Bridgewater canal regularly. Recently there have been quite a few drowning deaths locally and I wonder how many would have been prevented if the schools had continued to teach swimming.

This is food for thought..

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

slate.com

 

[DAPPH]

I used to visit the local baths on my way home from primary school, as did many of our friends. I don't remember any who couldn't swim.
It seems that a lot of the downings involved ethnic minorities? Anybody know if there is something cultural in that?

Cultural in that they tend to stay in the norms of their own community and do not watch main stream TV nor fully join the mainstream UK way of life , which is unfortunate all round .