Pumps/plimsoles.

grumpybloke · Post by **grumpybloke** » Mon 06 May, 2013 3:01 pm

I remember the night before PE class having to get the bottle of Blanko (can't remember how it was spelt) to whiten my pumps as we got into bother if they weren't reasonably spotless. Many times I would have to put a bit of water in and shake vigorously as it had dried out! I think all the plimsolls came from Pakistan.

jdbythesea · Post by **jdbythesea** » Mon 06 May, 2013 5:25 pm

grumpybloke wrote: I remember the night before PE class having to get the bottle of Blanko (can't remember how it was spelt) to whiten my pumps as we got into bother if they weren't reasonably spotless. Many times I would have to put a bit of water in and shake vigorously as it had dried out! I think all the plimsolls came from Pakistan. I remember doing it too grumpy. Meltonian made the stuff and it looked like milk of magnesia.

johnnyg · Post by **johnnyg** » Mon 06 May, 2013 6:59 pm

Pumps are making a comeback in primary schools. Many schools now ask that children wear them when indoors and then put on their outdoor shoes for playtimes.

trophy · Post by **trophy** » Mon 06 May, 2013 7:16 pm

baseball boots used to be cheap they are now called converse boots and cost more than a good pair of shoes.

Dalehelms · Post by **Dalehelms** » Mon 06 May, 2013 7:32 pm

Are there any other Leeds' names for pumps/plimsoles? In Glasgow they are/were known as "sannies" short for sandshoes. Further north they are/were called "drillers" short for drill shoes........from the days when you did drill rather than PE!

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Mon 06 May, 2013 7:42 pm

grumpybloke wrote: ....I think all the plimsolls came from Pakistan. Pumps always had a red rubber label stuck on the sole saying "Empire Made". Maybe they were made in Pakistan but the rubber they were made of presumably came from somewhere else in the empire like Malaya. They always had a distinct rubbery smell when new and the grip was so good they they squeaked when you were running and stopped or turned sharply on a wooden floor. Dunlop Green Flash Tennis shoes were essentially laced plimsolls and they were still worn in the 80's ( by me at least )

grumpybloke · Post by **grumpybloke** » Fri 10 May, 2013 9:30 pm

I've just been perusing the Debenham's special offer leaflet that's just come through my door. Plimsoles...£25! Ok they are red and it's buy one, get one half price but still, what a rip-off. They've probably come from the Far East for a quid a pair.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Fri 10 May, 2013 10:46 pm

grumpybloke wrote: I've just been perusing the Debenham's special offer leaflet that's just come through my door. Plimsoles...£25! Ok they are red and it's buy one, get one half price but still, what a rip-off. They've probably come from the Far East for a quid a pair. Do you have to buy them individually now? They used to sell them in pairs in my day...

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Sat 11 May, 2013 5:44 pm

grumpybloke wrote: I've just been perusing the Debenham's special offer leaflet that's just come through my door. Plimsoles...£25! Ok they are red and it's buy one, get one half price but still, what a rip-off. They've probably come from the Far East for a quid a pair. I too have noticed Plimsoles seem to be enjoying something of a revival.It just shows that everything comes back into fashion if you wait long enough. On one of the rare occasions I browse in a shoe shop , I came across a pair of what were unmistakeably Plimsoles with brightly coloured canvas uppers instead of the more familiar black or white. Thinking they might come in useful for the next beach hol I tried them on and found that the soles were as thin, sweaty and uncomfortable as I remembered them to be from the 1950's & 60's . Then I looked at the £25 price tag and thought they must be joking (even at the reduced price!). Perhaps someone should tell younger shoppers that (a) we all stopped wearing plimsoles for a reason (b) they should cost less than 10% of the price of a proper pair of shoes.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Tue 14 May, 2013 12:14 pm

K Waterhouse wrote:City Lights, chpt 1(en-route to Silverdale via Leeds Poor Children's Holiday Camp Assoc)"I was reassured ...by the discovery that our mode of transport was to be one of Saml Ledgard's navy blue charabancs...Sammy could be trusted..he may not be driving the coach but he had at least signed it...The pecking order of our community =shoes for those who 'kept themselves to themselves and did not frequent the pawnshop.boots were worn by the rougher elementthen came clogswith plimsolls at the bottom of the social heap.."