I remember one of the favourite games we played in the schoolyard was British and Germans for us boys we never had girls playing, lines back than were squarely drawn. We didn’t need nurses so sexist of me but back then games were boys or girls.
“Cross my heart and hope to die” Girls skipped a lot and played clapping games and two-ball which involved juggling two/three balls, against the wall while chanting rhymes. Lots of girl’s games involved nursery rhymes but I did like group skipping.
When my boys were young, I never saw them playing British and Germans I think sometime in the seventies it was consigned to the dustbin. I have great memories of walking around the yard shouting ‘Who wants a game of British and Germans’ hand over each other’s shoulders as more and more boys linked up and sides were picked. I don’t remember any problems on which side you were on and then the yard was full of noises of battle.
We would then charge around the yard using the bins, corners, and doorways for cover dreading one of the enemy shouting ‘Peter, you’re dead’. So you hit the floor wet or not but unlike in real war you are dead for moments until one of your side touch you and you spring back into life and back in the fight. Some played if you were killed three times you were officially dead for this game or no one would win.
This happened in the junior and girls yard before the upgrade to the big boy’s yard. Our guns were put away in favour of more rough and tumble fun and lots of football.
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