Other editions of book When I Were a Lad . . .: Snapshots from a Time that Health and Safety Forgot

A book to send shivers down the spine of any parent who has spent years protecting their children from the slightest bump and bash.A glorious romp though some of the most reckless photos from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, tagged with side-splitting captions.Ah, the past. A time when children could play in the snow without a helmet, crampons and a risk assessment report. When footballs were made from rhino hide and cricket was played with one pad, if you were lucky. When I Were a Lad... looks at the glorious-yet-risky childhoods of yesteryear before the Health and Safety officers told us we couldn’t do everything because it was too dangerous. It reflects on a time when children were allowed in with the animals at London Zoo; a time before the car seatbelt was invented (let alone used); a time when you were allowed to dress up endangered species in goalkeeping kit and take penalties against them. The authors have trawled through the major historic archives to find some glorious photo opportunities where the safety angle of the participants was the last thing anyone thought of. Children perch happily on lethal, limb-mangling machinery, stand all-smiles on live crocodiles, feed brown bears with their hands and get scooped from the street by passing tram conductors! These truly were the days that Health and Safety forgot, back when I were a lad...

The good old pre-safety days—a time before seatbelts, when you could throw snowballs without filling out a risk assessment report, and children were allowed in with the animals at the zoo Protective goggles, protective gloves, safety helmets—all overrated. This hilarious photo collection looks at the glorious-yet-risky childhoods of yesteryear before the authorities said that kids couldn't do anything because it was all too dangerous. The authors have trawled through the major historic archives to find some glorious photo opportunities where the safety angle of the participants was the last thing anyone thought of. Children perch happily on lethal, limb-mangling machinery; stand all-smiles on live crocodiles; pose on unexploded munitions; cuddle vermin; and get scooped from the street by passing tram conductors! Take a nostalgic trip back to a time when children got dirty, wandered the streets on their own, and had strange pets.