All join in for cops and robbers

All join on for Japs and commandos

All join on for cowboys and Indians

All the games involved hiding behind walls or dustbins and making sudden gun noises as you leapt out to confront the enemy. The "all join on" bit involved a bunch of lads parading round the playground, arms around shoulders in a big chanting line. Once sufficient recruits had been achieved, the difficulty then was deciding who was going to be a cop and who was going to be a robber, etc. Nobody really wanted to be a "Jap!"

But I must confess that my favourite playground phenomenon was the girls tucking their skirts into their knickers and doing handstands against the wall. I've been a complete lunatic ever since.