1

School made up a large part of the children's lives.

2

The Alliston Public School.
1910
Alliston Public School, Alliston, Ontario

3

Excerpt from an interview between Robert (Bob) Banting and Marie (Banting) Shields:

Bob: So you went to school in Alliston. Did you walk to school?

Marie: Quite often. Dad often drove us out to school but we usually walked home, depending on the weather and everything else.

B: When you walked to school would you cut through the fields?

M: No, you'd go down around by the road.

B: That's a long way.

M: That's a long way.

4

Alliston School Bell.
1885
Museum on the Boyne, Alliston, Ontario

5

The Alliston School Bell. This bell used to hang in the little cupola, atop the school tower.

6

School Desk.
1920
Museum on the Boyne, Alliston, Ontario

7

This desk was donated to the Museum on the Boyne by Edward Banting, son of Thompson and Lena Banting.

Sir Frederick's niece Helen (Banting) Jackson remembers him this way:

"He was quite active in sports at school, and at one time wanted to be a long distance runner, like the Indian Tom Longboat who was his idol at this time. He would get up early and jog up and down the road, before walking the two miles and three blocks to school. Sometimes he would ride bareback to school, and when he got there he would give the horse a slap and send it home again."

8

School Desk.
1920
Museum on the Boyne, Alliston, Ontario

9

Button boots.
1900
Museum on the Boyne, Alliston, Ontario

10

One of the most well-known local stories tells of Frederick Banting and his button boots. When he was twelve, Fred needed new boots. His mother gave him his sister's hand-me-downs. To his mother, they were in excellent condition and perfectly useful. To Fred, they were girl's boots with small high heels, and buttons going up each side halfway to his knees. He did not dare wear them to school.

Every day, he would set off from home wearing the button boots, take them off and hide them under the Scotch Line Bridge, and continue the rest of the way barefoot. Every day after school, he made an attempt to wear the boots out. He would get them wet, and rub and scrape them on sharp rocks. But still the button boots survived.

Well, the day came that it snowed. Fred had no choice but to wear the boots to school. At school, he dashed to his desk and hid his boots under him as best he could so the other children would not notice. At recess, he bolted for the door to hide from the others. Unfortunately he ran into "Smack," the class bully, a noted smoker and swearer. Smack chased Fred into the school yard and taunted him, "Look at the sissy girl!" and "Wearing mother's boots!" At the last taunt, Fred fought back. Smack collapsed out of breath, bloody and in tears. No one had ever stood up to Smack before and won. Fred could wear the boots to school without fear of ridicule.

11

Victoria Street, Alliston.
1900
Alliston, Ontario

12

The epilogue to the button boots story: A few days after the fight, Fred was faced with wearing the boots into Alliston. While walking down Victoria Street, he crowded his mother, hiding his boots in her long skirts. Noting his odd behaviour, she asked what was wrong. He told her the entire story and she said, "My dear child, why didn't you tell your mother?" and promptly bought him a pair of boy's boots.

13

We have some more exploring to do....