Former Barnardo's "old ball boys" returned to Wimbledon to meet the current crop of ball boys and girls and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the charity's partnership with the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
For 20 years from 1946 all the Wimbledon ball boys came from one of Barnardo's residential schools in Hertfordshire.
Only a third of the school's pupils became ball boys, when they were aged 14 to 18, so competition for selection was fierce - a tradition that has carried on to today's young court-side assistants.
To celebrate the partnership during the charity's 150th year, some of the former ball boys were invited to SW19 to share memories with their modern counterparts and talk over old stories about Wimbledon champions, roaring crowds and strawberries and cream.
Former ball boy, Joe Law, 66, from Lancashire recalled: "I was lucky enough to be a ball boy in the finals between 1964 and 1966 and I remember being in the line-up as the royal visitors came down to present the trophies.
"Billie Jean-King was my favourite player because she was always polite and thanked the ball boys at the end of the match, regardless of whether she won or lost."
Peter Knight, 84, from Middlesex said: "It was great being a ball boy, meeting famous players, seeing people from all over the world and eating strawberries and cream for nothing.
"I remember a great American player called Dorothy Bundy asked me to warm up with her before the match and she gave me her racket as a thank you gift. I'll be watching Wimbledon this year and rooting for Andy Murray."
Another old ball boy, Terry Whitehead, remembered helping to remove a fly from the eye of a Brazilian player, Maria Bueno.
The 72-year-old, from Lancashire, added: "As ball boys we had ways of letting each other know whether we liked a player. If we liked them, we'd bounce the ball off the floor directly into their hand and if we didn't we'd try to put a spin on the ball so it was difficult to catch."
Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan said: "Being ball boys for 20 years was an opportunity for some Barnardo's students to be part of something truly special and inspirational, and as we mark our 150th anniversary, it's wonderful to recognise the positive impact both Wimbledon and the support from our charity has had on their lives."
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