When I started school, I had to take my brother John with me. He started school when he was 3 and when he got to 5 he didn’t want to go any more so I had to drag him down the road screaming. It was awful.
Pauline Harwood nee Hatch b 1930
Author Archives: Simon Perry
Colin Smith: School days
I was never any good at anything at school except drawing.
Colin Smith b 1921, who in 1949, with his brother Stanley, sailed the Nova Espero, a 20 foot boat they had designed and built, across the Atlantic from Nova Scotia, in 43 days. They did this without chronometer, bunks, lifejackets….in what remains one of the smallest boats to cross the Atlantic.
Boats greeting the Smith brothers in Yarmouth Harbour after their 43 day Atlantic crossing in 1949 ; photo Sue Russell
Effie Pitman: School days and school trips 1930s
I loved school; I was so happy there. The teachers were very strict but I think it was better then.
Mr. Stanway used to shove you in the back. I liked Miss Chambers ‘though.
We went on a trip to London, when I was in the senior standard, to visit museums and so on. Oh it did make our feet ache! Miss White, our teacher was with us. I remember she massaged our feet at the end of the day, she was so kind.
Yarmouth School trip of 1933 with Miss White
School trip 1933 Effie middle row left, Eileen, back row left,
Phil Kelsey front row second left, Miss White centre left with Head teacher Mr. Stanway
When I left, they gave me a special award, for 7 and a half years continuous attendance, I hadn’t had a single day off in that time. Imagine!
I remember one day Miss Chambers had to go home. She wasn’t well – a dog had bitten her leg. They left me in charge of the little ones, 12 of them. We had the rocking horse, and I looked after them. That was the best day for me. I always wanted to work with children.
Effie Pitman b 1921
Joan Cokes: School trips 1920s
Yarmouth School trip on the ferry photo contributed by Di Broomfield
I went to Yarmouth School (as did my father, my son and daughter, and my two grandchildren). I remember having to wear a Panama hat on school outings; we bought them from a shop in the High Street. One trip was to Windsor.
Joan Cokes nee Cooper b 1918
Mary Lord: School days
I hated school, HATED it initially. I don’t know why. I used to hide behind a big old chair at home and wouldn’t go to school with my mother. Eventually a girl called Daphne was persuaded to call for me, and everything was all right from then.
We learnt to write on a slate in a wooden frame with a slate pencil. There was no paper for painting – only newspaper, and that not very often. There probably wasn’t much paint either.
Reading round the class was so slow, I always used to read ahead and then be caught out when it was my turn and I had frantically to turn back and try to find where we were. Sums were really boring when you had to write 1 + 1 = 2 in each box, and repeat it across the page, before you moved on, but learning the times tables by heart worked. Anything up to 12x still brings an instant response!
Fraying, what was that for? We were given a square of fabric and had to sit and fray it as some sort of handcraft. Knitting came later.
Poor Dolly, who was a Downs Syndrome girl, was in our class with Miss Chambers. Every morning Miss Chambers used to ‘knock over’ her pin box so the pins went all over the floor. That kept Dolly occupied for the next hour or so. I used to think it so unfair that only Dolly got to pick up all the pins each day.
I don’t think Mrs Barton, the head, liked P.E. very much, which was a shame because I loved it. She’d find any excuse to abandon the lesson. We’d get out into the playground and she’d say, ‘ You’re making too much noise. That’s it. Back indoors!’
Oh the disappointment.
Winter heating was a big old black coke stove with rails around it, topped off with a brass bar.
When you finished your work you could go and warm yourself next to the stove – that was a big incentive to get your work done.
Mary Lord nee Hayles b 1936 who returned to teach at Yarmouth from 1974 to 1990
Florrie Sloper: School days 1920s 1930s
I am now 82 and did all my schooling at Yarmouth from the years 1927-1936 and I feel I received a first class education all those years ago.
In 1927 I started in the infants (at 5 years) and my teacher was Miss Ella Chambers (always felt a bit special as my birthday was the same day as hers).
We were really drilled in phonic sound and I always delighted in getting my spelling right. English was always my stronger point, but I have never forgotten my times tables and have found them a godsend right up to the present day.
I then went up to Standards 1 and 2, my teacher was Miss Ireland. (I never knew her first name). She was one of the “old school” but we really forged ahead with reading etc. I used to love Friday afternoon 3.30pm when she always read to us and particularly remember “A Basket of Flowers”, very sad. Florrie Sloper nee Knee b 1922
Basket of Flowers book cover ; class reading mentioned by Florrie Sloper nee KneeThe Basket of Flowers: A Tale for the Young by Christoph von Schmid
James, the king’s gardener, teaches his 15-year-old daughter Mary all the principles of godliness through his flowers. She is falsely accused of stealing, and the penalty is death. Mary remembers her father had taught her: that it is better to die for the truth than to live for a lie.
Jean Maitland: School days
I always felt sorry for poor old Florrie.
Old Miss Ireland, the one I said I didn’t like, used to ask on Monday morning who had been to church, put your hands up if you had been to church, because they didn’t like it if you didn’t go to church. Anyway Florrie put her hand up and Miss Ireland said, ‘You can put your hand down. You never went to church, you went to the Methodist Church.’
Florrie went to the chapel along South Street and so did Megan Cook (nee Buckett)
Jean Maitland nee Levey b 1928
Eileen Smith: School days
Yarmouth School 1927
My grandfather went to Yarmouth School, my mother and her two sisters, I did, and my three children.
The last year I was at Yarmouth C. of E. School, there were 126 pupils and 4 teachers; Mr. Stanway the headmaster, Miss Troman, Miss Ireland and Miss Chambers, with the Headmaster’s wife, Mrs Stanway, helping out sometimes.
We started school at 5 years, no matter what time of year, and left at 14. Some people went on to Newport if they passed the scholarship.
Miss Ella Chambers had the first class. She was lovely; everyone was fond of her. If you met her in the town years later she’d say ‘Hello Eileen, – one of my girls.’
Every day we had half an hour’s scripture, and prayers. We had to learn the hymns off by heart. Reverend Marshall came from Thorley once a year to test the senior students. He was a bit deaf and he mumbled so you couldn’t always understand his questions. When he gave the prize, I think he guessed who knew the most.
The boys had gardening and woodwork, the girls knitting and sewing and embroidery. There were cookery lessons at Ningwood Institute for the senior girls – we travelled there by bus. Someone came out from Newport to teach us. We had old oil stoves, with a hob and an oven. Every week there was a draw to see what chores you had to do. I always seemed to end up cleaning the stoves – they were filthy old things.
Eileen Smith b1921
Brian Pomroy: School days 1940s
School was good. Yarmouth School was a beautiful school, well built, one door at the back and one at the front, steps up the front with 2 classrooms.
Mrs Barton was in the front one. Mrs Barton, she always used to have me sat at the front of the class. There was her desk and there was me, and I always remember, she used to have this ruler. If I used to turn round to say,
“Alright mate?” Bang! She was a lovely teacher though, used to bring in an apple for me.
There was another teacher, lived up round the corner, Miss Chambers, had the baby class, ‘Polly Chambers’ we used to call her.
The sea used to come over the wall sometimes and anybody trying to skive off school got wet.
They were some good days in Yarmouth. I loved it there.
Brian Pomroy b 1937
Aerial photo of school and town, before harbour was dredged. Photo Rod Corbett