Chapter Fourteen

War

Three conflicts in particular have had some impact upon the Schools. The first was the Boer War. This was a geographically distant war fought in South Africa but great public interest was shown in it and this can be traced in the School Log Books. On 18^th May 1900 the school bell was rung at 10:30 at night when news of the relief of Mafeking was received. On the following Monday 21^st May 1900 the Schools were closed in celebration. On 2^nd June 1902 there was a half-day holiday to celebrate the end of the war.

There are surprisingly few references to the impact of the First World War of 1914-18 upon the School. This is almost certainly because the Masters and Mistresses did not record the details, and not because the effects of the war were not felt. The first reference is in the Girls’ Log from 4^th September 1914 ‘The timetable has not been adhered to this week. The girls are knitting socks for the war and will be making shirts which will be needed with all expedition’. On 25^th September Miss Pearman ‘Dispatched to Major Reddie of Worcester for men on active service – 32 pairs of socks and 14 flannel shirts’. Such efforts probably continued throughout the war without further being mentioned – knitting socks for the war may have seemed pitifully inadequate in the face of the enormity of subsequent events. In May 1915 the Girls’ Log records that the girls brought in 65 eggs and 79 lbs for the ‘lb a day for Belgians on active service’ collection. We are not told what the lb was of. In 1916 the Diocesan Inspector of Religious Instruction recorded ‘suitable prayers are in use including a War Prayer’. On 4^th February 1926 ‘the girls were nervously excited on Tuesday morning after the German Air Raid and several were absent from school in consequence of it’. Also in 1916 the Infants’ Log refers to the alteration of school hours to conform to lighting restrictions. In the Boys’ Department one of the Masters, Mr. Orford, ‘left the schools to join HM forces’ in July 1916. In February 1917 the education Committee of the Local Education Authority agreed to a War Bonus for teachers. In September 1917 a report on the school’s efforts in raising War Savings was sent to the Director of Education. Further details of this were given in August 1918. The Girls’ Department were evidently more successful in this than the Boys or the Infants.

By 1918 there were food shortages. In February the Girls’ Log records ‘Every Friday a number of girls absent standing in queues or minding the babies whilst their mothers do so’. There were half-day holidays on 6^th and 7^th of February 1918 to allow teachers to work at the Food Control Office, filling out Food Rationing Cards.

On 11^th November 1918 the Infants’ Log records ‘News came at 11:15am that the Armistice was signed, so sent the children home for the day’.

Mr. Orford proved to be lucky. He survived the war and returned to his school duties after demobilisation on 27^th January 1919. In July 1919 the Boys’ Log recorded ‘The Borough Council has decided to give all the school children in the area a tea at the cost of 10d per head on 18^th July 1919 on the occasion of the peace celebrations.

In September 1919 the Boys’ Master, Mr. Sutton, sent a list of names for the War Memorial to the Local Education Authority. In March 1921 the children assembled in the playground at 3 o’clock ‘to witness the unveiling of the memorial to those boys who have fallen during The Great War’. [This memorial was transferred from the Craufurd Street school buildings to the current school buildings in Field Lane in 1977. It is now located in the School Hall]

In October 1919 the school closed for a week’s holiday in connection with the Armistice Celebrations. The Girls’ Log records the regular observance of the ‘Great Silence’ on subsequent Armistice days and in the 1930’s there were Armistice Day Services in the playground for all the Departments. There are also mentions of representatives from the Boys’ School taking a wreath to the Town War Memorial. Today, 2002, the school still observes the ‘Great Silence’ when all the children and staff silently stand on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

As would be expected the greatest impact of war was felt in the Second World War 1939-45. The three school departments were now amalgamated into one and Mr. Round was the Headmaster. Mr. Round makes frequent references to the war. As early as October 1938 Mr. Round and Miss Sharp were occupied in the fitting of gas masks for all the children. In July and August 1939, again before the actual declaration of war the Staff ‘reported for duty in connection with evacuation plans’. The 4^th September 1939 was to be the first day of the existence of the new amalgamated school. It was an inauspicious start. ‘War has been declared. Schools have been closed. I sent home those children who had attended’. The Director of Education at Worcester decreed on 8^th September 1939 that all Worcestershire Schools should now be open with the exception of schools in Halesowen and Stourbridge, which were not to reopen until some kind of Air Raid protection had been provided. It was evidently thought that Halesowen and Stourbridge were more likely to receive bomb damage than other parts of the County. However, on 21^st September 1939 a letter was received from the Director authorising the opening of the school despite the fact that no shelters had been provided and the school opened on 25^th September 1939. Until shelters were built the children were to be dispersed in small groups to nearby houses in the event of an Air Raid. This was practised many times and the school could be emptied in 4 minutes. In late September 1939 work began on building five Air Raid shelters in the playground. In February 1940 there was a shortage of coal and the children were sent home after assembly on 19^th February ‘as we have no coal’. The temperature inside the school was 41 degrees F. On 14^th May 1940 Mr Round wrote ‘Owing to the international situation brought about by the German invasion of Holland and Belgium, the Government has cancelled the Bank Holiday and by wireless ordered all schools to open’. On 17^th May 1940 there was a fitting of gas masks for all children. By September 1940 there was evidently a large number of night Air Raids as school times changed to 9:45am to 12:15pm due to the children having lost their sleep. On 30^th September 1940 the first daylight Air Raid warnings were heard and these subsequently became a regular occurrence. Normal school hours were resumed but the siren sounded so frequently that a great deal of school time was lost in the shelters. Eventually Mr. Round decided that the children should remain in school when the siren was heard but dressed in their outdoor clothes. Mr. Round then went outside to listen fore bombs and anti-aircraft fire when the children would be evacuated to the shelters. By April 1941, 47 daytime Air Raid warnings had been recorded. In 1942 blackout was fitted to the school windows. This took some time to complete due to the size and shape of the windows.

The School was involved in War Weapons Weeks to collect money towards the War Effort. Over £1,000 was collected in May 1941 and over £500 in March 1942. In the Wings for Victory Campaign in August 1943 the school collected over £1,200. In March 1944 over 3,000 books were collected as part of the Book Salvage Campaign. In April 1944 a further War Savings Week resulted in the collection of over £1,200.

On 1^st April 1942 the gas Van attended the school and 220 children wearing gas masks went through the van. In 1942 the school was kept open at the beginning of the summer holidays to help mothers on war work but only 10 attended and so after a few days the school was closed. By August 1943 the school was experiencing a shortage of teachers. One teacher was transferred to another school that was even more understaffed due to many teachers being called up. In August 1943 school dinners commenced. The Infant cloakrooms were turned into a serving kitchen and 44 children had dinner at a cost of 1/-. By early October 1943 as many as 170 children were having dinners and the room was too crowded. Midday meals continued to be provided after the war.

Eventually, on 8^th May 1945, Mr. Round wrote ‘On this day, called VE Day, a public holiday was declared to celebrate Victory in Europe’. The Second World War was over.