History of the School - 1939-1949

Preparing for War

In 1939 the log contained several entries concerning the children's preparation for war. They practised their air raid and gas mask drill, and "the formation of 1ines, and getting to the trench." After the outbreak of war several evacuees were taken in from other schools and makeshift classrooms were provided by curtaining off areas. It must have been very crowded, because by 1941 the school contained 103 children with seating for only 76. Some sat on boxes, and others shared desks in threes. For the next two years an extra classroom was provided in the Meon Hut in the High Street.

In January 1944 the older children took the 11-Plus, brought in under the new Education Act. It was at Easter this year that Mrs Smith concluded 11 years as head teacher, to be replaced temporarily by Helen Mather. Betty Rogers took over in October. Clearly keen on physical education, she ordered hoops, and bats and balls for rounders. She also introduced school dinners, which were cooked in a canteen in Hambledon, and she wrote that "the children thoroughly enjoyed the meal, everything being completely eaten up".

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Mrs A Bide
Eastleigh

 

My memories of Meonstoke School:
. . . Very sharp flint. walls waiting to be fallen against.
. . . Learning to write with chalk and slates when we first started school..
. . . Filling up inkwells and using school pens - why did my pen nibs always cross?
. . . Learning the alphabet and tables parrot-fashion - still remembered now.
. . . Outdoor toilets (bucket type) situated half way up the playground.

. . . Wonderful nature walks, we'd find all sorts of things.

. . . Having to wear layers, i.e. vests, liberty bodices and thick tights or leggings in the winter as the school was so cold.. There was one black stove in the centre of each of the two classrooms. Those who sat near it nearly roasted to death, but more than a couple of feet away you froze. There was no happy medium.

. . . Saving at school with the post office. We would take our 3d or 6d in a little purse or matchbox to buy savings stamps which were then stuck in a special book. The excitement. when the book was full, knowing how rich you were. You owned a whole five shillings (25p) !

I look forward to revisiting the school during the Celebrations.

Yours sincerely,
Anne Bide (Mrs.), née Higgins, formerly of Frys Lane, Meonstoke
(pupil 1947 to 1951)

Off on a nature walk in 1948

This picture was provided by Anne Bide, who is the girl in the bonnet to the left of the centre post. Her brother, George, is second from the right.

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Lessons were becoming more lively with talks by visiting speakers. Canon Etheridge spoke on the history of the railways; a Canadian exchange teacher called Miss Makepiece spoke about her country; and Miss Murray, who had been an assistant teacher, returned to talk to the children about bird life.

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Mrs Barbara Collins
Down End
Fareham
Hants.

I was a pupil from 1937 to 1947 (as was my brother ten years previously , and my mother and grandparents also). As I became more senior I used to be enlisted to teach the younger ones to read. At the same time I was also a Sunday School teacher, teaching Susie Merritt (now the school secretary Mrs Burt), Sue Chase, Geoff Biggs, etc. My memories of this period of my life are very happy ones and I am happy to still be in touch with old school friends, usually meeting them at "The Meet" On Boxing Day when we all have a get-together.

Yours sincerely

B G Collins (Mrs), née Coward
(pupil 1937 to 1947)

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An Inspector's report concluded that this was a "very happy school" and praised the sound teaching.

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Gerald Wakelin
London

Ours was a small world: two teachers, two classrooms, two cloakrooms, and two toilets across the far side of the playground. The little ones' classroom had a piano in it, and we gathered in this room for assembly each morning. There was a flimsy partition separating the two rooms but we seemed not to disturb one another very much, even though dancing featured regularly on the little ones' timetable. It was a means of exercising us, I guess.

The form of exercise I liked very much was the Nature Walk. Usually we would set off through the allotment adjacent to the school and head for the wooded walk running alongside the railway line, sometimes venturing as far as the Beech Walks. One of the best bits came at the beginning of the walk when we passed - or if very brave ran through - the aid raid shelter. This was sunk about ten feet in the ground with a corrugated iron roof, and was dark in the middle. We used to invent stories about horrible things that might be found there.

On really hot summer days our Nature Walk would take us over the field to theriver where we paddled and lazed while we were told the names of flowers and plants. Sometimes we drew.

There was no piped water and twice a day lads from the big ones' class used to fetch a pail of water from one of the houses at the end of the school lane. We queued for a drink. 'Sip it slowly, it's more refreshing.' we were told.

I remember when there were evacuees from London attending the school they took a swig and then emptied the excess back into the pail.. The teacher told us not to attack them far this 'dirty habit.' 'They are used to a tap,' she said kindly. The evacuee kids exchanged looks, and one of them said, 'Well you can't put the water back in the tap.'

Once a week the vicar came to give us a Scripture lesson and sometimes we visited one of the churches as part of a history lesson, as well as for a religious service.. I remember my pride when, in Corhampton Church, I spotted a spelling mistake on a plaque by the door . . . it must still be there.

The classrooms had wooden boxes on the inside walls which covered ventilation slits; from outside there was just a narrow crack in the wall. If you put your mouth to one of these and spoke, your voice was wonderfully magnified and hollow sounding. One boy spoke into the ventilator to say something VERY RUDE about the teacher and we all looked up, amazed at his audacity. But the teacher was out of her desk and into the playground in a flash and we hoisted ourselves upon the cupboards to watch her chase through the hawthorn tree in the far corner and give him a cuff round the ear.

Those were the days when it was debated whether Just William was harmful to young listeners. Standing and waiting for our books to be corrected we wondered if 'The Government' was going to take it off the air. Thinking of the controversial programmes of these days makes me realise what a long time has passed and how much things have changed since I was a pupil at Meonstoke School.

 

Good luck with the Celebrations.
Yours sincerely

Gerald Wakelin
(pupil 1945 to 1951)