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Chesham Stories

Gwenyth Hill - Newton Infants' School Boys and Girls, summer 1938 to summer 1941

I attended Newtown Infants' School from the age of five to eight years. I remember I missed the beginning of my first term in the summer of 1938 as I had had whooping cough. Boys sat on the window side of the classroom and the girls on the door side. We had separate entrance doors to the school.

My first and last teacher was Mrs Ivory who lived, I believe, in Stanley Avenue at the house name Yrovi; and we were told off if we referred to it as 'Ivory backwards'. She taught us well, a strong discipliniarian. I recall being extremely frightened when she threatened to cut off our tongues for talking, holding a pair of scissors as she spoke.

Miss Holt was my second teacher, a very kindly lady. She lodged in Bellingdon Road with Miss Leach, nearly opposite the top of Townsend Road. While in her class we had a student teacher who taught us how to draw a daffodil. It was the time when there was emergency one year teacher training. The headmistress, Miss Gaudi I think, was very remote and to be awed.

Toilets were outside between the two playgrounds. They had a large space above and below the doors. I was forbidden to use them by my mother but we did go home for dinner and there was no midmorning drink!

My favourite lesson was 'music and movement' in the hall with the radio programme by Ann Driver. I remember walking round an imaginary pool looking at the fish.

John Slatter, chairman of Chesham and District Gardeners' Group, was in my class, as was Alan Branigan. I sat behind Sheila Sanders at one time. She had long dark ringlets of hair which I liked to put a finger up inside. I also remember the Care family of Pond Park, lots of them, and we used to take them outgrown clothing. My best friend Sheila Brandon also lived up Pond Park.

We were encouraged to take money for National Savings stamps every Monday (and we picked rose hips to be made into rose hip syrup, although I think this may have been when I was older). I remember having our gas masks fitted and carrying mine daily in its cardboard box in a special plastic shoulder bag. We used to check the red pillar boxes in case they changed to green, indicating gas in the atmosphere. I was seven or eight years old at the time.

There was always plenty of time. I walked from Newtown School to Lowndes Avenue home for dinner every day and back to school. We would linger by the Cemetery gate to collect ladybirds from the stinging nettles which grew in a corner by the seat where old men sat in the sun.

In Sunnyside Road was a factory backing on to the cemetery where 'whistle while you work' type music issued from the open windows, a sound new to me.

Gwenyth Hill (née East)

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