Boys School Log (1910-1919)
Post date: Nov 15, 2014 1:38:43 PM
Held at Wateringbury school there are handwritten logs maintained by the three Wateringbury Schools, Boys, Girls and Infants. There follows selected extracts from the Boys School log.
1910
Apr 19th: School closed in the afternoon to allow boys who belonged to the W-bury Troop of B.P. Scouts to attend an inspection by Gen. Sir R. Baden-Powell at Gillingham.
May 3rd & 4th: The school was closed for two days so as to allow boys to enter competitions at Sevenoaks in connection with the West Kent Musical Festival.
31st : Mr T. Brocklebank (Wateringbury Place) visited the school in the afternoon.
July 6th: Had to complain to Mr. Oliver (assistant) of his striking boys with a pointer.
18th: School closed today on account of the Church Choir Annual Excursion.
Aug 1st: Bank holiday. School closed. The village flower show was held today & the boys who have school gardens won the following prizes:- Prizes (given by R.H. Fremlin) for best cropped school gardens: 1st Arthur Hollands; 2nd Edward Underhill; 3rd Wm. Humphrey; 4th H. Whiffen; 5th J. Horscroft.
Dec 8th: I (the Headmaster) was unable to continue work on School. The doctor orders complete rest. School is being carried on by my sister and Mr. Oliver (assistants).
23rd: Rev. Hailey attended & presented the following prizes:- Victoria Memorial essay prize to Neville Smith. Headmasters prize to Jack Horscroft. Drawing prizes to Wm. Humphrey 7 Abe Martin. W.O.B.S. prizes to Jack Horscroft & Arthur Hollands (form VII Upper) Wm Humphrey & Chas Butcher (form VI). Bertie Pickett & Sidney Dumbrill (form V). Reggie Rogers (form IV). David Wickes ( form III). Bertie Cronk (form II). Archie Bateman (form I).
1911
Jan 9th: School re-opened . The headmaster still unable to be present so School was carried on as before Xmas.
Mar 3rd:School seems to be going on satisfactorily in my absence. I visit (the headmaster) visit at least once a day & if necessary punish any very bad boys.
Apr 10th: I (headmaster) returned to duty this morning.
May 1st: Mrs Batten came to school to complain about her son Arthur being punished for misbehaviour. This mother has been a great nuisance in coming to the school with trivial complaints. I had to order her away from the school.
2nd: school closed today so that boys might enter for West Kent Musical Festival.
18th: School closed for the Kent Music Festival at Canterbury.
24th: Empire day.
25th: Ascension day. School closed as usual.
June 22nd: Boys came to school at 10.30 , when Mrs A. Leney unveiled the portrait of the King & Queen presented by the K.E.C. Messrs. A. Baker, A. Leney, T. Brocklebank, Dr. Sanders & many other visitors were present. After the unveiling the children of all 3 departments massed in the boys playground., saluted the flag & sang a Coronation song & National Anthem. Speeches were made by Messrs. Brocklebank, Leney & Baker. Before the commencement of the proceedings in School, Mr. Baker planted an oak & a chestnut tree in the boys garden; the band playing the National Anthem & the boys cheering. At the conclusion of the proceedings the children with the 1st W-bury troop of Boy Scouts & the Drum, Fife & Bugle band marched to the Parish Church to attend the special service there held. A week’s holiday was granted.
July 4th: 5 boys absent today to attend King’s Rally of Boy Scouts at Windsor. They were A. Hollands, B. Pickett, H. Yendall, R. Rogers & P. Fuller.
August 3rd: Mr. George Newman, who last attended this school as a boy on April 6th 1849 (over 62 years ago) visited the school again today. The headmaster was absent from school part of the afternoon in order to go with Mr. Newman to visit his old home. Mr. Newman’s photo hangs on the school walls.
Nov 16th: A boy (Jas. Lambert) ran out of the playground where he was drilling because Mr. Leonard (assistant) struck him on the head.
Dec 21st: The Rev, G.M. Livett attended in the afternoon & presented the following prizes. Given by W.O.B.S. Form VI W. Humphrey, W. Milsted, B. Pickett, S. Dunbrell, P. Ashlee. Form V R.Rogers. Form IV W.Wolfe. Form III E.Bell, C. Horscroft. Form II G. Ralph. Form I C. Curd. …Headmaster’s prize to A. Hollands.
1912
March 23rd: Clay modelling with plasticene has been introduced into the upper division this month. Later card-board modelling will take its place.
Apr 3rd: [K.E.C. attendance medals]
May 7th: School closed all day to allow boys to enter the West Kent Musical festival at Sevenoaks.
13th: [as in previous years a very extensive report on school’s singing, notably much more extensive than reports on academic or scriptural progress].
24th: Empire Day: No special ceremony as the flagstaff line was broken. Boys sung the National anthem. School closed at 4.00 p.m.
June 5th: Dr. Roberts, Medical officer, visited on account of measles. Out of a total of 79 on books only 61 present, almost all absences being through measles.
August 29th: The Victoria memorial essay Prize for this year won by Arthur Hollands was presented to the winner by the headmaster, Mr. Edgar A. Smith A.C.P. School closed at 4.00 p.m. for the hop picking holidays.
Oct 14th: School re-opened. An extra week’s holiday was caused by the building operations in connection with the Girls & Infants depart. Which operations are still going on.
Dec 20th: W.O.B.S. Prizes: P. Ashbee, B. Pickett, S. Dumbrell, Alb. Gibbons, S. Lambert, G. Travers, E. Bell, J. Fullager…… Popular boy (given by boys) divided between B. Pickett & P. Ashbee.
1913
Mar 31st: School re-opened. Boys came up from the Infants Dept. making a total of 89 on registers. During the last year the number on books has been below the average mainly owing to so many boys having an Exemption Certificate.
May 7th: School closed today to allow some 20 boys & teachers to attend the West Kent Music Festival at Tonbridge.
Oct 6th: School re-opened one week later than was intended owing to late hop picking & work at schools not being finished in time to open before.
Dec 11th: School closed this afternoon owing to a wedding for which Choristers were required.
1914
Feb 9th: Dr. Roberts (Sch. Medical officer) attended in the afternoon & medically examined 17 boys. The Village Nurse (Miss ? Read) also attended.
5 August: From this day onward during the week a few Boy Scouts have been allowed to come to School half an hour late & others to leave half an hour earlier than usual so as to relieve other boys who are on duty guarding telegraph wires.
27 August: Hop-picking holidays commenced today.
28 September: School re-opened.
29 September: Received a letter from Mr. Bishop [assistant] stating that he would not be able to return to school at present as he had joined the New Army.
16 October: Dr. Roberts (School Medical Officer) called this afternoon with reference to cases of Scarlet Fever1 at Latter’s Buildings6. He suggested that boys from the block of buildings in which children with Scarlet Fever were living should be kept away for a week or ten days.
16 November: Admitted a Belgian boy named Soudant2.
23 December: School closed this afternoon for Christmas holidays. Mrs G.M. Livett12 (& other ladies and gentlemen) visited and presented prize cards instead of prizes to the winners who gave up the value of their prizes to the National Relief Fund.
1915
11 January: School reopened.
2 February: The following is the report on above [Diocesan Scripture Examination] Examination. Mr Daniels reports : “ I examined the Boys department of this school & feel that in the first place a special word of praise is due to the teaching staff , in spite of being short-handed for several weeks the teaching and discipline are very good & the knowledge shown by all the standards is excellent.
25 February: A large number of soldiers passed through the village this morning. Boys were marched down to the street corner to see them; they and the troops were equally well pleased.
31st April: In the afternoon Mr. Chas. Harvey, a lecturer from the Band of Hope Union for Kent visited and gave a lesson on Temperance, taking no 1 (Eating & Drinking) of the Board of education Syllabus.
21st May: Celebrated Empire Day7 by gathering all Depts in the Boys’ playground and by singing the National Anthem and the Imperial Hymn, also by hoisting & saluting the flag.
22 July: In the afternoon the new bridge over the Medway4 was opened by Mr. George Marsham & the schools were closed so that the children might attend the ceremony. The boys assisted by leading the singing in “God Save the King” & the Russian National Anthem.
31 August: School closed for hop-picking holidays.
4 October: School re-opened. Owing to lighting regulation the use of gas by the ?cleaner? being forbidden, afternoon school will close at a quarter to four during the next few months.
5 November: Staff & boys collected towards a wreath to be sent to the funeral of Mr. A. Leney , formerly a manager of the school.
1916
20 January: A few prizes presented by the headmaster & staff , together with cards given by the W.O.B.S.13 instead of prizes (the boys having given the money to a fund to send presents to old boys serving in H.M. Forces ) were given today.
1 March: The Boys held a Handwork Exhibition this evening at the Church Rooms & it was quite successful. By sale of work done a sum of 15 shillings was raised for Blind Soldiers Fund.
30 March: Boys & staff subscribe & send a wreath to funeral of Mr. R.H. Fremlin. Headmaster & 12 boys absent for a short time to attend funeral.
3 April: Infants dept. sent up 14 boys today. Total on register now 103, all were present during the week on some days.
6 April: Mr. Harvey gave a lecture on “Temperance” to the senior boys in the afternoon. Time-table altered for the occasion.
19 May: School closed for Easter holidays
1st May: School re-opened. The following is a list of boys who received K.E.C. medals or bars for perfect attendance: C. Horscroft, F. Travers, B. Cronk, A. Maytum, C. Wells, B. Butchers, L. May, A. Wolfe, F. Skinner, G. Ralph, C. Crayford, I. Lambert, Cy Lambert, L. French & Hy. Luck (15). The following received certificates only: C. Brenif, A. Newick, J. Rye, A. Waghorn, W. Crampton, J. Bell, J. Wells, Ed Bell, A. May, E. Skinner, C. Adams, H. Underhill, A. Jukes, S. Martin, E. Waghorn, H. Smith, Wm. Stow, R. Huggett, J. Snelling (19). Total of 34 boys.
15 May: Mr. Chatfield (attendance officer) visited.
24 May: Empire Day celebration at 2 o’clock in the Boys playground, by the children of all three departments. Visitors were invited , & Messrs A. Baker, A. Lambert & Warburton spoke to the children. A programme of patriotic songs , National Anthems & recitations was gone through after the saluting of the flag.
1st June: Ascension Day. Children went to church. School not open at all during the day.
12 June: School as usual as Bank Holiday has been cancelled.
23 June: School closed for a week for fruit picking instead of Whitsuntide.
3 July: School reopened.
10 July: An Entertainment consisting of Drill, Songs & recitations was given in the afternoon by all three depts. In aid of Belgian Relief Fund for children. Unfortunately, directly after the Boys had commenced their drills a heavy rainstorm came on & all had to go in school where the programme was carried out separately in the different schools. A sum of £2. 2. 8 was collected.
26 July: Mr Chatfield, Attendance Officer, visited this morning.
3 August: School closed all day for choir excursion.
25 August: School closed for the Hop-picking holidays.
2 October: School re-opened. Three boys left for Secondary schools, viz. S. Martin, J. Freeman, & Wm Stow, the last named having won a County scholarship to Maidstone Grammar School.
30 October: Commencing from today afternoon school will close at 3.45 instead of 4 o’clock to allow the cleaner time to sweep before dark.
1 November: Mr. Chatfield (Attendance Officer) visited.
21 December: School closed at 4 p.m. for Christmas Holidays. A few prizes were given by the school staff to the following boys ………….The W.bury Old Boys Society gave £1 for prizes, but the boys returned it to the Society to help pay for presents for old boys serving in H.M. Forces. The following boys would have had such prizes & were given a small consolation prize by the headmaster….
1917
8 January: School re-opened.
25 January: Diocesan scripture exams.
31 January: The following is a copy of the Scripture Exams report:- I inspected the School in two groups. ….(1)The lads answer brightly & intelligently & are able to illustrate religious & moral truths from the Bible narratives that have been studied. This is an important matter & must continue to be an integral part of the lesson. (2) Upper Div. there is evidence of sound & ????? teaching in this divn. Circumstances have prevented some parts of the syllabus from receiving as much attention as was desirable, but the work as a whole is good & well connected. The lads are undoubtedly above the average in thoughtfulness, responding most readily to demands upon their intelligence. The instruction has evidently been stimulating & has appealed to them. (signed) H.F. Powell.
9 February: Bad weather snow & severe frost have made attendance low this week & has prevented drill from being taken.
19 February: Mr. Chatfield (attendance officer) visited.
21 February: Ash Wednesday therefore boys attended Church at 9 o'clock. Registers were marked at 9.40
19 March: School closed today with consent of managers to enable boys to clear the poles from a hop-garden so that a food crop could be planted. Some 60 boys worked all day under the superintendence of the Headmaster & staff.
20 April: Secular work commenced at 9 o’clock with Scripture lesson changed to 11.15 a.m. so that the older boys could attend a church service to celebrate the entry of America into the war.
29 June: Mr. Chatfield (attendance Officer) visited in afternoon.
6 July: Mrs. Taylor (attendance officer) made her first visit this morning.
12 July: Mrs Taylor visited again.
19 July: Mrs Taylor (attendance officer) visited.
25 July: School closed all day, owing to Church Choir Excursion to Folkestone.
30 July: Mrs Taylor (Attendance Officer) visited in afternoon.
2 August: Punished Ben C.... & Hy. W..... for making indecent drawings in School. Another boy named ????? who has just left the school has also been doing this sort of thing it appears. Also several other boys have been getting into a habit of indecent talk. So far as I can trace it the three boys mentioned above have been the chief authors of this; although I cannot excuse some other Form VI boys for listening to such talk without trying to stop it.
22 August: School closed for hop-picking holidays.
1 October: School re-opened.
3 October: Mrs Taylor (attendance officer) visited.
10, 16 and 22 October: ditto.
26 October: Two tons five cwt. of coal delivered by Messrs Walker & Shepherd.
5 November: 13 cwts. of Horse Chestnuts collected by the boys were called for and taken away15.
10 December: The School War Memorial14 (subscribed for by Managers, Staff, Boys, members of W.O.B.S. & other friends) was unveiled by Mrs. Livett 12(in place of Mr. H. Hanner K.E.C. who was unavoidably prevented from coming at the last moment) who was accompanied by the Rev. Canon Livett (Ch. of Managers). Mr. A. Baker also attended & some few other visitors. Before the ceremony took place at 11 a.m. a short programme of music was gone through by the boys. Scouts & Cubs16 attended in uniform. The Memorial holds the names of some 200 ‘old boys’ who are (or have been) in H.M. Forces during this war. No less than 26 have been killed. Mr. H. Green work the names for this Memorial. Mr. H. French gilded the inscription at the head & Mr. W. Curd placed the oak supports in the wall free of all charge.
1918
23 January: School closed for the afternoon on the occasion of a pantomime given by Scouts & Wolf Cubs (some 25 to 30 in number) in aid of their ??????? & V.A.D. Hospital11.
12 April: The total on registers this week is 105; the highest on record.
14 June: School closed owing to Headmaster’s absence for purposes of Army medical inspection.
21 June: School closed for a week’s holiday instead of Whitsuntide.
1 July: School re-opened. 2nd Lt Jack Horscroft5 (who has won the M.C.) visited the school this morning.
16 July: A boy named Wm. Couchman8 (a scholar of this school) was buried today. Five boys were allowed half-an-hours leave to attend as bearers & take a wreath from the school.
5 August: Bad attendance in the Lower division this week, owing to bad colds & influenza9.
22 October: Mrs Stanley absent today owing to influenza.
24 October: The headmaster not being well & one assistant absent with influenza , the vicar advised that the school close for the rest of the week. About 20 boys also absent, many for influenza.
28 October: School re-opened at 9 o’clock . Only 61 boys present out of 93. Communicated with the correspondent, who gave orders for the school to close. Later the school medical officer agreed to closure of school for one week10.
4 November: School re-opened . 76 boys present out of 93.
11 November: Received news of the signing of the Armistice about 11.30. Therefore arranged with Girls & infant staff that all children should march to the street cross-roads at 12 o’clock to sing the National Anthem. This was done & the Chairman of the Managers (Canon Livett) gave permission for the schools to close for the afternoon.
21 November: Two tons of coal delivered from Maidstone.
16 December: 3 tons 8 cwts. of coal delivered from K.E.C.
1919
17 January: Cpl Norman Latter, an old boy, who has been a prisoner of war in Germany for 8? Months visited the school this afternoon.
21 January: Another ‘old boy’, Herbert King, who had been a prisoner of war in Germany visited today.
3 February: received notice that Mr. F. M. Bishop who has been on military service has resigned his post of assistant master in this school.
21 February: The headmaster left half an hour earlier this morning to attend Memorial Service for Mr. T. Brocklebank. A few choristers left at a quarter to 12 o’clock for the same purpose.
7 April: boys’ dept closed for the day as the school was required for a Parish council election.
28 April: School re-opened. Very small attendance owing to heavy snowstorm.
18 July: School closed all day for Peace Celebration. The actual Celebration will be held in the morrow July 19th.
13 August: School closed all day on account of a Peace Pageant which was being performed in the vicarage garden & in which many of the children, especially the girls, were taking part.
20 August: School closed at 4 o’clock for Hop-picking Holidays & an extra week given to celebrate peace. On the evening before this day a Sports Meeting was held by the boys in W.bury Park, when some excellent running & jumping was seen.
11 November: Armistice day3 . All children gathered in the Girls Playground, sang a Hymn & Kipling’s “Lest we forget”. Scout buglars then sounded “The Last Post”after which silence was observed for two minutes, according to the King’s wish.
27 November: Mr. Wm. Waterman (an old boy of the school) and his son visited the school; also Mr. Hamshire (an old assistant master). They attended the Old Boys Society Dinner on the previous evening at which the “old boys” who served in H.M. Forces during the war attended as guests. A total of 88 attended.
Notes
1. For more about scarlet fever see Diptheria Case 1914.
2. For more about Belgian refugees in Kent see Belgian refugees (1914) and in Wateringbury see Various War Notes (1914).
3. This was the first time that two minutes silence (often known as The Great Silence) was observed nationally. The unknown soldier was interred in Westminster Abbey a year later.
4. For more about the opening of the new (i.e. current) Wateringbury Bridge see Russian national anthem marks opening of Bow Bridge.
5. Several Horscrofts attended the school. Jack is known to have won a school prize in 1911 (see One Hundred Years Ago Feb 1912); he became a life member of Wateringbury Old Boys Society (see Waterngbury Old Boys A.G.M.); he is listed as having served and survived the war on the School War Memorial.
6. For more about Latters Buildings see Latter's Buildings Bought 1870.
7. Empire day was a major event at this time in national and village life. See Empire Day (1906) and Empire Day (1908)
8. William James Couchman died on 10th July aged 11 years. He is burial no 625 in the Burial Book.
9. The 1918/19 influenza pandemic was world-wide causing 50-100 million deaths. In UK there were 250, 000 deaths covering every part of UK. The epidemic struck in 3 waves: spring 1918; autumn 1918 (the most lethal of 3 waves) and spring 1919. Unlike previous (or subsequent) flu epidemics mortality was concentrated (for reasons still not understood) on those in age range 25-30 with fewest amongst those of school age.
10.The decision whether to close schools during the flu pandemic was left as a local decision rather than taken nationally.
11. V.A.D.= Voluntary Aid Detachment. There were many VAD hospitals in Kent during WW1 (closest county to western front) and a list can be seen at http://www.kentvad.org/. The nearest was Barham Court at Teston, run by Colonel Warde, and various articles about its use during WW1 can be found on this site (e.g. see J.G.Stenett's war memoirs, 1914). There was another at Malling House on Town Hill lent by Mr. Percy Nevill run by Mrs. Wingfield-Stratford with 50 patients in 8 wards in September 1915 (source: West Malling & The Great War by Ron Martin.)
12. Mrs Livett was the vicar's wife.
13. W.O.B.S. =Wateringbury Old Boys Society.
14. The School War Memorial was unveiled a year before WW1 actually ended. By the end of the war the number of deaths recorded was 10 more (36) and it records 211 men as having served. The Board was removed when the school was demolished in 1976 and now hangs in the Church vestry.
15. From IWM web-site: The propellant cordite was an essential component of ammunition during the First World War, and the solvent acetone was used in its manufacture. Acetone was usually distilled from wood, and was mainly produced by the great timber-growing countries. Before the war, most of the acetone used in Britain was imported from the United States. By August 1914, it was apparent that the stocks of acetone available in Britain would not meet the rapidly-growing demand. Acetone could also be produced from potatoes and maize, and new factories were built to do this. By 1917, however, the German submarine offensive threatened to cut off supplies of North American maize. Experiments at a King's Lynn factory to find a substitute resulted in the discovery that horse chestnuts could be used. The Ministry of Munitions began to collect the 1917 horse chestnut "harvest", and enlisted the help of schoolchildren. Vast quantities were collected, but only 3,000 tons reached the factory - collection was hampered by transport difficulties, and piles of horse chestnuts rotted at railway stations. Nobody really knew why they were collecting horse chestnuts - the government was secretive about its motive because the Germans could easily copy this novel form of acetone production. A question was asked in the House of Commons, but it was simply stated that they were required for "certain purposes". This veil of secrecy even brought accusations that voluntary effort was being used to provide personal profit. After initial difficulties, acetone production began at King's Lynn in April 1918, but the horse chestnuts were of poor quality and production stopped again three months later. The autumn of 1917, however, is still remembered as the time when conkers were collected for the Ministry of Munitions.
16. Wolf Cubs: Cubs had only just been established at this time. Early in the development of the Scouting movement, there was a need for provision for those too young to join the Boy Scouts at the age of 11. Robert Baden-Powellpublished a first draft of a scheme for "Junior Scouts" in 1913, followed by a more detailed outline for "Wolf Cubs or Young Scouts" in January 1914. The finalised programme for 8- to 10-year-old boys was launched at a special conference on 24 June 1916, by which time it had been themed around the Jungle Book written by Baden-Powell's friend and neighbour, Rudyard Kipling; the boys representing the cubs in the Mowgli stories and the leaders being known by the names of the major characters. Each meeting was to start and finish with the "Grand Howl", a ceremony in which the Cubs greeted Akela, the Pack's leader. Baden-Powell also wrote The Wolf Cub's Handbook which was published in December of the same year (source :Wikipedia article .