WATERINGBURY INFANTS SCHOOL LOG (1914-1922)
Post date: Nov 17, 2014 11:55:9 AM
WATERINGBURY INFANTS SCHOOL LOG
The Infants school log is kept at Wateringbury School. It is a very detailed log and the following are selected extracts focusing on war and influenza related issues. Its style and content is very different from the Boys school log. The common diseases referred to are: scarlet fever, diptheria, measles, whooping cough, ringworm, impetigo and abcesses.
5th Jan 1914: Re-opened school this morning. An assistant has not yet been appointed.
8th Jan: Attendance has been very poor all the week. Millie Long absent with scarlet fever. Nellie & Percy Smith absent as their brother has scarlet fever & Leo May absent as his sister has scarlet fever.
14 Jan:Dr Robert, Medical Officer of Health visited to see if there were any suspicious case of scarlet fever. There were not any.
21 Jan: Nellie Smith has scarlet fever.
2nd Feb: Copy of Diocesan Report:-
“Mr. Marland reports: Classes 2&3 . The children of these classes were bright, attentive & intelligent. The answers were clear & correct & readily given. Class 1 . This is a good class with all its work satisfactorily done. Signed H. J. Powell”.
9th Feb: admitted two young children (aged 3 years) as their mothers will soon be going out to work.
Copy of H.M.I’s Report: “ Infants Dept. The premises have been vastly improved by recent alterations & a rather higher standard both in responsiveness & attainments may now be expected. Signed J.G. Stobart”.
Percy Smith has returned to school after an absence of 6 weeks through his brother & sister having scarlet fever.
23 Feb: Bertie ? Wolfe ? absent with scarlet fever; also Arthur is absent in consequence.
3 Apr: Mrs Morris still absent. Several children absent with influenza.
6 Apr: Mistress absent all week with Influenza.
8 May: Admitted several babies as their mothers are going to work in the fields.
13 May: Admitted Alfred Rogers being unaware that he was suffering from Mumps. Six children have taken the contagion.
18 June: sent Blanche Brooker home as Dr. Roberts thought she was likely to have diphtheria.
3 July: closed school for a week in consequence of the boys going to Scouts Camp.
24 July: attendance not so good as several children are away at the seaside.
4 August: attendance very poor in the morning . Several children too tired to get up after going to the Flower Show on Monday.
12 August: Frank Curd withdrawn from school as his sister has diphtheria.
14 Aug: Girls are hemming triangular bandages for the hospital for wounded soldiers in the war with Germany.
21 Aug: Children were taken into the playground to look at the eclipse through coloured glass & a pail of water.
2nd Oct: Bernard Lambert absent through his brothers having diphtheria & scarlet fever.
13th Oct: Leonard Sloman withdrawn as his sister has scarlet fever. Blanche Brooker has scarlet fever.
19th Oct: Dr. Roberts has excluded all children from Latters Buildings except those who have had scarlet fever.
20th Oct: the monitor (G. Cole) has also been excluded as the children living next door to her have the fever.
30th Oct: Boys have been cutting up pieces of cloth to make pillows for wounded soldiers.
3 November: In Kindergaten lesson 1st class cut pieces of woollen materials to make pillows for the wounded soldiers1.
4 November: Daisy Hornden returned to school; her head was too dirty to allow her to stay. She has now returned to her parents.
10 November: Willie Kirby2 was at school last Monday & died on Saturday with diphtheria. The children subscribed flowers for a wreath for him. Several children have been absent with sore throat3.
12 November: Received a copy of prayers to be used during the war.
13 November: 9 children have been absent all the week.
Av 54.6 PC 844
17 November: Object lesson to 1st class on the Elephant; to 2nd class on the Robin.
18 November: Attendance officer visited. Also Mr. Baker. Dr. Roberts visited to examine children who were suspicious of having diphtheria.5
19 November: Very wet &cold day; snowed very heavily all afternoon. 6 children who went home to dinner did not return.
Av 53.8 P.C. 82.7
24 November: Miss Loveday,H.M.I., visited & stayed all day. Object lesson to 1st class on the Blacksmith; to 2nd on coal.
25 November: two children absent with sore throats
27 November: Poor attendance through sickness & bad weather.
Av. 53.3 P.C. 80.7
30 November: Very boisterous & wet day: attendance 35 & 37.
4 December: Girls hemming petticoats for Belgian refugees.
9 December: Gave the 1st class boys a lesson in knitting. Several took it very well.
18 December: 6 children have been absent all the week through sickness. Blanche Brooker has returned after 9 weeks absence through scarlet fever.
Av. 53 P.C. 85.4
14 Jan 1915: Mistress absent on Thursday & Friday with influenza cold.
19 Jan: Tuesday afternoon 60 present out of 63. 3 children absent with rheumatism.
29 Jan: Attendance has been poor all the week: so many children are suffering with colds & coughs& 4 with rheumatism.
25 Feb: took the children down to the street to see about 3000 soldiers march through on their way to Aldershot.
11 March: Allowed the children to go into the playground to see two air ships that were passing over.
22 March: Readmitted Dorothy Sudds after an absence of 16 months through ringworm in the head aged 6 yrs 9 months.
23 Apr: St George’s Day. At 12 oclock , Boys , Girls & Infants assembled in the playground & sang a special hymn & “God save the King”.
27 Apr: Admitted several children under four years of age as their mothers have gone to outdoor work.
21 May: Friday. As Empire Day falls on Bank Holiday the celebration was held this morning.
25 May: Admitted several children under 4 years of age as their mothers are out at field work.
31 May: Mrs Baker visited in afternoon to be at the presentation of a watch to Gladys Cole. She has been monitor for five years & is leaving this afternoon.
1 June: Helen Horscroft has been appointed by the Managers as monitor at a salary of £5 10s. per annum.
7 June: Six children absent through chicken pox.
14 June: 9 absent with chicken pox.
21 June: several more children absent with chicken pox.
25 June: 27 children absent with chicken pox.
22 July: Thursday afternoon: half holiday was given . children were taken down to the river to see the “opening of the new bridge” by G. Marsham.
26 July: Several children returned after recovering from chicken pox. One fresh case this week.
4 Oct: re-opened school after 4 weeks holiday for hop-picking. Several children have not returned as the hop-picking is not quite finished on some farms.
8 Oct: By order of K.C.C. school is opened & closed earlier, in the afternoon, to enable the caretaker to clean the rooms before “lighting up“ time, as no lights are to be seen after that time by order of the County Council, because of the Zeppelin Raids.
25 Nov: All children present except one (70). Children have subscribed 5s. toward the Soldiers Christmas Gifts.
10th Jan 1916: re-opened School after a fortnight’s holiday. Frank & Harry Curd excluded as their sister has chicken pox.
28 Jan: Several children absent with influenza.
29 Mar: Mistress absent with influenza. School carried on by Miss Bonny (assistant) & monitor.
22 Jun: Helen Horscroft has resigned her position of monitor as she is leaving the district.
18 Jul: Object lesson to 1st class on the elephant. Several elephants passed through the village last week.
11 Aug: George Curd absent with whooping cough.
20 Nov: Monday. Half holiday was given to see the unveiling & dedicating of the War Shrine by the Bishop of Rochester.
15 Dec: Audrey Huggett absent all the week with Influenza.
15 January 1917: Violet Maytum taken to Maidstone Hospital with appendicitis.
21 February: Violet Maytum has returned to school after an absence of 6 weeks.
16 July : Admitted two boys from London who are on a visit to friends in the country to escape the air raids.
11 October: Two boys (visitors) have returned to their homes, London & Mereworth respectively.
2 July 1918: Several children are absent with Influenza.
19 July: Two children absent with Influenza
29 July: 17 children absent on Monday morning most of them suffering with Influenza, others have colds & very bad coughs.
4 December: Sent Gladys Maytum home as she had chicken pox.
20 January 1919: Mistress absent on Monday with Influenza cold.
23 January: Harry Wood has returned after an absence of 3 weeks with Influenza.
26 February: Miss Tipler (Assistant) taken ill & had to go home. Doctor certified it to be Influenza & Pneunomia.
1 March: Miss Tippler died through having pneumonia.
19 July: Saturday. Peace celebration held in the Glebe for all children.
13 August: A whole day’s holiday was given in consequence of a Pageant in which the Infants took part , in aid of War Memorial.
20 August: Closed school for hop-picking holidays. An extra week is to be given, by order of the king, to commemorate the signing of Peace.
11 November: Armistice Anniversary Conversation lesson to both classes on League of Nations Union. At 10.45 the children assembled in the playground sang a hymn & also “Lest we forget”. Two addresses were given, one by Mr. Lambert & the other by Mr. Smith. After the “Last Post “ was sounded by the Boy Scouts, there were two minutes silence, then one verse of “God Save the King” was sung…
13 March 1922: 17 present out of 38. Dr. Greenwood ordered school to be closed for a week for influenza.
20 March: Re-opened school only 23 present. Several children have not sufficiently recovered to return.
24 March: 10 children have been absent all the week with Influenza.
Notes
There were several war hospitals in the vicinity but the closest with which there were close ties was at Barham Court.
William Kirby, aged 3, was buried on 11th November (Parish Magazine December 1914).
Sore throat is one symptom of diphtheria.
Probably attendance figures with PC= percentage.
Diptheria is now very rare in developed countries as a result of innoculation programmes. It is an infectious disease spread by direct physical contact or breathing the aerosolized secretions of infected individuals. Symptons include sore throat and fever which develop 2 to 5 days after infection. Queen Victoria’s daughter, Alice, died of diphtheria in 1878.