Schools

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

Filled to capacity on first day

When 240 young children (including pupils from Littleham School closed at the end of last term) walked into Bideford’s new County Junior School off Coronation Road, Bideford, on the first day of term on Tuesday, they entered a £46,000 building which is said to be one of the most advanced in design in the country.

In the past this junior school, whose pupils are 7-11, occupied ground floor rooms of Bideford (Geneva) school with the Secondary Modern School in the remainder.

‘The complications that arise from that sort of arrangement are now non-existent as we are completely self-contained’ said the headmaster, Mr L J Stanbury.

The new junior school will be officially opened on November 5th by Mrs S M Prior-Palmer, of Worthing, a member of the Association of Education Committees and vice-chairman of the West Susses Education Committee. Her husband is MP for Worthing.

The full Gazette article is dated 12 September 1958

Polley Family Link With BGS For 18 Years

A notable family association with Bideford Grammar School, stretching over the past 18 years, ended when the school broke up for its summer vacation.

The family is that of Mr and Mrs George Polley, 8 Kenwith Terrace, Northam Road, Bideford, who have three sons and two daughters. Since 1945 there had been a Polley on the register at the Grammar School.

All three sons – Michael, John and Robin – took a leading part in all spheres of school life and their schooldays seemed to follow a similar prominent pattern.

Mr and Mrs Polley’s daughters are Ann, who is married to a university lecturer and also lives in Canada, and Janet, who is shortly to join her sister in Canada. By coincidence, Shebbear College has just broken a very similar link lasting 19 years with the departure of the last of the four Venner brothers.

The eldest of the brothers, Robert, joined the school in 1944. Now aged 30 he farms at Tiverton. Next to join was Norman, now 24 and a public health official with Northam Council. Then came Colin, now 22, and a trainee-auctioneer at Taunton. The last in the line, 17 year old Alan, was presented with a Methodist hymn book when the term ended to mark the long association between the brothers and the school.

The full Gazette article is dated 9 August 1963

Langtree School

Hardly a popular pastime during disappointing holiday weather

but it provides these children of Langtree School with an instructive hobby.

At noon every day during term time, the children take it in turns to note the rainfall and the maximum and minimum temperatures. Both rain gauge and thermometer were obtained only about a month ago and it is hoped to chart the individual recordings for each month.

Says Mr. R. A. Yeo Jenn, the Headmaster, "The children are always very enthusiastic about this task, which is very pleasing.”

As can be seen from the photograph – which, incidentally, was taken on the last day of the summer term – the amount of rain in the gauge is a typical example of what July brought.

The children are (left to right): Shirley Curtis, John Gerry, Robert Fisher, Susan Less, Pamela Ford and Patsy Sutton.