Ex-Pupils and Teachers Mark 100th Birthday
Posted on: Friday, 28 March 2008, 02:00 CDT
By Alice Wright
Generations of pupils and teachers celebrated a century's worth of memories as a school marked its 100th birthday.
Ladysmith Infant School in Exeter provided a nostalgic afternoon for the many people who remember their days there by opening a centenary exhibition charting its long history.
Thousands of Exeter children have been educated at the school since it opened on February 29, 1908, and many visited an exhibition on Tuesday to reminisce about schooldays. The exhibition, called 100 Years of Ladysmith - the Story of an Exeter School, includes photos and memories from past pupils and staff and runs until tomorrow.
The school was opened by Lord Clifford and was originally named Heavitree County School, as it was run by the county council.
However, locals always knew it as the Ladysmith Road School and the school was officially renamed "Ladysmith" in 1914.
There were 85 girls and 85 mixed infant children in the original school building when it first opened under the care of its founding headmistress, Mary Bidwell.
Later, another building was put up and two entirely separate schools were established.
The two world wars took their toll on the infant school. One teacher died in Mesopotamia in 1916 and, in April, 1942, a Miss Williams and Miss Nodder lost their lives in the air attack on the city of Exeter, when the school was also bombed.
The children decamped to St Mark's Hall, where they were taught by supply teachers until temporary buildings were erected. These "temporary" buildings were finally replaced in 1996, but the children still eat their lunch in the British Wartime Feeding Huts.
Former teacher Mrs Elizabeth McGill said Tuesday's celebration had been a great success, with many former pupils and teachers returning to celebrate the school's centenary and contribute their own memories.
Current pupils entertained guests with an African drumming performance.
Mrs McGill worked at the school between 1974 and 1996 and was the Information and Communications Technologies co-ordinator. She remembered the school getting its first computer from the Government in 1984 - now it has an entire computer suite.
The school's exhibition opened to the public yesterday and is open today from 2pm to 4pm and tomorrow from 2pm to 6pm
The school is also building a website with everyone's memories of their time at Ladysmith, and it is still collecting stories. The address is www.ladysmithcentenary.co.uk and contributions can be e- mailed to ladysmithcentenary@ yahoo. co. uk
(c) 2008 Western Morning News, The Plymouth (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Western Morning News, The Plymouth (UK)
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