School Days

At five years of age I started Primary School. Children went alone each day, there being no danger in those peaceful days, either from traffic or people. We all came home at midday, except for those who lived a few miles away; they brought their own food and ate it in the school porch and drank cold water from the tap. Each child took 'school pence' on a Monday morning, infants taking one pence and older scholars two pence. I don't know how the money was used as by then education was free.

School was closed at four o'clock in the afternoon, and in winter it was often quite dark; I loved to stop by the smithy and watch the smith at work. The light from the furnace streamed out through the open door and the sparks flew as the smith struck the hot iron on the anvil and his assistant worked the bellows. Then the flames would flare high and light up the whole interior.

At eleven years of age I attended Southport Girls' High School. That meant walking to Hesketh Bank Station to catch the 8.05 a.m. train. School dinners were not provided, so we took our own sandwiches, and the caretaker would make our cocoa. We could buy a glass of milk at recreation time if we wished.