Lacey Green School Reunion 2000 leave dates 1949 - 58.

89 former pupils described their time at Lacey Green School in questionnaires at a school reunion organised by the Local History Group in 2000.

For pupils with leave dates from 1922- 1935 click Lacey Green School Reunion 2000.

For pupils with leave dates from 1936- 1948 click Lacey Green School Reunion 2000 leave dates 1936 - 48.

For pupils with leave dates from 1949- 1958 see below

For pupils with leave dates from 1959 -1971 click Lacey Green School Reunion 2000 leave dates 1960 -1971

For pupils with leave dates from 1972 click Lacey Green School Reunion 2000 leave dates from 1972

-

Below are the leavers in 1949 - 1958 they are :-

Pamela Armstrong, Edwin Williams, John Claydon, Dudley Stevens, Dennis Claydon, Nora Smith, Robin Oakford, Daphne Boorman, Joyce Walker, Rosemary Oliver, Andrew Oliver, Marilyn Attridge, Betty Hickman, Jennifer Baker, Maureen Attridge, Dorothy Parslow, Beverley Attridge.

-

1942-1953 Robin Oakford living at Ashlea, Main Road, LG. Head Mrs Guerny with Miss Janes & Miss Jarvis. Vicar- Rev Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. School meals- Yes. Enjoyed- Yes. Free milk- Yes Sports- cricket, football, rounders. My father Ernest Oakford and my mother Rosalind Ginger were at this school.

Additional Information. I now (2000) live at Leaview, Loosley Hill Road, LR

click Oakford for others in this family

-

1943-1949 Pamela Janes living at The Bakery, Main Road LG.

I started school in 1943 and finished in 1949 aged 15. The headmistress was Mrs Guerny with teachers Miss Jarvis and Miss Janes. 20 - 30 in class. Stars given for good work. A cane for punishment.

Additional Information. I have happy memories of dancing round around the Maypole, but most of all my memories are of the nature walks we often walked as far as Smalldean and we were taught all the names of the wild flowers and many other things of nature. In hindsight there was considerable emphasis on this part of our schoolwork.

We spent our playtime playing hop scotch and skipping, the girls were knitting and sewing or doing other crafts.

I can remember the bottle of milk given to us at playtime and in Winter ice had formed on the top, we had much colder Winters in those days but the Summers always seemed to be very hot sunny days and the tarmac on the road would often be sticky so we had to be careful when going indoors.

My unpleasant memories were of the dreaded mobile school dentist arriving, it was a painful experience. I believe he had a treadle operated drill and if we did not make a fuss we were given a liquorice sweet.

When the evacuees arrived from London, it was a big experience for them at such a tiny little country school after a large city school. It was a big experience for us too as they had a totally different outlook and attitude to the teachers, as the Bucks country children seemed more timid to me.

Walking to and from school was normal, four times daily, there were few cars in our village. I can only remember a few, so the roads were much safer, Lacey Green was not on a fast route as it is today as the "New Road" had not been built, cars had to negotiate the sharp beds on the old road and therefore all the traffic was local. Even the bus came from the direction of Hampden along the Pink Road, turned round at the church and went back on to Princes Risborough. We were given the freedom to venture in those days everywhere as a much safer place to be.

click Janes for others in this family. Sidney & Florence Janes for more of Pamela's childhood at the bakehouse. Click The Bakehouse for more about the bakehouse.

-

1944-1950 Edwin Williams living at Ye Olde Cottage, off Main Road, LG. Head Mrs Guerny with Miss Janes & Miss Jarvis. Vicar-Rev Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. No uniform. Free milk- Yes. Sport Football, cricket & rounders. Played- chase. My father Arthur Williams was at this school.

click Williams for others in this family. click Arthur & Lilian Williams for more about Edwin's father Arthur

-

1945-1951 Dudley James Albert Stevens living at Edgerley, Loosley Hill Road, LR. Left aged 15. Walked to school or caught Famers bus. Head- Mrs Guerney with Miss Jarvis and Miss Janes. Face orange after teacher smacked me round the face. Had school meals & enjoyed them. Had milk at break. Played with hoops and marbles. Made a Scarf on the school loom.

My mother Mrs Clara Stevens attended this school in 1918. Daughter Vanessa and grandchildren Hannah and Andrew also attended here so here we have 4 generations spanning 80 years.

There were no morning assemblies each day - but special days were started at church. Each day started at 9 am - with three breaks, and finished at 3.30.

In 1945 an air-raid shelter was positioned on the school playground and I well remember when the sirens sounded our going into the shelter and putting on gas masks   

Additional Information. Our next-door neighbour had a tame jackdaw and the bird would sometimes follow us to school. It seemed to know that I didn't like it, so it would swoop down onto my head and peck at the button on my cap. If a window was open at school or at church the bird would come in. The Reverend Steward would shout "get that confounded bird out" - as it would sit on a beam or ledge and squark.

School meals. These were collected from a central kitchen by Mr Hayward of Walers Ash Garage (now Esso). Later, food was cooked on school premises by Mrs Leftwich. (click Richard & Margaret Leftwich for more about Mrs Leftwich) and Mrs Lacey.

click Stevens for others in this family. click Dudley & Marion Stevens for their life story.   click Albert & Clara Stevens for more about Dudley's mother Mrs Clara Stevens.

-

1945-1955 Jennifer Baker The Foundry LR. Walked to school. Head Mrs Guerney with Miss Janes & Miss Jarvis. Vicar- Rev Steward. No new build. Toilets outside.  No uniform. Meals yes. Enjoy some. Milk Yes. Sports rounders. Play skipping. My father Fred Baker and my mother Con Gomme both went to this school.

Additional information

My first memory of Miss Jarvis class was threading beautiful coloured beads on laces. The beads were kept in small tobacco tins.

I remember being so scared of Miss Janes. She was a very strict teacher I tried hard not to upset her!!

We walked to and from school & used to stop at the local baker to buy a fresh cooked bread roll I think we paid 1 penny What a wonderful smell there was in the bakers.

click Baker for others in this family. click The Foundry for more about Jennifer's home. click Fred & Connie Baker for the story of Jennifer's parents.

-

1945-1955. Maureen Attridge living at Beechwood Cottage, Woodway, Loosley Row. Walked to school. Head- Mrs Guerny with Miss Janes & Miss Jarvis. Vicar- Rev Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. No uniform. Free milk- Yes. Sports- running. Played hopscotch. My mother Winnie Harvey was at this school.

Additional Information. A highlight was special church festivals etc - when we all crossed the road for a church service - sometimes going home afterwards for a day off!

Feeling sad hearing the bell tollling for a funeral during a lesson - even if we didn't know the person that had died!

After school, going home to Jill Adam's house to watch 'Andy Pandy' - the only family we knew with television at that time.

Being terrified of Miss Janes!

click Attridge for others in this family. click William & Winifred Attridge for more about Maureen's mother Winnie

-

1947-1953 Dennis Claydon living at Chamonix, Kiln Lane, LG. Head-Mrs Guerny with Miss M Janes and Miss E Jarvis. Vicar Revd J Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. Red stars for good work, cannot recall punishments. No uniform. School meals- Yes Free milk- Yes. One trip to a singing festival in Naphill Village Hall. Sport- football, rounders. Played chase games. My father Joseph Claydon and my mother Criscilla Hickman were at this school.

Additional Information. The yearly (?) visits of the school dentist. To a small boy of six or seven the dentist appeared as an elderly, silver haired lady, although she was probably not so elderly! The equipment was set up in Miss Janes (or spare) classroom. There was a very big dentists chair. One had to climb on a box to clamber into this large piece of furniture. The drill was operated by means of a foot treadle, which was very terrifying, there being no pain killing injections. Even today the thought of it makes me shudder!

For a short time, weekly (?) visits of Miss Oakshott for outside games and exercises. Miss Oakshot from Naphill, was a young "redhead" who came fully equipped in shorts and plimsolls.

Miss Jarvis, the infants teacher, was in charge of first aid. Whilst dealing with cut knees and grazed elbows she would always urge one to be "brave ant to cry". Miss Jarvis had a knack of knowing if one of the family had been in hospital. The usual dialogue would be along the lines "----I am sure so and so did not make a fuss or cry whilst in hospital having their operation".

Singing lessons were taken over the radio. The programme from the BBC was called "Singing Together". A booklet was provided for each pupil to enable everyone to follow the lesson. The class would then 'sing together' with the radio as instructed by the compere of the programme.

In my early days everyone walked to school. In later years there was only one car, used by a family travelling from RAF, Naphill. Even the teachers did not have cars, Mrs Guerny, headmistress, cycled from the School House in Pink Road, whilst Miss Janes and Miss Jarvis both walked to school.

Some older boys had a tame jackdaw, which followed them daily to school. This bird had a frightening habit of 'dive bombing' other children on their way to school and would sit on their heads if possible.

One day, Mrs Norman Ridgley (Ishbel MacDonald, daughter of Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald) from Flowers Bottom, sent a large bundle of old picture postcards to the school. These postcards had been sent to her and her brothers and sisters as children, by her father, on his various travels at home and abroad. We children were lined up and the cards were handed out. I think we received about half a doze each. Most of the cards were signed "with love from Daddie". One card however, which I still have, sent from Fiji, showing a group of islanders preparing for a feast around an open camp fire, clearly bears the signature "J Ramsey MacDonald"

Bible stories were taught, by each pupil in turn reading aloud a verse from the relevant chapter. One tended to try to calculate the next possible verse one would have to read, in case of "difficult" words. It was very easy during this excercise to lose ones place and read the wrong verse, or be unable to answer questions if asked!

click Claydon for others in this family. click Dennis Claydon for the story of Dennis's life.

-

1947-1953 Nora Smith living at Church Cottage, Church Lane, LG. Head. Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis & Miss Janes. Vicar- Rev J Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. No uniform. Free milk- Yes. Sports- rounders.

click Smith for others in this family

-

1947-1953 Daphne Boorman living at Alverstoke, Pink Road, LG. Walked to school. Head Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis & Miss Janes. Vicar- Rev Steward. No new building. Toilets outside. No uniform. Only had school meal when we took our 11+(or whatever it was called then). Sports- rounders. Played hopscotch and chase. My father Eric Boorman and my mother Jessie Smith went to this school.

click Boorman for others in this family. click Edwin & Daphne Williams for more about Daphne. Click Eric & Jessie Boorman for more about Daphne's parents.

-

1947-1954 Betty Susan Hickman living at Ruskin, Loosley Hill Road, LR. Walked & Farmers bus to school. Head- Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis & Miss Janes. Vicar Rev Steward. Subjects 3 R's & art. Punishments- stand in the corner or outside the door. No uniform. School meals- sometimes. Free milk- Yes. Sports- rounders. Played Farmers in the den. My father Reg Hickman went to this school.

Additional Information. I remember the School Dentist and the Nit Nurse!

click Hickman for others in this tree. click Brian & Betty Biggs for Betty's life story.

-

1948-54 Marilyn Attridge living at Beechwood Cottage, Woodway, LR. Walked to school. Head Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis & I think there was a Mrs Ashby. Vicar- Rev Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. Miss Jarvis gave sweets for getting sums correct. No uniform. Sports- Rounders, running. Played hopscotch, skipping. My mother Winifred Harvey went to this school.

Additional Information. I remember getting very cross as Betty Weller beat me in a maths test by 1 mark! We liked Ascension Day as we went to church in the morning & had the rest of the day off. On the whole I think I enjoyed Lacey Green School.

click Attridge for others in this family. click William & Winifred Attridge for the life story of Marilyn's mother Winifred

-

1949-1954 Joyce Walker living at Lane Cottage, Lower Road, LR. Head Mrs Guerny, with teacher Miss Jarvis. Vicar- Rev Steward. Subjects studied- far too thick to study anything. no uniform. School meals- Yes. Enjoyed- Yes Free milk- Yes. Sports- rounders. Played- tag.

Additional Information. I can remember school plays on Parents Day. Also one year I was chosen to be May Queen (can't think why) and dancing round the May Pole.

I also remember Miss Jarvis getting a splinter out of my finger.

click Walker for others in this family. Click Albert & Florence Walker for the parents of Joyce.

-

1949- ? Rosemary Mortham living at Tor Cottage, Church Lane, LG. Head Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis. Vicar Rev Steward. I Can't remember punishments but Mrs Gueny used to shout.

studied 3 R's, drawing, singing, a bit of P.E., nature walks. No new build. Toilets outside. No uniform. School meals - yes I hated them, always potato, cabbage & gristle. Sports- skipping and "knees forward bend". Played- mainly fighting the boys.

Added Information. I loved my time at Lacey Green School.

Miss Jarvis was very kind. At 6, I was walking on my own to Sunny Bank (now White House Farm) from school when I found my way blocked by a sheep in Kiln Lane. As a town child, I was so frightened I ran all the way back to school, and Miss Jarvis had to see me safely past the sheep!

A year later we moved to Tor Cottage in Church Lane. Mrs Barefoot (Park Cottage) used to tell me off if I tried to take a shortcut through the churchyard.

I was friendly with Norah Smith (Church Cottage) and Rita Irving (Smalldean Farm Cottages). Norah & I used to walk to Smalldean down the footpath. We picked bluebells and cowslips. We sucked the sweet ends of the cowslip flowers, and picked wild strawberries on Strawberry Bank (Nature Reserve Now) We got in trouble with the gamekeeper if we went too far into the woods.

I once took a bunch of wild flowers including hawthorn blossom to Millicent Martin (Lynn's mother). She wouldn't allow them in the house, as hawthorn was unlucky.

When I got to be bigger, Mrs Guerny allowed me to help with teaching the younger children, which I loved. I also enjoyed the school plays, although I didn't like being the "brown angel" in the nativity play - brown was never my favourite colour.

I loved St John's so much that I even went back for a couple of days at the beginning of the autumn term when I started at Wycombe High School. The High School came as a terrible shock. There were so many children, and I felt no-one was interested in me.

Things have changed so much at St John's. (now 2000). It is much bigger, the children work much harder. We never had homework. After school we would go and "help" Mr West on the farm, or buy a penny roll from the bakehouse or sweets from Berts. We were completely free to go anywhere we liked on our own, and no-one worried about us. Looking back, I had an idyllic childhood in Lacey Green.

-

1950 - ? Andrew Oliver living at Tor Cottage, Church Lane, LG. Head Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis. Vicar- Rev Steward. No new build. Toilet- outside. No uniform. Punishment was by being kept in after school. School meals- yes until last two years. Sport - football.

Additional Information. I passed the 11+ at a time when I had no knowledge of any boy ever passing the 11+ in earlier years. It was a time when intellectual ability was not regarded well by my peers - I was the kid who was picked on!

-

1950-1957. Dorothy Parslow living at The Bunch, Woodway, LR. Walked to school. Head- Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis, Miss Roberts. Vicar- Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. No uniform. Sports- rounders. My father Harry John Parslow was at this school.

click Parslow for others in this family.

-

1951-1951 John Bernard Claydon living at Highlands, Main Road, LG. Head - Mrs Guerny. Vicar- Rev Steward. No uniform. Milk- Yes. My father George Lacey Claydon was at this school.

Additional Information. I attended Lacey Green School for a very short time as we moved to Speen. I enclose a school photo of my dad in a school play (the policeman) 1929 and my godfather Harold Williams is the lady sitting in front of him.

click Claydon for others in this family. click William & Lily Ruth Claydon for more about John's dad George Lacey Claydon click Ardengrove for more about Highlands.

-

1951-1958 Beverly Attridge living at 17 Greenlands, LG. Head- Mrs Guerny with Miss Jarvis & Miss Roberts? Vicar Rev Steward. No new build. Toilets outside. No uniform. Free milk- Yes. Sports- rounders. Played hopscotch. My mother Winifred Harvey was at this school.

click Attridge for others in this family. click William & Winifred Attridge for more about Beverly's mother Winifred

-