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This is certainly an important time for Yateley Manor Preparatory School. It may not be “the very best days of our lives” but they will certainly be memorable.
When I went to a small prep school (for some 48 boarders) near York, it was during the Second World War and we were often hungry because of the strict rationing. It was, however, a mainly happy and interesting time. There were a few signs of bombing near the city, but of course we had the ordinary “plagues” of measles and chicken pox in the sickroom each spring. The greatest “excitement” was a fire in the middle of the night one winter - but our members of staff and senior boys used buckets of water, and the flames were well under control before the first fire-engines arrived 45 minutes later.
Another exciting event was early before “D-Day”. During one morning class we were disturbed by all the din and orchestrated noise and confusion caused by a large-scale army exercise. There was much shouting and firing of blank ammunition and smoke coming from British infantry men and armoured cars as they fought along the length of the single street of Terrington village, and through the grounds of the school. The Headmaster was not exactly pleased, but you can be assured that we boys loved every minute of it from our excellent view in the classroom. Nevertheless, we did a lot of work as well (!), and most of us were able to join our new public schools that summer. |
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We were always seeking for “imagined” spies, and one night six of us broke through under the floor, searching for a secret radio, for we were already suspicious of our disliked Latin teacher. We believed that he must be a German and Herr Hitler’s secret friend. We didn’t find the radio transmitter, but we did find hundreds of old Ping-Pong balls, which had been lost for years. This was worth almost as much as gold during the long War. Unfortunately we over-sold our booty to our comrades and so there was a glut of them. The Headmaster was getting suspicious, and of course somebody “sneaked” to him. When he found out the names and details of our illegal underground activities; well, let me say he was NOT exactly pleased. I will say no more about this bottom matter.
Most of the seniors were allowed to play with the thousands of military toy-soldiers and aeroplanes that we owned between us and I still have most of mine. On dry summer evenings we were allowed to play around “The Huts” digging around and under an area of rough land until time for our evening cocoa, baths, prayers and bedtime. Those were my best times, playing with my soldiers. Incidentally, the bill for my school (including “extras” of course) was 45 pounds per term. But of course that was over fifty years ago - a full half of 100 years ago - Oh my goodness! I must now stop. But those were happy times for me, and I will never forget; and I hope you all will recall your school days for your happy memories just like mine.
Mr. Devonshire and Mr. Bland have written an excellent booklet and I congratulate them. You should be sure to buy two copies one for reading and one to keep safe until 2050 AD - for this will be about the long and glorious history of your old school.
Dr. David G. Chandler
Governor |
