Miss Butterfields School
Miss Butterfields class, about 1957
Children identified so far, left to right (looking at the photo):
Back Row:
(Girl), Paul Guy, Robert Gray, Miss Butterfield, Sarah Houldridge, Diana Houldridge, (girl), Pam Mitchell.
Row of 2:
(girl, possibly Maureen), Shirley Pym (spelling not known)
Seated Row:
Margaret Ross, Richard Lilley, Brenda Wilkie, John Gray, (girl), Michael Mitchell, (girl), Victoria Hosegood
Front Row:
No-one identified
School Photo, about 1939:
Left to Right:
1, 3, 7
2, 4, 5, 6, 8
9, 10, 11, 12, 13
- Hugh Butterworth – Deerhurst Beach Road born 2 July 1930
- Alan White Mayfield Avon Lane
- Patricia Way- sister of Julian
- Margaret Loomes her sister Joan was killed in the War, her name is on Northam War Memorial.
- Beryl Wiley sister of Julian- killed in road accident 1950 aged 21
- Richard Johns always known as Dicky- lived in end bungalow off Avon Lane by footpath leading to car park. Father in Merchant Navy mother Persian
- Robin Weatherby- Beach Road opposite Henderson and Wilkinson
- Herbert Moore of Belmon (his mother was a Bellew) Bungalow on Venton Dairy side of Aysha Gardens.
- Peter Bellew, Heather Vaggers and I think that this might be Alison Moore sister of Herbert Moore. She was born in 1934 and we think that there are facial similarities
- Dennis Goldring- family moved from London lived in Avon Lane area.
From Hugh Butterworth:
Miss Butterfield used the school house, part of Kingsley Hall. On entering the school Miss Butterfield sat on the left and the children sat in three rows facing her. I had forgotten the dog but Miss Butterfield did sometimes bring it with her.
The room was heated by a gas fire on the right hand wall. In winter Miss Butterfield brought in a paraffin heater. This would be placed beside you, you then warmed your hands before the heater was moved on to the next child.
I started at the age of 4 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The hours were 9-12.30 and 2 until I suppose 3.30 or maybe 4pm.
On Mon, Wed and Fri we started with arithmetic, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays the first period was devoted to such things as rug making, cross stitching and simple embroidery. This finished with the outbreak of war because of shortage of materials. Miss Butterfield read stories during theses sessions.
Miss Butterfield certainly gave me a good grounding in the three R’s. She also tought elementary French. Like the rest of my generation I learned’’ La Plume de ma Tante est dans le jarden’’. The pen of my Aunt or my Aunts pen is in the garden. I am still waiting to use this useful information.
Strangely she taught us phonetically so the word les meaning the was pronounced as in Leslie and not as in lay.
At that time the BBC produced a childrens educational programme from 2.15 to 3 and we listened to this. We were about to start German but in September 1939 the broadcasts were cancelled.
We occasionally used the main Hall for games and on one occasion several of us sat in a row and did something out of Midsummer Nights Dream. Afterwards I was told off by my mother for fidgeting.
Strangely Alan, Dicky , Herbert and I did not become close friends. I saw Herbert more than the others. Sometimes on our way home we would play ‘ tag’ any wooden structure was a safe haven- there was little traffic – on reaching Alans home we would split up, Herbert and Dicky would go down Avon Lane and I would continue to Beach Road.
I am fairly sure that we also attended on Saturday mornings.
Pam Kanteen with Miss Butterfield:
