SOME MEMORIES OF WATFORD GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL - 1938 T0 1945

Entry into the school was by an entrance exam and a fee of £5 per term or by scholarship but the term fee was dispensed with shortly after the war and entrance was via the infamous eleven plus exam. There was a total of about 500 girls most of whom left at the age of 16 and a very few stayed on into the VI th form. Of these girls the majority were going on to University or Teachers’ Training College but others were catered for in the Nursing VI th or the Commercial VI th.

Discipline was very strict throughout the school and staff were treated with respect, almost awe. The wearing of uniform was mandatory and uncompromising and precious clothing coupons had to be sacrificed to purchase uniform. Berets had to be worn at all times on the way to or from school and woe betide any pupil whose skirt, when checked by staff, was less than 2 inches below the knee. The only concession was that when blouses were worn through at the elbows we were allowed to cut the sleeves short. Very cool!

A very serious announcement was made by the Head, Miss Davidson, in assembly one morning. A small group of girls had been seen in the town talking to BOYS! They were from the boys Grammar School and such fraternizing was not encouraged – far from it – although we did occasionally manage to meet up in the Public Library or the foyer at a Town Hall concert. However, the real crime that concerned Miss Davidson that morning was the fact that the girls were not wearing their berets.

With war declared in September 1939, our daily life was very much affected by war time restrictions and privations. Heavy tape was crisscrossed over the windows to prevent the glass splintering from bomb blast, making the school very dark; stirrup pumps stood in sand in the corridors to deal with any incendiary bombs which might be dropped on the building and the cloakrooms in the basement and the dining hall were used as air raid shelters. During the blitz the air raid warnings were very frequent and a large part of the day was spent sitting on the lockers in the basement or in the dining hall trying to make notes and reading. Knitting became the be all and end all!

Because of the constant disruption (a nightmare for the staff) the air raid warnings were sometimes ignored. Benskins Brewery nearby (now Watford Museum) would raise a black flag when danger was imminent and a member of staff would then rush down the corridors blowing a whistle. Speedily, in silence and in an orderly fashion we girls would take shelter below.

Although we often heard the German planes on their way to bombing London, fortunately very few bombs were dropped on Watford.

The education was a lot narrower then than it is today and only the core subjects were taken at exam level, School Certificate and Higher certificate being today’s O and A levels. Lessons were very formal with not a lot of discussion and our opinions were never invited. Paper was in short supply, every scrap had to be accounted for and all our text books had to be covered in brown paper to preserve them..

Dinner was basic, being brought in from the British Restaurant , a form of catering run by the government. There was no choice of food, a typical meal being beef hash and hot beetroot followed by tapioca pudding. Two prefects and a member of staff would sit at each table to dish up and ensure good table manners. Each girl had to provide her own table napkin clearly marked and many girls who lived near the school would go home for dinner. In those days not many of our mothers worked.

In spite of the difficulties and problems that arose because the country was at war we received a first class education from a devoted and caring staff lead by the headmistress, Miss Davidson.

Anne Holloway (nee Weller)

Stephanie Weller (nee Whittaker)

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