My early Schooling at Blackwell - and beforeWhen my family came to Headstone Lane, Harrow in the 40s I believe I was recommended to join the Harrow Grammar school. Unfortunately for me this was not to happen.

I had attended Battersea County Secondary school in London which was a three stream experimental school. The school consisted of the Grammar stream, the Technical stream and the stream for children who’s education had been interrupted by evacuation during the war, etc.

So, at 13, I found myself attending school in makeshift (ex-prisoner of war camp) accommodation. There are not many stories to tell although the children who had been brought together in this way ranged from academic to somewhat backward in what they had learned by that time. They were as varied as a boy called Stone who went to borstal, of course some learnt how to smoke a cigarette - but me and another girl worked hard to beat each other to the top of the class. In Battersea County I had found it difficult to keep up to their high standard, and was normally nearer the bottom after exams. I do believe that my education ended at 13 not learning much more at the ‘Camp’ than, cooking, sewing and a few swear words.

The classrooms were Nissen huts made out of corrugated iron sheets curved and joined together to enclose a large open space with a coal fire at one end. The chimney was a pipe that went straight through the roof. Cinders from the fires may have been thrown over the ground to make paths and play areas.

There were about half a dozen huts for pupils - about 30 pupils a hut - and one with sewing machines for sewing lessons and one with cookers for cookery lessons - and probably one for eating in.

They were erected quite a distance from each other and I guess looking back we did have a lot of fun, but certainly did not learn very much more than already covered at Battersea County. The smell of the coal fires lingers and although there was a fair amount of discipline, the teachers found the wide variation of intelligences difficult to contain.

I remember Mrs Mitchell very well. I believe her subject was Mathematics but she also doubled in Physical Education – track sports, high jump were the main sports which were my favourite. Being successful in 100 yards and achieving 4’-2” high jump. The styles were 'scissor' and 'roll'.

I remember Mr Olphin and I believe that we used to have meetings at his home.

I am sorry not to have remembered more but I believe I put this period out of my mind, because I had always hoped to become a teacher by attending a Polytechnic. This was not to be since latterly the exams I took for entry into the County or Technical schools in Harrow became too advanced due to the standards of the Prisoner camp environment; leaving me unsuccessful.

Our group of ‘allsorts’, a bit like dolly mixtures, eventually took-up residence in the completed, newly-built school named as 'Blackwell' from the name of the previous owners of the land, Crosse and Blackwell, (they used the land to grow fruit for their bottled products).

We enjoyed the discipline and newness, by comparison to The Camp, of this lovely school. One of the big events was the completion of the theatre. I believe (but I'm not positive) it was after we had left that George Green (I have tried to contact him without success – he was my very first boy friend) and I started a dance club which took place in the theatre with a live band. George joined the army and became a Physical Trainer, later becoming a butcher in a local shop in Harrow Weald.

There was also an old student’s society formed – does this still function? These were a regular event for a long time which we organised with refreshments and lots of dance, in front of the theatre's stage, of that time. Guitars were just beginning to be introduced into the bands of piano, drums, and trumpet etc.