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Shrewsbury and the surrounding district was the designated reception area for school age children from Liverpool.

The Priory Boys School (now the ‘Shrewsbury Sixth Form College’) received the Hope Catholic Grammar School from Hope Street, Liverpool, close to the Metropolitan Cathedral in Hope Street. The lower forms aged 11 — 14 years were restricted to half day schooling from 8.45am to 1.00pm for Priory Boys whilst the lower Hope School attended from 1.15pm to 5.00pm. Boys in the upper forms from both schools had a normal school day 9.00am to 4.00pm.

As a result we, in the lower school, had three hours homework, which was twice the normal one and a half hours. Also for the first time the lower school had nearly 20 mistresses to replace the masters who were called up for national Service.

Bus services during the war were heavily curtailed. There were only two buses in either direction on a Wednesday and three on Saturdays.

Schoolboys had to cycle to school (six miles each way) and girls attending the Priory Girls in Longden Road cycled over eight miles in all weathers. The girls always carried a change of shoes and stockings but the boys sat all day in wet trousers. Both boys and girls had cycling capes but we never used leggings, so that seven hours in wet trousers was most uncomfortable.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Thomas M. Needham and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Needham fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Mr Needham's stories:

• Allscott Sugar Beet Factory Raid
• The Observer Corps (Later the Royal Observer Corps)

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