大象传媒

During the war I taught at the original St Stephen's School which was opposite the former Springfield Brewery (see the article in the AdNews on Thursday July 28th 2005). I am the only person left who taught there during the whole of the war.

When war broke out, the Brewery offered the Wolverhampton Education Authority three of their vaults for the school to use as air raid shelters. At first the offer was refused as it was a long way for the small children to walk across the Brewery yard but later it was accepted. Each vault was divided into two so that we virtually had six classrooms. We were able to take equipment across aand leave it there and we were warm. We were told that the temperature was that for light wines but none of us had free samples (excepting the Headmistress!!). The workmen were very good in helping us with the young children. I think this experience with air raid shelters must be unique. We were lucky.

The school itself was heated, as were many schools at that time, by open fires. These could not be lit until daybreak and after lunch time were left to die down.

There was no hot tap water. We had to boil kettles on the fires and there was a gas ring in one of the clssrooms. With the advent of school dinners, a gas boiler and an Ascot boiler in the staff cloakroom were installed. The only helpers at dinner time were the women who washed up. The teachers did everything else. They served the meals and supervised the children. Only later did we have auxiliary help.

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