Drinkstone Village School" with Sheila Wright

For our March meeting, held at Kelsale Village Hall, we welcomed back Sheila Wright, who had braved a drive on a dark October night in 2015 to enthrall us with tales of ghosts and hauntings.  Last May, she captivated us again with an engaging trawl through the verbatim reminiscences of Suffolk families who lived out their lives against a backdrop of two World Wars.

She was “Acting Headmistress” of Drinkstone Primary School (near Bury St Edmunds) before its closure in 1986, and researched the history of the school, the teachers and pupils over the 125 years of its life.  She acquired a rich store of anecdotes, hopes, dreams, and experiences good and bad, so we are looking forward to an entertaining afternoon.

Sheila has written several books, including two about Drinkstone village school, which was typical of the hundreds of C of E village schools in which many generations received their only formal education — in the early days leaving at age eleven or twelve to spend their days in domestic service or as farm labourers.

Sheila Wright is mother of seven children and lives with her husband Ron, a retired music teacher, in a pre-Elizabethan Tudor farmhouse near Eye.  She is a Lay Reader in the Church of England.

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Unfortunately, nearby roadworks contributed to a lower than average turnout.  Nonetheless, those who safely negotiated the traffic cones were rewarded with another exquisitely presented talk from this ever-popular speaker.

Starting with a brief summary of the history of school provision in England, from the early Sunday Schools founded by Robert Raikes, to the State run education system we know today, Sheila led us seamlessly to intimate reminiscences of ex-pupils of Drinkstone Village School, including memories of their teachers.

Illuminating her presentation with numerous photographs, as well as comprehensive plans of the original school buildings, Sheila brought numerous tales to life, deft touches of gentle humour blending with moving observations on the spartan facilities, including the absence of electricity and running hot water until 1949 and 1960 respectively.

We found ourselves giggling like schoolchildren at the story of Mary Cocksedge, who contrived to insert a counting bean up her nose and had to be taken to hospital.  Next we learned of how the school was cut off by deep snow in the winter of 1958, when biscuits and cheese had to be bought in from the local shops because the ingredients for school dinners had been delayed.

The ex-pupils also told many colourful stories of schooldays spent against the backdrop of World War two.  We heard of lifetime friendships established with evacuee children, farmed out from London to Suffolk during the early days of the conflict, and invariably blamed for any outbreak of fleas, lice or nits.

Far from being terrified by the threat of enemy bombing, many of the children regarded the war years as a huge adventure.  Air raid practices provided a chance to play ‘hide ‘n’ seek’ under their school desks, the wearing of gas masks was treated as a bizarre game of dressing-up, and the arrival of American soldiers meant regular children’s parties and a chance to trade fish caught locally for rides in military vehicles.

The children were also called on to ‘do their bit’ to support the war effort, gathering ‘rose-hips’ for the production of ‘Rose Hip Syrup’, in the absence of imported fruit, including oranges, lemons and bananas.  In these circumstances, it was fascinating to discover that children’s health actually improved during the war years, because the government took steps to provide free daily milk and subsidised school meals.

Of the teachers who passed through Drinkstone, the names of the ‘Misses’ Gobbit and Collins received special mention, the latter being described as ‘able and gifted’ in a 1950s inspection report, with her ‘singing and dancing classes’ attracting special praise.

As an acting headmistress at Drinkstone, Sheila was also able to provide fascinating insight about the school in the years before its closure in 1986.  She also showed us impressive pictures of the lavish new home, with large extension and games room, constructed within the solid red brick walls of the original school buildings.

For anyone keen to find out more about life at Drinkstone School, as well as other interesting subject matters, the full range of Sheila Wright’s meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated books can be viewed on her website www.kisumubooks.co.uk.  Failing that, we look forward to hearing more captivating stories of village life, when Sheila returns to a future meeting.

Chris Broom