Avenue House School
AHS remembers World War II
Hana Muddassir, gives her thoughts of the day:
"Well it all started when we were going to eat our muffins. I was dying to eat one of the chocolate muffins but then Arjun took the last one so all I was left with was the lemon one. I did not think I would really like it, but then I took one bite and I liked it so I ate it all. I liked it so much I wanted to eat some more. It was a lot of fun with the music while eating lunch. We never had that before!
Everyone dressed up in World War 2 costumes. We had quite a few soldiers, nurses and Anne Franks! Everything was great."
Some of the memorabilia on display for the World War II Day
The Choir singing on World War II Day.
Michelle Henderson, an Avenue House parent, provides a write up of her account of the day:
"On Friday the 9th of May I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the World War II Day at Avenue House School. I was taken around the school by a very polite older pupil showing me the various exhibits in the gym, library and in various classrooms. It was obvious that a lot of hard work, thought and effort had been put into the day, not only by all the displays but also by the fact that teachers and pupils alike had all dressed up for the day, from army personnel, nurses to land girls, and evacuees to mention a few.
I was then able to enjoy some lemonade and wartime eats. After this thoroughly enjoyable view through the school, myself along with other parents joined Year 1 and Year 2 to listen to Mr Roy Bartlett tell of his days as a young boy during the Second World War.
I was totally fascinated with the stories he relayed, from him being evacuated out of London and then returning and going to school with constant air raids. His words describing the food rationing and his mother going hungry so that her children had a bit more to eat were very touching and I know that I was not the only mother there that had to hold back the tears as he described this. After his captivating talk the children asked some very thoughtful questions proving that they had been just as interested in what Mr Bartlett had said as I had been. (Mr Bartlett speaking to some of the pupils.)
The children were then issued with ration books and left to have their lunch.(From what I heard it was great fun.)
It was a lovely morning spent at Avenue House School and being able to take part and share what my children have been learning about made it even more enjoyable.
When I collected my children later that day I could see that Mr Bartlett was still there, having relayed his stories to the other year groups. I hope that they found it as enjoyable as I did.
A big thank you to Miss Casey for all her organising, to Mr Bartlett for all his sharing of the history he lived through and all the other staff members who made the day possible. I am sure it will be remembered for a long time."
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Various costumes for the day.
A Year 1 parent writes about the day:
"The preparations for WW11 day started early in our house – a week of ‘Have you got my costume ready yet?’(it’s always best to keep reminding me in case I forget) was followed by ‘What cakes are you making?’
Friday 9th May saw outfit prepared and wartime-recipe cakes with a very ‘interesting’ texture baked. I was delighted to have the chance to go into school and witness the event for myself.
I was extremely impressed with the effort that had been put into setting the scene at school. The costumes worn by both pupils and teachers added so much to the atmosphere of the day, and the displays of war-time artefacts were very interesting.
I was privileged to be able to join Years 1 and 2 and other parents in listening to Mr Bartlett explain about life on the Home Front. Hearing him talk about the meagre rations available (which, quite rightly, makes me feel very guilty about the amount of food my family wastes), and describe, with a mixture of humour and poignancy, the experience of being evacuated, was fascinating. I have to admit to crying as I imagined myself in the position of those war-time mothers waving their evacuee children off to an unknown destination, not even sure if they would see them again.
At the end of the talk, I was really impressed with the number of thoughtful questions the children asked.
I understand from my son that the rest of the day was equally good, including the ration books at lunchtime, and the lemonade in the afternoon. The strange cakes were eaten, and, so I’m told, enjoyed.
The day made a big impression on me, and I’m sure on the children too. It demonstrated a great spirit in the school, and gave us, most of whom have never experienced rationing or the like, pause for thought."
