Page 47 - Through a glass brightly

Hi all, You are perfectly right about what we did for the Queen's visit, Val. I remember being upset because, when we had practised before her visit (with Miss Iliff, I think), she asked me what my yellow badge was for, and I told her, with a curtsey, that it was a game's captain badge. Can you believe that I forgot to put it on for the real thing, and I KNEW the Queen would have asked me about the wretched badge and we would have had a long conversation about what being a games captain involved!!!! And she would have stayed longer with us ! You're also right about all the fun we had with each other. I've thought about it a lot over the years and come to the conclusion that we were so fortunate to have one-and-a-half hour lunch breaks, which gave us time to do so many things. Such as feeding the mice in the barn, climbing over the fence at the bottom of the playing field, or exploring another attic! Today's kids don't seem to have so much freedom time. But they have their cell phones!
I also am very grateful to have had Miss Balaam for so many years. What a wonderful, wise and innovative headmistress she was.
From Mags H. at 15.04
Hey Val, what a great email evoking real memories of school days. I had no idea you and Mag still have diaries of daily happenings in the 50’s! Thank you both for sharing. I remember having a minor role as a soldier in the Charcoal Burner’s Son and feeling totally embarrassed when my parents were in the audience (goodness knows why..). Sandy was the King and Seona charcoal b’s Son as they both had lovely voices. Others of you will have taken part but can’t really remember much about it!
I do however recall playing lacrosse girls v staff and feeling so smug when I learned I was against Miss Iliff, thinking that because the dear lady stood like ‘L’Arc de Triomphe (sorry if I offend - you know me, straight to the point.... ) and was somewhat ‘comely’ in stature, that I would have an easy ride. Ho, ho, not so. It was eventually revealed that Miss Iliff had played for England and she didn’t need to move - her stick work was so remarkable I was left cross eyed and bewildered!! Trust everyone well and happy. Love reading your emails.
From Jenny at 17.23
Just one or two things to put straight. The reason we are all so fixated on us playing netball for the Queen is because yes indeed we were on the top courts at one point during the day and she came out onto the fire escape by the science labs and looked down benignly - she did not join in! The Barnet Press photographer had visited the school before the Queen came and took lots of photos of the girls doing things - presumably that was when we were rehearsing (and then photographers later took some on the day of Her Maj) and there is a photo of us playing netball as previously mentioned. However, Queenie did also come into the classroom (one of those at the top of the High Street block as I know I held the door for her - sorry to keep on about it) where we were having an English lesson with Miss Barber (who later became Mrs RIMMER - sorry Val!) acting out a scene from a Shakespeare play - Twelfth Night I think.
The Lower Sixth one-year O-level English Lit was introduced by Miss Payne - possibly responding to parental pressure to offer additional subjects? There was already one year O- level Spanish and one or two other extra O-levels e.g. Human Biology which were offered to those who for the most part were not going to stay into the Upper Sixth but were not wanting to do the One year Secretarial Sixth course with Miss Gunnery in VIB 1 which was the only other one year course on offer at the time. I think Val Goatman and Janet Petch both did these courses - they may have more detailed memories.
Charcoal Burner's Son - yes Mag well remembered - I was the 8th soldier so had one line to speak - and had to have a uniform made out of old blackout curtains for the jacket and one of my mother's old evening dresses (red taffeta) for the trousers!
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