On Remembrance Day, we reflect on the experiences and sacrifices of our school community during the Second World War for this month’s archive Photo of the month.
During the war, Kingarth Street served as an evacuation centre, providing a departure point for pupils facing an uncertain future. For children, parents and teachers alike, it was an emotional and unsettling time.
Former Pupil Jean Struthers recalled the day she was evacuated on Saturday 2 September;
“A letter arrived near the end of August instructing that I should attend at school at 10am on Saturday 2nd September and should go to my form room on arrival. A note of personal effects to be taken and the size of the suitcase – which each girl had to carry herself – was given. School uniform would be worn, and gas masks carried. Our destination could not be revealed.
A miserable little family journeyed to the school about four miles from home on Saturday morning. Staff at the school gates directed parents to a street behind the school outside the playground. We gathered quietly in our form rooms. We didn’t speak much but were able to see the crowds of parents from the windows gathered beyond the railings.
Teachers bustled in and out of the classrooms – checking lists of names. Labels were distributed to be attached to coat lapels. Someone asked where we were going and the curt reply was ‘we don’t know’. “
The photograph from our school archive shows the evacuation tag belonging to another Former Pupil, Kathleen Galbraith. Kathleen went on to achieve the Girls’ Dux medal in 1943 and later returned to the School as a teacher.
Throughout the war, many former pupils and members of staff contributed to the war effort, becoming nurses, doctors and drivers, working in munitions factories and serving in government departments. Some also experienced the loss of loved ones during the conflict.
On Remembrance Day, these stories offer a poignant reminder of how deeply the war affected our school community. We remember all those who served, supported others and made sacrifices, and honour their courage and contribution.
School Archive:
Committed to the collection, preservation and maintenance of the records of the school, its activities and pupils, our archives hold a range of material from class registers and magazines to photographs, trophies and uniforms. Pupils are encouraged at both Primary and Secondary to engage with archive material, with the aim to provide a dynamic educational resource for pupils and our wider community.
Would you like to know more about Hutchesons’ Grammar School’s history? Contact our School Archivist at archives@hutchesons.org with any enquiries.
