Copthall Grammar School, Mill Hill
in the 1930s and 40s
I joined Copthall in 1950. So I have no personal
experience of it before then. Nevertheless I am delighted to have been contacted by former pupils
from those earlier years who
have provided their recollections. These have since been augmented from an old book* produced in 1996 by Margaret Thomas, a teacher at the school to mark
its
Diamond Jubilee. (Copthall was formally opened in 1936.)
The Grammar School uniform in its early years
I make the point in connection with the
school dances that Copthall
was aiming to bring its girls up as young ladies, rather as if they had been
at a girls' public school. The uniform, described by Dorothy Puham bears this out.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL UNIFORM IN THE 1930s AND 1940s
When I started at Copthall in 1937, shortly after it was built, we the girls were so proud of our uniform!
In winter it was navy in a sort of A-line shape, not old pleated like those at other schools. We wore white blouses and bright emerald green ties
and navy blazers. Out of doors we wore navy velour panama hats with the same colour green bands around them.
Our summer dresses were red, blue or green check gingham.
I don't recall stripes.
Dorothy Youst, formerly Dorothy Puham
My drawing of the panama hat.
Different as this uniform was to that when I was at the school - see
uniform, 1950s - the basic colours
were unchanged: The colour for the tunics, blazers and berets was still navy
blue and accessories were still bright emerald green.
The gingham check fabric of the summer dresses from the inception of
Copthall to sometime in the 1849s,
It is surprising, though, that the checks gave way to stripes. Perhaps it
was something to do with clothes
rationing and the availability of certain fabrics in after and
World War
Two.
Detail from the 1946 school photo, enhanced to
highlight
the check summer dresses. Although not a colour photo, the different
contrasts on the three dresses substantiates their being in different colours.
.Inspection of this photo and the complete one shows that various
interpretations of the check dresses were allowed, probably because of.
the shortages and austerity following
World War Two.
I recall a music teacher whose name, I think, was Miss Gabain; I know we nicknamed her
'Gabby'. Miss Smith was our French teacher. There was also a Miss Paulette
(although she may not have spelt her name this way) who came just before I finished school
and was much more modern than the others.
Dorothy Youst, formerly Dorothy Puham
Miss Blakeley, Miss Headland, Miss Downe and Miss Huntley from
the 1950s teachers
page, were there at some stage while I was. I arrived in 1941
and left in 1946.
Renate Darnell, formerly Renate Fuchs
It is interesting that all but one of the early teachers had left
by the 1950s. Of course teachers do move on. However, Copthall was a
flagship new school and it is likely that only particularly experienced
teachers were employed at its outset.
World War Two at school
I came to Copthall in 1941 from Deansbrook junior school, my family having escaped from Nazi Germany at the end of 1938.
At Copthall we girls and teachers spent a large part of the war in the shelters, when it got very noisy outside.
We would sing loudly to drown the sound of gunfire
Renate Darnell, formerly Renate Fuchs
I started at Copthall in 1940 and used to cycle to school.
When the air raid siren went off anyone outside was supposed to go into the nearest house
to use its air raid shelter. But we always pressed on to school and had lessons in the air raid shelters.
Edna Stacey, formerly Edna Horley
According to Margaret Thomas's book*, the air-raid shelters were on the site of what I knew as the
canteen, which was built after
the war finished. (Previously lunch had been in the school hall.)
The 1948 Olympic Games
Copthall was used as accommodation for
athletes during the Olympic Games of 1948. That was before I went to the
school, but I lived so close that I saw the them arriving and
departing.
I have no idea what nationality they were but I
only saw women. Whenever they
went out they wore lovely dove grey
suits and little hats. They were so smart. They were transported to the Games by coach.
Sally Lawson, formerly Sally Porte
The most significant event of 1948 for pupils must surely have been that the school finished a week earlier than usual in July. This allowed the school to be turned into a hostel to house over 100 gymnasts from Sweden who were giving two demonstrations at the Olympic Games, held that year in London.
... Workmen [converted] classrooms into dormitories and larger rooms into
lounges, dining rooms, offices and recreation rooms. [The gymnasts brought
their own chef and food with them.]
