Schooldays
Marsworth School today
Marsworth School
At Marsworth Hostel there were children of all ages. In 1950 Polish children from the Hostel started to attend Marsworth School, with 19 enrolling in September of that year, bringing the school’s total to 46; it had closed in August with 30 on the roll.
Some 112 younger ones attended Marsworth School between 1950-60; these younger children (no older than 10 years of age) used to walk to the school from their sites. Older children went to secondary schools in Aylesbury and Aston Clinton, travelling by bus which collected them at the Icknield Way.
Many parents sent their children to Polish private schools such as the convent in Tring or others established after the war by religious orders and the Polish Government in Exile.
However while children from the Hostel were admitted to Marsworth School on a regular basis, they were also leaving. This continued throughout the 1950s with numbers from the Hostel attending dwindling to three in 1960.
The Hostel Nursery School - year unknown. Jan Romanski - back row, centre. Bogdan Latysonek - back row far right. Jerzy Ruszel 3rd from left, front row. Jerzy Sadowski 2nd from right, front row OR 2nd from right, middle row?
Nursery School
Many of the children started at the Nursery School. This was situated towards the end of Church Farm Lane, near Site 12.
Quotes:
I began at Marsworth School in 1950 at the age of five. I was then living at Site 12 and used to walk to school across the fields. The headmistress of Marsworth School was called Mrs Pennicott.
To get to Marsworth School from Site 7 the children had to walk across the lock at the canal and make their way along the canal to the road because the nearby farmer did not like them cutting through his farm. Lutek Foremniak
Stan Jakubas, going to school
I went to the nursery school, which was next to Church Farm. My mother walked me there . It was located in a large hut with a semi-circular roof and large windows. In front of the building there were two swings, one large and one small. We only played on the big one under the supervision of a childminder. There was also some kind of sandpit.
In the nursery, in addition to games, we learned to dance the Krakowiak. My dance partner was Elka Huba, who lived in the neighbouring barrack on site 8. From the nursery I also remember Jurek Ruszel, who always had an egg for ‘elevenses’. Our mothers made our elevenses, which we carried in special tin containers with a handle. Lunches were cooked by the cook in the nursery. Stanislaw Jakubas
Marsworth School – I remember snowball fights – England vs. Poland. Mr Bell was the headmaster, Miss Lake the other teacher. I was happy at the school, though I had no English to start with. Zig Latysonek
Stan Jakubas, aged about five
Before primary school I attended a nursery school which was run by some Polish ladies; this was on Site 12, at the top of Church Farm Lane. I remember it had little fold up beds so we could sleep if needed. We also had our meals and any medication that we needed given here and daily cod liver oil with a spoon which I did not like.
At the age of five we were sent to Marsworth village primary school which was about one mile away from the camp. To get there I could go two ways: one way was out of the main entrance of the camp, along Long Marston Road, past the garage, then over the canal bridge. The other choice was along the path from my home to Lock 3, cross over, left to the canal bridge, then left along Church Lane to the school; this way was quickest and my Mum took me this way the most times.
The first few months at school were not very happy ones for a five-year-old turning up in a strange environment, unable to speak or understand the language. Communication was very difficult, however I soon learned enough English to get by. This was mainly due to the extremely kind and patient headmistress who took me and the other Polish children in turn into the school house and taught us to read from English books (Penguin Books). The teachers were all very kind and understanding. I began to enjoy the rest of my years at the school and made friends with a lot of the English children who also helped with my English language and culture. Jan Baliszewski
There was a nursery there, and the teacher wanted my brother to eat his soup. He would not and the teacher got quite angry. I stepped in and started telling the teacher off, and then also got into trouble. Teresa Smith (Macyszyn)
Stan Jakubas on his tricycle
At first I would only go to school with my mother, but later I went on my own or with Jurek. We walked from the barracks along the pavement next to the coal store and then along the pavement at Long Marston Road, turned right and past the cinema.
The school had a yard surrounded by a brick wall. On the left, behind this wall was the headmistress's garden. Lilac bushes grew there, branches with flowers hanging over the playground. It has a connection with a certain incident which has stuck in my memory.
That is, one of my friends broke off a few twigs with flowers and gave them in class to the teacher. She accepted the flowers, but she asked where he had taken them
from. The boy explained that they had come from the yard. She asked him whose bush it was that he had taken the flowers from. He replied that the bush was growing in the headmistress’s garden. The
teacher explained to him that in that case the flowers belonged to the headmistress and he had no right to pick them. She told him to take off his trousers and lie down on the desk. She took a huge
wooden ruler and slammed it several times on his behind. Everyone was terrified, the boy was crying, but everyone learned what someone else's property was.
The next day the boy's mother, who was Italian, came and had a right Italian row with the teacher. Stanislaw Jakubas
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