Ashford residental home . middlesex

[swampiesue]

Hi Maggie Rose,
Some of her memories are a bit vague. She does not remember what dormitory she was in. She does remember Walton on the Naze and the story of the Earwigs.. In fact I am sure she still believes they get in you ears to this very day. She is scared stiff of the tiny little creatures.

 There are a few names she remembers which for obvious reasons I will not put on here. She would be a couple of years older than you but she remembers the older girls were always asked to keep an eye on the younger ones. My Mum would always stick up for anyone who was being bullied or needed a bit of help.

She was evacuated to Maidenhead during the war years, perhaps some of you were evacuated too.

[gnashers]

hi swampiesue and maggie rose (how are you?)

Since both of you have mentioned visits to Walton-on-the Naze I thought to enlarge on this. This was the annual camp and we would be transported in a convoy of green  LCC wooden buses. A journey which would take all day
En route we would stop at The Rose Cafe' between Brentwood and Chelmsford on the A12.It was still there last year.

The tents were typically army style laid out in rows qverlooking the estuaryon a high field.

To me Walton was paradise, with its lovely beach, cliff walks and yes the famous tower. To say little of it's equally famous pier. Second only to Souhthend  in length at the time. We were given vouchers to use at the fair on the pier
and trade sweetsor do favours to get more vouchers.

I also remelmber a group of elderly locals who would sit in a beach shelter or was it a bus shelter on the promenade. They would sing hymns and there was a very good accordionist. One hymn stuck in my head for life:_

"God be in my head
and in my understanding"

My contemporaries thought I was a but wierd as I went to listen to them most days.

And to finish, a small boast, I won the Sandcastle competion every year

As a teenager I used to go back there regularly with friends on Bikes on Day trips. Made a few friend among the locals and eventually stayed in a big house up on the cliffs as Honeymoon present. Great days

[swampiesue]

Hi Gnashers, sorry for the delay getting back to you, broadband been playing me up...

Sounds like you remember the place very well, you have brought the memories flooding back to Mum, yes she remembers those buses but not the Rose Cafe. We spent two days talking about the place a week or so ago, I think I learned more about the place in those two days than I did in the past 40 years. Mum also remembered the sandcastle competition and the trips to the fair. She said, " regardless of the sad times she was there, she also has a lot of happy memories" and  said the children there were a lot better off than some of the children who were not". You had your own orchard, bakers, and hospital and enjoyed good food and were treated from illness, something other children on the outside world did not have the luxury of. It was very strict however.

I wish I could get mum into the computer world which would make this so much easier, however she thinks she is to old for all that stuff and will not be a silver surfer ha ha.

I have never been to Walton on the Naze, I will have to get my husband to take me there sometime. I live in East Anglia so have no excuse.

[gnashers]

Hullo there again swampsiesue

I am working on a book 2 or 3 chapters of which refer to my time in Ashford. In the epilogue I hope to include a few quotes from others that were there. I think that your Mother, Sylvia's
observation is worth including. The bit about 'Regardless of the hard times we had we had some very happy times' and 'I think that we kids in there were better of than many on theoutside'
Quite poignant!

If I have your/her permission I will simply refer to her as Sylvia

Don't know whether I will find a publisher  regards Gnashers

[swampiesue]

Hi there Yes,  Mum gives her permission, She would be Honoured. She she tells me there was roast every Sunday, Birthday cakes on peoples Birthdays and orchards for lots of Fruit something not a lot of children were able to enjoy. She was Evacuated to Maidenhead during the war, but that's another story.  It will be a She also recalls  the Tree on blazer badge do remember if it meant We stand upright possible. Her sister May also went to school on a train, but she does not remember where... She will have to ask her next time they are on the telephone. Do let me know if you manage to get the book published as It's one I would love to purchase and read.

[frederickay]

hi , i started this post hoping someone could remember my dad jimmy Wharton and his sisters , dolly , Winnie and ?
i only know he was there from aged 2 in 1930  until the war .. so he would have never known any different but he said it wasn't bad ...... interesting different perspectives .....
how do we find the records for this school and where ..
thanks ..
Jan ..

[lukeone]

re Molund comment

My father William says he was admitted 30th Oct 1924 and he left there 29April 1938
He has also written an article"The Story Of A White Stolen Child" to recall his time at Ashford Residential

[CaptKirk]

My mother was sent to Ashford Residential School at age 2 in 1927. She was the 4th of 5 sisters, 4 of which were all at Ashford.  Mom says the posts here have revived memories. I'm amazed that at 85 years old, she remembered names of places she went to and even Mr. Wright who she says all the girls had a crush on. She said that Ashford was not a bad place to her because it was all she could remember but that her younger sister (the only sister still alive) didn't like it at all because she was sent there at age 6. Mom says that she didn't even know she had a younger sister until one day the nurses brought her and said her is your younger sister.

She says that they were there until being sent to Maidenhead in 1939 during the war (WWII).

She says that they left there proper young ladies because they were taught to be polite, how to dress and speak well.

She and her sisters would be hard to miss because they were the only mixed-race children there. There names were Ruby, Rose, Gladys, and Vera.

She remembers some names, but I won't list them here for privacy in case they are still alive.

I found another site (friendsreunited.co.uk) that was intended to help students of Ashford Residential School find each other but I wasn't able to find much there but a few photos of people she certainly didn't recognize.

[Johnsearch]

Hi, I am new to this forum but have an interest in the Ashford Residential Home (West London Schools District). My father and at least one of his brothers were there from 1914 to 1922. I have recently visited the London Metropolitan Archives to view the information they have on the home and it has been quite informative as I have learned precise dates of admission/discharge, information on training, medical records and punishments etc. My question is this if anybody can help:
I always thought that this being a residential school the 'inmates' would be there pretty well all the time from their admission till their discharge. However the records show that the 'school' was actually closed for holidays (Christmas, Easter, Summer etc). Sometimes the school was even closed for single days or half days. Knowing the background to why many of the children were there - poverty etc. I cannot imagine the parents or guardians being able to take the kids home for holidays when the school shut, so what happened to them? Any help on this would be much appreciated. Regards Johnsearch.