What happened on Friday 22 November 2002?

Our wildest expectations were exceeded with your turn out, photographs, memories and friendship. I did not have one quiet moment, I seemed to be talking to someone all the time, and I very much appreciate all of those who introduced themselves to me, I could then put names to faces of people I have only had conversations with over the phone, or by letter. A lot of you I have not met for a great number of years, I confess, some of you I could not recall at all until you mentioned certain circumstances which immediately triggered my memory and bang we were back there at school, or in some cases in a pub or dance hall in our youth. You all had so many wonderful stories to tell and I hope you will write some of them down and send them on to me, even if one or two may embarrass me personally, I have broad shoulders and have nothing to hide and would willingly include them in THE LINK. There were a number of fascinating people
page 2
at the Town Hall, some of you had attended the school in the mid thirties, I found their stories fascinating, it would be wonderful to get them recorded on tape, film or book, who knows we may have a promising author amongst us. Let me start by inviting you to write to me with your stories, it would be nice to have dates put to your stories, you will be amazed at what you can put down on paper in just a few minuets. I have over the past three years written 140 pages of all I can remember as a child for my family to read, they none of them realise how self sufficient Long Melford was, with shops every few yards selling all you required to live, from sugar, paraffin, soap, clothes, etc fresh bread groceries coal and milk all delivered to your door, nearly all food tatsted of parrfin or carbolic soap, hygiene was not even considered an important issue but we all survived.

I would on your behalf, like to thank Ted Filer and all his fellow musicians for playing the kind of music that carried me through my teenage years. I hope it did the same for you. I was an avid fan of Swing, their music took me back to the days of going to see Ted Heath at The London Palladium on Sunday evenings or going to Oxford Street to the Hundred Club where a young Humphrey Lyttleton was playing the most wonderful music, that drove my parents crazy with my continuous playing of their records. I remember Humph. introducing a new young talent, a trumpeter by the name of Chris. Barber and saying he thought he had a good future!!!

page 3

I have revived a lot of my visits to the Hundred Club recently with a very good friend from my working days at BBA, (now alas gone) His father in law ran the Hundred Club and Brian my old work mate was electrician come handyman. Brian carried out all the maintenance and helped to run the sessions there and at the Manor Club in Ipswich, he has just spent a few days with me (January 2003) the stories he related and the people he has met filled almost an evenings chatter I can listen as well as talk!

The first time I visited the Hundred Club in the fifties I was terrified, the club operates in a basement, on the half landing of the stairs stood a giant of a man dressed in evening dress complete with Bow Tie and sporting a black beard, his eyes looked right through you, there was no alcohol allowed on the premises he was there just in case, the number of times I went there I never saw any trouble, I don’t think anyone would have dared to confront the giant, Brian has told me he was one of the co owners of the club and as gentle as a lamb, it hasn’t allayed my fear of him at all.

Still on the music theme I have been in touch with an ex pupil, Doreen Taylor nee Gwilliams, she now lives near Swaffham in Norfolk, we lived next door to each other in Hall Street Melford and we reminisced over the phone about our days going with a group of friends around the various towns seeing all the Big Bands, two days latter a package arrived from her and her husband containing a tape of Ted Heath’s music, imagine my pleasure on all accounts, our joint pleasure, firstly making contact with each other and reminiscing about bygone days, our appreciation of music, also receiving the tape.
page 4

This Link, available on the display table, with the kind permission of Barry Wall, running in conjunction with the Sudbury History Week In St Peters. If you would like to help in any way with any future events we would be most grateful, it would be nice for someone to take notes, names, addresses and telphone numbers, at these events, most important we hope to see you, None of us tire of your stories and viewing your photographs, if you know anyone who hasn’t been along to any of the past meetings, please encourage them to come along to support and meet us.

Each meeting gets bigger and better, but we do want your ideas and suggestions as to how or what you think any future events should contain. Do you just like meeting old friends and recalling past stories, over a cup of tea etc. or should we be a little more adventurous?.

page 5

page 6

Put your ideas forward and don’t be afraid of getting involved arranging future events, you can see how popular they have become in under two years, let’s keep it going!!!!

I know a lot of you would be willing to help to arrange an event,

so come on don’t sit on your hands, we none of us bite!!

Would some of you like to arrange a dinner, or a trip to a Theatre, maybe arrange a tiddlywinks match, or help arrange a fishing match. (just don’t ask me to attend that one!)

I don’t know about you, but I have revived a lot of old friendships since we first started in May 2001 with our first attempt in St Peter’s in conjunction with ‘The Sudbury Historical Week’ It was all very informal and enjoyable, none of us new how it would be received, I think the results speak for themselves. None of us are getting younger (except for the Ladies of course) so I feel it is important that we make contact with as many people as possible from the old school, if only for my benefit, Derek Parsons who is building the website also publishes anything we pass on to him These Links all go on the SMSS web page .

page8

These names I hope may bring a lot of memories back for you, next issue I will attempt to copy a list of ‘Honours’ which must include most of the pupils in the school at that period i.e. 1949

Now that we have started a new chapter in the History of our School, it is fitting that we should glance back over the years, and view the changes that have taken place from time to time. With the Editor’s permission we dipped into some of the old Log Books for our facts.

The present building, or part of it, was erected away back in 1846, and provided accommodation for three schools, a Boy’s, a Girl’s, and an Infant’s School. our records do not go further back
page 9
than 1891, but at that time we find the Boy’s School was in the charge of Mr Marshall. As many children and parents will know, Mr Marshall has given his name to one of our present “Houses”, as Mr Lennard, who was the Boys Head master before Mr Marshall, has given his to another.

It is interesting to note that at this time the Monitorial system was in use, and thus some of the scholars were taught by Monitors who were paid the princely sum of 2/- or 1/6d per week for their services. Another note in the Log Book indicates that the scholars paid fees for their schooling. What a difference from those days of Education free for all! From another page it was discovered that the money granted to the school depended on the results obtained, that is the standard of work the pupils could pass.

In 1894 we find that All Saints School was closed, and the boys and girls admitted to the Board School.

Coming down to 1903 we find the Scholars were transferred from the Sudbury School Board to the West Suffolk Education Authority, with Mr Fred Hughes as secretary to the committee. Mr Hughes continued as Secretary until 1935, when Mr R.F.A.Carter was appointed.

During the Great War, most of the Male Staff, including the Caretaker,were called up for service, and this meant a good deal of “changing round” of the staff between the Boys, Girls and Infants.

In 1918 the War Savings, now National asssociation was formed.

page 10

Later in the same year, the Girls and Boys Department were joined to form the Sudbury Mixed Council School under Mr Fitch, who had succeeded Mr Marshall in the previous year. Miss Alston, after whom Alston House is named, continued as Head of the Infants Department, and was later succeeded by Miss Shrive. At this time (1923) the “School Link” was started. Broadcast Lessons were in progress, and Swimming was being taught in the summer months.

So the years rolled by, with many changes among the staff and the children, For some the Education Committee of the County Council (actually since 1920) had been considering making our school a Senior School for the district. Now this has partly come to pass, as far as Sudbury children are concerned. By next September all the noise that at present accompanies our lessons, will be over, and we should possess a Senior School worthy of the name, and the first in West Suffolk

HOUSE MARKS. (Extract from School Link September 1937)

Boys and girls can earn the folowing marks for their houses.

Honours- 3rd class 2 marks

                2nd class 5 marks

                1st class 10 marks

Magazine Tries           1 or 2 marks according to effort shown.

Magazine Paragraphs. 5 mark

HOUSE MARKS to date

                           ALSTON            LENNARD         MARSHALL        TRIPP

HONOURS             212                      168                        208                  200

Magazine Tries         120                       100                         96                  148

Magazine Paragraphs 20                         -                           15                     50

Totals                       352                       268                       321                  398

page 11

Having retired some six years ago on what I then considered a reasonable pension, ‘to which I had contributed all my working life’ plus some extra to make our retiremement that little bit more comfortable, my late wife having done the same, of which I also recieve a portion of what would have been her pension, I am now beginning to realise why all those moaning OAPs who used the shop where I worked in Felixstowe were on about.

I have several friends who are couples and we often talk about the cost of living in relation to our pensions. .

My rates bill in the six year period since my wife died has almost doubled, my water/gas/electricity have increased and I do not see any reduction in my food bills, I need more heating, I have to throw away a disgusting amount of food because I can very seldom find individual sized veg, or portions of food that I like to eat economically. I have to have a new pair of spectacles almost every year costing in the region of £280/£300 a pair plus a pair for playing with the computer. My pensions are about the only things that have almost remained static. My investments which were supposed to boost my income have reached a point where they no longer hardly make any differnce to my income for the year. As a single person my expences to run the house are as high, in some cases higher than my ‘couple’ friends.

page 12

Derek keeps the Web site up to date and wlcomes any news, photographs or requests that would be of interest to former pupils for publication on the site.

Derek can be contacted on:-

Hi Derek,
find attached picture of class 4a, circa 1964 ish. i am 5th from right front row, top pic, and 2nd left on the bottom pic.
Regards

Chris Stebbing