Memories of Hartford School

These are the memories of Miss Bull, later Mrs. Binge and were recorded in the late 1970s.

I attended Hartford School in School Lane from the age of four years from 1909 to 1916. Although I was only four years old when I began, several children began attending from as young as two and a half years of age. I was lucky as I lived opposite the school at 2, School Lane and so did not have far to go!

When I started there were two rooms, the large one having a gallery at the bottom end which was eventually taken down. This left only the two rooms, one big and one little. The big room was divided into two classes with no division at first and the children were often distracted from their lesson to listen to the one they liked. There were long desks seating four or five children with no backs on the seat to lean against. The inkwells were filled once a week and we used long pens and dipped the nibs into the ink wells.

On the desk in the big room was a cane!The playground had no gate and balls would roll into the lane and road.

The toilets were outside in a shed - just buckets and a seat. It was very cold in winter in the school. Coal was used for heating and if there was no coal the children were sent home.

From when I first attended school I wanted to become a teacher. My first teacher was Miss Bird and when I qualified as a teacher I returned to the school to teach with her until I married in 1938. In 1951 I returned to Hartford School to teach and the Headteacher was Mrs Robinson who later became the first Lord Mayor.

There were some changes – I remember dual desks and a curtain between the classes.

Although there was no P.E. apparatus we played with balls, hoops and ropes. The football teams went to Godmanchester, Brampton and Houghton - the boys on their bicycles one behind the other. Sports Day was held in ‘The Pits’ along Sapley Road, with sweets and ices as prizes.

Some children came from outside the village. Officers’ children were brought in by buses each day from RAF Wyton until a school was finished for them at RAF Wyton. Other ranks went to Houghton.

Our Christmas highlight was a play in the Village Hall.

I stayed until 1964 when the school closed. Books were packed and the children set off for the new school in Mayfield Road. The children did not like moving and cried – the new school was so

big and there were so many children. The Infants’ School was not actually ready and the Infants used the Junior School and watched theirs being built.

G. K. Binge (mother of Ann Binge) Original Scripts Script 1 and Script 2

Memories from Mrs. Binge’s daughter Ann, now Ann Beach.

I was at Hartford School from 1943 until 1950. Mrs. Robinson was Head – she taught Juniors and Miss Hibberd was the Infant teacher. Mrs. Robinson lived in School House, Miss Hibberd in the ‘Pink House’ at the bottom of School Lane.

The Juniors were taught in the big room, the Infants in the little room. We had separate playgrounds and the toilets were outside in a block. During the war gas mask drill, cod liver oil and orange juice were given to us. Mr. Dines bought the school milk in churns. We had our own cups and later small bottles witth cardboard tops.