FELDEN CROFT
1939-1945 second world war page 2

Thus, the extended family essentially became interdependent during this period of austerity and uncertainty, but with very happy memories. Each member of the family - students, parents and staff, was a pioneer. There are many extraordinary stories recorded during the Second World War, all remarkable in their own right, and the Bush Davies experience must rank as one of them. Noreen and Marjorie may have had their own time at boarding schools when they were young girls but, to take on twenty-six dependants, during this particular period in history, could have been nothing short of foolhardy. It was certainly ambitious and, to the students and others involved, an unforgettable adventure. Some of those students we remember here today: Joyce Percy, Daphne and Mavis Peterson, Pat Burrows, Doreen Bird, Toni Swift, Gwen and Kath Carter, Rosemary Moore, Shealagh Davidson, Mary Pike, Jane Kimm, Audrey Johnson, Kay Goddard, Pauline Innes, Sonia Mackay (whose mother taught Drama), Toni Nelson, Diana Taylor, Nancy Holder, Anne Woolliams, Ann Hanslip, Jessica..., Joyce de la Haye, Denise Hudson, Eileen Barber, Yvonne Barnes and Patricia Barker: Roberta Legge, Jean Bamber, Betty Beckham, Pamela Kay, Audrey Rawlins and Toni Palmer. Also, a Miss Wells accompanied classes on the piano.

Those pioneering parents were not just pampering to the wishes of their children but had huge faith and confidence in the integrity of the schools' protagonists. Some, like Mrs Innes, who brought her daughter Pauline from Romford, came as cook/housekeeper and stayed through to the early days at Charters. 'Pop' Peterson was often available most evenings with his handiwork and tools.

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