A SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH

We have many group photographs in the Museum’s collection and very many of them are of school classes. It has been an established tradition in British schools to have annual class photos and even pictures of individual school kids have been taken since at least the 1950s … I know! I was in them too! So this month’s exhibit isn’t particularly noteworthy for that.

What is nice about it is that the donor, a Mr Peter Ovens of Stratton St Margaret’s, has taken a lot of trouble in researching the names of the people in it. The class is the St Mary’s C of E School, Purton, of 1923-24 so any surviving boy or girl would be about 90 today. The head teacher to the left is Tubby Farndon and the class teacher to the right is Kathleen Barnes. And Peter together with Alice Shailes – who would have been in the picture if she’d been at school that day – have given me all but four of the children’s names.

Peter’s father, Nelson Ovens, is second left on the third row. Jack Gunter is the lad on the back row right and the names I don’t have are: the two boys either side of Nelson; the chap who’s head and shoulders taller than the others on the back row and the girl in the second row (third right) in the dark pinafore dress standing between Lily Martin and Ruth House. It’s a delight to have so many names in a group picture but I wonder if anyone can give me the missing names? Call me on 770648 if you can.

If you want to see a more detailed picture Click Here or for the names we know Click Here

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