Over a hundred former pupils and staff went back to school on Friday 22nd October 2004 to celebrate the 150th birthday of Badsey School. Former pupils aged from 14 to 94 gathered in the School Hall for a tea party. The Year 5 children of today’s Badsey First School sang to the assembled gathering and then acted as waiters and waitresses to hand out birthday cake. The cake was made by Mrs Sue Evans, a parent of children at the school.
Four former pupils, all now in their nineties and who started at Badsey Council School during the First World War, helped to cut the cake and blow out the candles. Fred Roberts, Fred Mason, Jim Brailsford and Deric Anderson were assisted by Headteacher, Mrs Elizabeth Spencer, and the youngest pupil in the school. Fred Mason and Jim Brailsford both started their schooling at Badsey in 1915; Fred Roberts and Deric Anderson started in 1918.
As one former pupil said, who travelled from Somerset for the occasion, "I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. When are you going to hold the next one?" Perhaps in 150 years’ time?! Who knows what Badsey will be like in 2154 and what the educational provision will be then.
On a separate page there are some Memories of Badsey School collected at the reunion.
Featured below are some photos of this very happy occasion. We are grateful to John Hall, a pupil from 1957 to 1963, who acted as official photographer at both the School Reunion and the Book Launch.
Deric is holding a class photo showing himself as a young child at the school in 1920.
Pat Goldstraw (née Barnard), Arthur Plant, Shirley James (née Harrison), Ivor Nailor, Celia Keyte (née Harrison),
John Bird, Les Hartwell, Charles Smith, Lionel Knight, Sheila Knight (née Butler), Jim Dore,
Esmé Dennick (née Jelfs), Mary King (née Norledge), Kathleen Parker (née Norledge), Muriel Morcombe (née Bird).
Doris Harris (née Willett), Michael Barnard, Muriel Trotman (née Willett), Jennifer Waters (née Salter),
Mary Dore (née Anderson), Denis Knight, Wendy Beasley (née Tomkins), Eunice Shorthouse (née Hall),
Patrick Sparrow, Margaret Jordan (née Brotherton), Terry Brotherton, Audrey New (née Harrison),
Emmeline Hughes (née Sheward), -.
Christopher Vince, Will Dallimore, Annette Robbins (née Hewlett), Carol Hall (née Stewart),
Judith James (née Hartwell), Penelope White (née Vince), -.
Elizabeth Dyer (née Cleaver), Anne Morcombe, Hazel Smith (née Whiting), Elizabeth Spencer (née Wheatley),
Gill Dore (née Smith), Jennifer Tweney (née Whiting), Jacqueline Smith (née Vince), Susan Hall (née Hewlett),
Denise Wood (née Hewlett), Ian Hardwick.
Daphne Cleaver (cleaner), Julie Williams (teacher).
official photographer at the
School Reunion and the Book Launch.
- Memories of Badsey School collected at this 2004 reunion.
- The book Heads and Tales - A History of Badsey Schools (ISBN 0 9547 4690 2) by Maureen Spinks.
Its launch coincided with the 150th anniversary of education in Badsey. Here is a book review.