ANY JENNY WRENS?

I started at the Senior School, in Wellesley Road, in September 1947.   I must have been an odd-looking child - tall and skinny (happy days!) with gaps in my teeth and two short, stiff plaits that stuck out like shaving brushes. 

I had an undistinguished career at CHS.   I made very little impression on Miss Adams (known throughout the school, and probably in the Staff Room too, as “Fanny”) as she mispronounced both my Christian name and surname throughout my school time, and I was too much of a wimp to tell her.    When I left, halfway through A levels, having discovered that there was much more work involved than I had bargained for, I don’t think she was bothered.   I went on to do a secretarial course, which sounded easier.   After that I went to work for the BBC, in Overseas Radio.   My mother thought that I might be “discovered” and become the female equivalent of Richard Dimbleby (no, not David or Jonathan, they were just boys at the time.)    However, I couldn’t wait for that to happen, so after a couple of years I left to join the W.R.N.S. 

I had four great years, doing fun things like amateur dramatics, rifle shooting, sailing and mountaineering, and, occasionally, work.    I met lots of lovely blokes and even persuaded one of them to marry me.   He can’t have regretted it too much, because next year we celebrate our Golden.    After a few years as a Naval wife, when my children started school, I decided to redeem myself and make more use of my high school education, and embarked on a Teacher Training Course.   By this time Fanny had retired, so this astounding piece of news probably passed her by.   After four years I emerged with B.Ed after my name - a somewhat dubious-sounding qualification, don’t you think - especially if you’re careless with the capitals?   There followed 22 years of primary teaching, which I enjoyed very much to begin with, but towards the end it became much less rewarding teaching and much more frustrating paperwork.   Although I was sad to leave the children and my colleagues, at 60 I wasn’t sorry to retire.

About 20 years ago the nostalgia bug bit me.   You know how it is, you start to wonder what has happened to your friends from the early days.   That’s probably why we all joined O.C. but that came later for me.    I joined the Association of Wrens and, over the years, have become more and more involved, until last year I was pleased and proud to be elected the Association Chairman.    Fame at last!    (Fanny, if you’re up there, looking down, please take note!) 

Now, I can’t be the only Old Croydonian who is an ex-Wren.   In fact, Miss Pelloe, our somewhat eccentric and very energetic Head of Music in about 1950, had been a Wren Officer during the war.   I doubt that she would have been too impressed that I followed in her footsteps, since her main contact with me was when she threw me out of the Junior Choir for talking instead of singing.    However, I digress.   If you are an ex-Wren and you don’t already belong to the Association, I should be delighted to send you details.   It is a thriving association with over seven thousand members and over seventy branches throughout the UK and other parts of the world.

Julia Clark (Boughton)