STOWELL PARK SECONDARY MODERN
SCHOOL "im. Królowej
Jadwigi" |
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By 1948 Polish DP camps in Africa and
India were being wound down and significant numbers of children in their
teens were
arriving in the UK, swelling the numbers of young people in need of
secondary
education. In 1949 two new Secondary Modern boarding school were
opened, a co-education school in Diddington and one just
for girls in the large camp of Stowell Park, which already housed the
grammar school.
The secondary modern girls school was named "Królowej
Jadwigi" with
Mrs. Romiszowska as
headmistress. This is where girls of secondary school age, with little
knowledge of the English language, would begin their integration into the
English community. The school provided a graded four-year course,
the first two years were devoted to general subjects and improving the
English language. After that girls could choose between domestic science
or a commercial course.
The programmes of study were in line with similar opportunities elsewhere
and also made it possible to transfer girls between the two schools as
their aptitude for either academic or vocational subjects evolved.
In 1950/51 25 of the 150 girls in the Secondary Modern school
transferred to the grammar school. |
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Stasia Jamroży Stasia Kapusta,
Józia Hołuj 1951 |
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Headmistress H.
Romiszowska, Professor Janina Kościałkowska and dignitaries strolling around
the school buildings. |
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My memories of Stowell Park secondary
modern school "im. Królowej
Jadwigi" by Zosia Grycewicz |
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Our
parents lived in
Doddington Park camp
in Cheshire but both my younger
sister Klara and I attended
Stowell Park
school and we only saw them when we came home during the
school holidays.
I was in the home economics section of the vocational
secondary school named after Queen Jadwiga (gimnazjum wydziałowe im.
Królowej Jadwigi),
my sister Klara
did Business studies.
The head mistress was Mrs. H. Romiszowska,
On arrival in
Stowell Park I found the huge beech trees that grow in the park most
impressive, less impressive where the many barrel shaped barracks which
served as dormitories and classrooms. There were a number of girls
allocated to each dormitory or "barrels of laughs" as we called them
The beds were placed around the walls and between each bed was a wardrobe
for our clothes and there was also a large table.
In the middle was a coke burning pot
bellied heating stove and in the winter we took turns stoking it to
make sure it didn't go out,
We all took turns cleaning the dormitory according to a schedule
set up by the dormitory supervisor. Everything had to be
shiny and spick and span with clothes hanging in the
wardrobe or neatly folded into squares, just like the army. |
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In the middle is Zosia Grycewicz, can you
name the other girls? |
Zosia Grycewicz, Janka Kempa |
Hela Kołodziejczyk
is in the middle. |
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On
duty are Czesia Skrabacz, Janina Jeniec, Marysia Bogdaniec, Klara
Grycewicz - 1950 |
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Klass 3H From
the left Klara Grycewicz, Józia
Hołuj, Stasia Jamroży, Stasia Kapusta, Krysia Biegus, Janian
Jeniec, Marysia Grzybowska, Sitting from the left Marysia
Bogdaniec, Madzia Łatonowska, Janina Radyk, Czesia Skrabacz,
Janina Szlamka. |
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Jasia Kempka, Zosia
Grycewicz, Hela Kołodziejczyk |
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We wore school uniform of navy skirts and
white blouses, hair brushed back and held in place with a navy
Alice band with a bow. |
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Before leaving the
dormitory for school there would be a personal inspection as well as an
inspection of the dormitory, wardrobes and beds. As well as the usual
academic subjects we had 2 lessons of cutting and sewing, 2 lessons of
English (taught by a native English speaking teacher), cooking and banqueting. My
sister, Klarcia, was in the business studies section. She liked to cut
her hair and was frequently in trouble with the teachers for curling her
hair which she then had to straighten. We had three meals a day but quite
often felt hungry in the evening. We had to be in bed by 9p.m. but nobody
was asleep at that time, particularly in the summer. |
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We would climb out of the windows at the back of the barrack and play
"palant" a game similar to rounders. Sometimes we would meet Fr.
Gołąb strolling and saying his Breviary. We also had a school ghost
who would frighten us at night, we called him "kapelusznik" (the hatter)
because he wore a large white hat. I was a member of the Girl
Guides, Crusade (a religious organisation) and a sports group. We
visited the Cheddar Gorge and went to a Guide camp, I was an
"Ochotniczka" (volunteer) with the rank of "squad leader". I left
the school in 1950 but continued to train in cutting and sewing with a
qualified seamstress from Warsaw, Jadzia, who was well known in
Doddington.
My sister Klarcia continued her education until 1952 and in
that time made many more friends. |
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Thank you to Zosia Puchalska (Grycewicz
)for her contribution. |
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Memories of Stowell Park school
"im. Królowej
Jadwigi" by Marysia Polkowska (Bogdaniec) |
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Some of the staff and pupils from my year.
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Professor Kuczyński,
Prof. Janina Kościałkowska, Director of our school Mrs. H.
Romiszowska, Prof. Gabryś Of the girls I remember:- Mela Chyłek,
Ludwika Świderska, Marysia Łukasiewicz |
Headmistress H. Romiszowska.
teacher Mr. KuczyŃski, Fr. Józef Gołab, Some of
the pupils, Stasia
Jamroży, Marysia Bogdaniec, Klara Grycewicz. |
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Stowell Park nr. Cheltenham is located
in the beautiful county of Gloucestershire. During the war the Americans
built Stowell Park as a military hospital for wounded American personnel,
and one Nissen hut for mentally disturbed soldiers. The Committee for the
Education of Poles (The Gater Committee) adapted Stowell Park for use as a
boarding school for young ladies and girls.
In 1948
Polish women and
children started arriving from camps in India, Africa and other places to
join their men folk in England. The families were housed in camps and
hostels all over England. My family, with others, were transported by train
and army lorries from Daglingworth transit camp nr. Cirencester to
Keevil camp
nr. Trowbridge, Wiltshire. In 1949 young ladies and girls of secondary
school age with little command of English and only sporadic education
began arriving at their new school.
In a comfortable Black & White coach
we travelled from Trowbridge to Cheltenham where we changed buses to Northleach, then walked a short distance to the school. Actually there
were two schools: the Grammar School named "Ignacy Paderewski" and the
Secondary Modern School "Queen Jadwiga". Soon the local people knew who we
were and often gave us a lift in their cars. Stowell Park was located
between Northleach and a small village with a brook flowing under a
stone bridge, called Fossbridge. |
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Entrance Class:- 1950 Ala Cabut, Gienia Kumorek, Stasia
Makćków, Marysia Bogdaniec, Stasia Kapusta, Lala Bortkiewicz with Fr. Józef
Gołąb. |
The bridge in Fossbridge:- Janina Jeniec, Marysia
Grzybowska, Klara Grycewicz Marysia Bogdaniec, Stasia Jamroży
with teacher Mr. Szydzik. |
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The school was surrounded by a high
stone wall with two entrance gates from the road. On the other side of the
wall grew huge leafy beeches providing pleasant shade from the hot sun. To
the left was a tennis court which also served for gymnastic displays. The
pupils, depending on their age and knowledge, were soon allocated to their
schools. The girls from Keevil were mainly in the Secondary Modern School,
they were: Weronika Czerniecka, Wanda Czerniecka, Maria Bogdaniec, Janina
Jeniec, Bronisława Stefko, Ludwika Świderska, Felicja Przyboś, in the
Grammar School were: Krystyna Lipińska, Krystyna Dębek, Danuta Kalinowska.
The Secondary Modern School offered two broad subjects groups, Commercial
or Domestic studies and we were able to choose which to follow. I chose
commercial subjects and joined class 3H (Handlówka). |
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CLASS 3H 1951 |
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Fr. Józef Gołąb, Czesia
Skrabacz, Halina Staniaszek, Janka Jeniec, Marysia Bogdaniec Klara
Grycewicz, Staśia Kapusta, Halina Śliwińska Jłuzia Hołuj, Janka
Szlamka, Janka Radyk, Marysia Grzybowska. |
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Our dormitory was in a Nissen
hut with lights high-up in the ceiling still covered by dense
wire mesh, similarly two heating stoves were protected by metal
mesh panels securely affixed to metal posts and bars. Eventually
the mesh panels were removed from the lights and stoves. The
strong posts sunk into the concrete floor remained. Our Nissen
hut was partitioned into a dormitory for us girls and living
quarters for our headmistress and her family Mrs H. Romiszowska.
Entering the dormitory, on both sides of a short corridor were
communal wash-rooms and bathroom, coal store and a large room
for the dormitory teacher. Our dormitory mistress was Mrs. Zawalnicka, a motherly figure, kind but firm. We had an
excellent professor an eldery lady Mrs. J. Kościołkowska and
there were two priests, Fr. Borowicz and Fr. Józef Gołąb, both
instructed us in religious subjects. Close by was our chapel.
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The dormitories were furnished
with iron beds, mattresses, pillows and blankets and by each bed
was a cupboard/wardrobe for personal possessions. There were
also two large tables and chairs for communal use. The bed linen was
changed every two weeks and we had to pick it up from a central
store. We polished the black floor until it glistened. We did
our own washing and ironing. |
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No drip dry in those days! On
fine days Klara and I would vigorously shake out our blankets
hoping to remove all the dust and what we morbidly imagined to
be the smell of dead bodies. It was impossible. |
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The classes were held in pre-fab huts;
the recreation rooms, small library and theatre with a stage, were in
Nissen huts. Close by were kitchen and dining rooms for both schools. In
the spring I enjoyed, through the window of my class, fantastic views of
copses and green meadows which a profusion of dandelions turned into a
yellow carpet. There was also Stowell Manor which belonged to Lord Vesty.
In the spring some of us would climb over the barbed wire and explore the
woods and gasp at the beauty of bluebells. It was magic! |
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Soon we made friends with girls from
other hostels. In our dormitory was Klara Grycewicz with whom I became
firm friends, other girls were; Stasia Jamroży, Czesia Skrabacz, Stasia Kapusta, Janka
Jeniec, Małgosia Latanowska, Jadzia Hołuj, Janka Radyk, Janka Szlamka,
Marysia Grzybowska, Stasia Maków,
Stasia Otawiec Halina Staniaszek
and Krysia Biegus, who had a good soprano voice, Krysia and I also became friends. |
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SOME OF MY FRIENDS. |
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Klara Grycewicz amd Marysia Bogdaniec. |
Marysia Bogdaniec and Krysia Biegus. |
Krysia Biegus. |
Janka Fijałkowska,
Stasia Madrys-Pakuła |
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Marysia Bogdaniec, Janka Matulis, Lala Bortkiewicz and friends in
front of their dormitories. |
Class 3H - 1951 Felka Jełł,
Stasia Maćków, Janka Matulis, Klara Grycewicz, Stasia Kapusta, Ala Cabut, Janka
Radyk, Madzia Latanowska, Marysia Bogdaniec, Danusia Wysocka, Stasia
Jamroży Wiesia Rytwińska, Halina Batory. |
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Although we were in a commercial class, once a week we
attended cooking lessons with Mrs. Urbańska. I must admit I was not good at
it at all. Preparing the dough for biscuits we were instructed to throw
the lump onto the table in order to expel the air. My dough somehow always
landed on the floor! Every Wednesday was an English Day, which we observed
only when teachers were passing by when we would say "Good morning" in
English. |
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Trip to the Roman Villa |
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Beside occasional shopping trips
to Northleach or if we were very lucky, to Cheltenham many
educational trips were laid on by the school. |
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Girls who belonged to the English club run
by Mrs. Gorgolewska on a visit to
Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire
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Janka Szlamka, Janka Jeniec, Marysia
Bogdaniec, Madzia Latanowska, Klara Grycewicz, Czesia Skrabacz,
Janka Radyk, Stasia Jamroży, Stasia Orawiec, and Jadzia Hołuj. |
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Below girls in their uniforms on a visit to
the zoo. |
Krysia Biegus and Marysia Bogdaniec with a
baby elephant. |
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Trip to Bristol Zoo |
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Class 4G decided to celebrate their last
100 days (studniowka) at
school by sneaking out of school and walking all the way to Cirencester.
My friend, who was responsible for ringing the school bell, walked into my class, dumped the heavy bell and clock on my desk
whispering not to ask questions nor tell anyone, just ring the bell as
required and in a flash was gone. I had no idea what was afoot. When the
matter came to light I was reprimanded for not disclosing their plans to
teachers but I could not break my promise nor was I aware of their plans.
As it happened, that day we had a visit by two British Inspectors from the
Ministry of Education in London. Accompanied by our headmistress Mrs. Romiszowska they walked into our class, stayed a while and when the door
was opened to class G4 they were confronted with a blackboard on which
was written: "Studniowka! Hurray" and something else which I no
longer remember. The whole class was punished after they returned. Tired,
hungry and thirsty they were sent to bed without supper. We smuggled
slices of bread under our blazers and passed them through the window to the
hungry students. We heard that on the way back some cars stopped and gave
them a lift, many girls were not so lucky. |
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Sport, physical exercise, music and
Polish culture played a major role in our school life.
The end of the academic year was an occasion for gymnastic
displays, singing and national dancing to which parents and
distinguished visitors were invited. |
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Photo in the middle is of Klara Grycewicz
demonstrating her skills in archery. |
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People recognized us by our dark navy
uniforms and berets. The initial intake of students were given
berets, leather shoes and appropriate
lengths of beautiful woollen fabric from which our
uniforms were made.
In these uniforms I think we looked very smart. The years sped by.
Everybody came to the farewell party. There was poetry, singing, promises
to keep in touch after leaving school, ending the meeting by singing "Upływa
szybko życie" (Life flows quickly by). Our cheeks were wet with tears
but we didn't care. We were friends, belonging to a "club", a family. This
friendship lasts to this day, often evoking happy times in the Polish
Boarding School for Girls in Stowell Park. |
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Class IV G on a trip to Bath |
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The girl's spiritual well being and
religious devotion were carefully nurtured through active membership
of religious organisations. |
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Page 1 "I.
Padarewski" Grammar School |
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Page 2 Current "Królowej
Jadwigi" Secondary Modern School |
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Page 3
More photos of Stowell Park School |
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Page 4
LIST
of girls attending Stowell Park and Grendon Hall schools 1951 to follow |
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Back to other camps |
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