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ALL GIRLS TOGETHER
It took a bit of planning but, at
long last, five ladies who had been girls at the Elliott School, evacuated
to Guildown House, Guildford, from1940 - 1945, finally met up.
We stayed at the Travelodge in Guildford and talked non-stop about our
years together all that time ago, in those difficult education times. We
recalled those teachers we liked or disliked (no names!) and reminisced
about our friends among the girls. We recognised some of the boys from the
pictures taken along, having no contact with them at the time, of course,
despite all being under one roof.
The highlight was our visit to Guildown House, by kind permission of the
current owners. Apart from June Austin, none of these Old Elliottonians
had been inside what used to be their wartime school since they left it in
1945. We were welcomed with refreshments and then given freedom to explore
almost every room in the house and the extensive garden which must still
have the ghosts of the Elliott invasion embedded in its walls and trodden
underfoot in its grounds.
The patient owners were besieged by information (and delight at the
revelations) as our little group gradually dismantled their home into
"This was my classroom!" or "That was where Miss Rolfe used to teach us
Maths". And outside, exploring all the corners where we used to hide from
the resident gardener, Mr Wells, who tried to keep the lovely grounds as
they were before we arrived.
It was an amazing reunion after so long and we worked out that our
combined ages totalled around 500 years, and still going strong (given a
bit of wear and tear).
Perhaps the female version of "Manners Makyth Man" should be "Women
Willingly Witter" especially for an Elliott Reunion.
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