School Memory – Daniel Stewart’s College 1940s and 50s

This week’s memories are provided by Keith Rowe who attended Daniel Stewart’s College and left in 1956. Keith says:

“At the beginning of September 1943 I entered Class 1 in the Junior School at Daniel Stewart’s College and my mother and I were greeted by Miss Lawson, my teacher for the next few years.  As soon as I could, I nipped out the door only to be brought back in. The Law said I had to be at school and Miss Lawson turned out to be a very kind lady, well used to kids doing a bunk on the first day!

Over the next few days we gradually got to know our class mates, some of whom became lasting friends all the way through until the 6^th form in the senior school. At lunch-time we were finished school until the next day. Another class then arrived for the afternoon session, the reason being that the corner of the school near the Art Hall had been damaged by a bomb so there was a shortage of classrooms.  We all settled down quickly and the highlight of Class 1 that I remember was the arrival one morning of a Red Indian Chief – a friend of Miss Lawson’s. We were slightly put out that he wasn’t wearing a feather head-dress and moccasins but he was the real deal. They now should be called Native Americans but remember, this was 1943.”