Leyton & Leytonstone
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by David Boote
what head teachers’ ‘school log books’ tell us about the effect of air raids on Leyton and Leytonstone
There is this note in the log book for Harrow Green Infants for 14 June 1917 : “Rumour of an Air Raid at 10.25. Parents came for their children and 130 were withdrawn. Almost immediately 31 returned to their classes, the police having assured the people that nothing was the matter. The attendance marks of 99 who did not return were accordingly cancelled.” Later the same day “Just before three in the afternoon, there was another rumour, & by 3.10 nearly all the scholars had been withdrawn, & on the advice of the Head Master, the remainder were dismissed, and all the attendances for the afternoon cancelled.” For the same day the log of Leyton High Road Mixed School states "Children were sent home at 11.45 a.m. owing to information being received indirectly through the police that aircraft were expected. School was closed at 3 p.m. owing to receipt of official warning that hostile aircraft were expected." What for one Head Teacher was a rumour for another had been an official warning.
Parents, presumably at this time mainly the mothers, sometimes exercised pressure on the schools. “14th June '17 In consequence of 'notice' of an impending air raid during afternoon session and so many parents coming to withdraw their children school was closed at 3.5 and all attendance marks were cancelled.” 4
At the time national government conceded a usefulness for air raid warnings Leyton Council agreed a system by which the local fire brigade would pass messages to schools using Boy Scouts as messengers. In the logbook of Church Road School the head teacher records on 18 June 1917 : “In accordance with instructions from Town Hall I have arranged for a Scout to be in attendance at the Fire Station each morning & afternoon.”
The Leyton Head Teachers Association discussed matters of common interest, particularly how much they were being paid. The subject of air raid warnings was raised at a meeting on 19 November 1917 : “There was a proposal that teachers be warned of aeroplanes reaching the coast. Mr Vincent [the Town Clerk of Leyton Council, equivalent to Chief Executive] said these warnings were only given to the police and ‘many warnings were given which never matured’ but a resolution was passed.”