Perry Family Album of the St Anne's Boys' and Girls' School



Photos from a number of Perry family albums are reproduced here by kind permission of Joanna and Stephen Parkinson. With a few exceptions the photos date from just before or during WW1. Specific dates are not always shown in the albums but where they are they are included below. Many of the boys, girls and staff members are named.
Before these albums came light there were very few images of pupils and staff at St Anne's, and none known of girls, so the photos add a considerable amount to our knowledge of the institution at this time. Beyond the fact that they add meat to the bones of the information so far available they also give a taste of a period in a small place in England when war with Germany was either imminent or was in full flow.
(AJM October 28th 2011)
 
 
This is the second of two pages about St Anne's
 
1
The Rev. Dr William Perry was headmaster of St Anne's 1896-1919. Here he is shown in an informal pose on the right with his wife, Sarah (far left) and an unknown couple. There is more about Dr Perry on the St Anne's sister page

Information emailed from Nicole Duhamel: - I'm a great-great-granddaughter of Dr Perry. Photograph 1 on the Perry family album page (showing Dr Perry and his wife) shows an “unknown couple”. Based on the resemblance between Mrs Perry and the unnamed woman, I would suggest that the unknown woman is one of her sisters – probably Louisa or Caroline, the only two who married. This would make the unknown man either William Roberts (Louisa’s husband) or George Bright (Caroline’s husband).  

   

2
3
A football team with no date or names given Boys in the playground with men of the King's Liverpool Regiment who were camped nearby during WW1
   

4
5
Exactly where the The 6th K.L. Regt. (The Liverpools) were camped at St Anne's during WW1 is not known. It was clearly close to St Anne's, perhaps on land that was part of the Wiggie estate.
   

6
7
Boys demonstrating battallion drill on the playing field. As there are spectators this was probably during an open day. The playing field was used by the Redhill Junior Technical School in later years but is now the site of The Warwick School and its facilities. 1st football XI Christmas 1915
l-r rear - Gracie ii*, Watts-Reade, Cole, Brown, Young, Hopwood, Purser, Garlick.
l-r front - Smith, Orford, Gracie i, Badcock. Fenwick.
(See also photos 8, 22, 23, 24, 29 and 40 for Gracie)
   

8
9
J.C.Brown, R.H.Platten , H.S.Gracie and J.T.F.Neavy.(see also photos 25, 30, 31, 38 and 40 for Platten. See also photo 25 for Neavy) Cricket team, no names given.
   

10
11
   

12		 These three photos are postcards depicting Swedish Drill being performed by the boys on the playing field. The exercises and movements were performed with a view to improving the general health of the body rather than muscular development. The drills were done outside whenever possible to allow for fresh air and deep breathing. The movements were to command so the pupils learned the power of quick, correct responses, requiring concentration and quickness of thought, alertness of action, and effort of will.
   

In these and some of the other photos on this page where the playing field is featured, the railway can be seen in the background, the view being to the east with the St Anne's building behind the photographer. This is the 'Quarry' or fast line that was built to bypass Redhill and opened in 1901. When work was in progreess past the school it must have been an interesting spectacle for staff and pupils alike.
   

13
14
l-r - Tubb, Miss Davies, Polkinghorne, Booth, Dibden. Presumably Miss Davies was a member of staff. A postcard showing what would seem to be a family group. The only person named is the boy on the left and he is shown simply as Bazelgette.
   

15
16
Another family group, this time with no names at all. Perhaps one or both of the boys were St Anne's pupils. Left is Mr Maldwyn Price, Canterbury House master. Right is Mr G.W.C.Green, Victoria House master. Both are listed as staff members in the 1918 magazine, although when the above photo was taken is unknown. (The Wellington house master is shown in photo 33)
   

17
18
W.P.Holland A cricket team, no details given
   

19
20
21
A boy named Back B.J.Gilbert A.P.Smith
     

22
23
24
G.L.Gracie G.L.Gracie H.S.Gracie
 

25
26
27
R.H.Platten and J.E.F.Neavy J.J.B.Taylor R.H.Taylor
     

28
29
30
Little, Bamforth and Roberts
(see photo 32)		 A.P.Smith R.H.Platten
     

31
32
33
R.H.Platten E.O.Bamforth (this looks like the boy on the right in photo 15, making the name allocation for that photo not l-r) Mr L.W.Wood, Wellington house master
     

34
35
36
E.L.H.A.Hoggan G.H.Watts-Read Unknown
     

37
38
Matthews l-r - I.J.G.Jervis, Gibson, R.H.Platten, Mitchell.
   

39
40
Owen Cole and Eddie Bamforth G.L.Gracie and R.H.Platten
   

41
Names of boys in group as they appear in the album
     

42
43
44
F.H.Meade Allnut J.Bailey
   

46
47
The presentation of the prizes at a St Anne's sports day. The shields in the foreground are for football, swimming and house sports competition. The silhouetted figures are presumably those conducting the presentation. Seated to their left are what may be the guests of honour, possibly the mayor and mayoress of Reigate or dignitaries connected with the governing body of the school. The man above is Mr Messenger. In the sports day photo left it can be seen that the centre shield was given by Mr G.A.Messenger. During which years he was associated with the school is unknown but he presided over the 1918 prizegiving. In the 1890s there was a T.C.Messenger who was manager of the London and Counties Bank at 63 Station Road, Redhill. In the 1920s there was a Walter J.Messenger who lived at 'Nether Glen', 85 London Road, Redhill. Whether the Mr Messenger shown here was connected with either of those gentlemen is unknown.
   
This list of people connected with St Anne's is from a 1913 directory. Mr Messenger is listed and after his name is 'Lloyds, E.C.'
   

48
49
Sports Day 1916 A cricket match in progress, possibly part of an event connected with sports day.
   

50
St Anne's as seen from the playing field with the dining hall and gymnasium marked
 
Some of the photos above are formally posed either for private and family photographers of for school commissions, but the majority are informal, with the subjects relaxed and comfortable in their poses.Time was taken over the taking of these photos, the taker being a familiar figure at St Anne's and well known to pupils and staff alike. Preumably the photographer was one, or perhaps several, of the Perry family. It is a unique collection.
     

51
52		  
An unknown lady Group of un-named girls  
     

54
55
56
Three girls Miss Sowton and Miss Arrowsmith Millicent Tamplin and Eileen Ready
     

57
58		 59
Three photos of Miss Vera Jefferies
     

60
61
62
Miss Jefferies (as opposed to Miss Vera Jefferies) The two Miss Jefferies
     

63a
63b
St Anne's was built partly on land bought from the Wiggie estate. The garden at Wiggie was renowned for its lovely daffodil meadow in which these four are sat. They are Aileen Butler, Phyllis Duffield and Miss Luca, the fourth person being unknown.
   

64
65
66
Three un-named girls Miss Elphick outside the chapel Evelyne Wade and Eileen Swaby
     

67
68
69
Frances Gelthorpe The girl on the right is Doris Purser Winifred Bullen, Norah Blackburn and Helen Melliss
     

70
Form 6 1916 - 17 with names. This is the first of the dated photos.
     

71
Form V cricket team with names 1915.
     

73
Form VI cricket team, unfortuately no names or date provided.
     

74
75
76
Joyce Morgan Miss Arrowsmith 1915 Marjorie Tyler and Miss Johnson
     

77
78
Miss Brooks and Girls, summer term 1917 St Anne's 1st cricket XI 1915
   

79
80
81
Miss Tushingham Unknown Joan Hall
     

82
83
84
Two images of Persis Freer. The one on the right is dated 1917. The one on the left is undated but must be at least two years or more earlier. Miss Gwynne Jones September 1916
     

85

Left - Sister Farr and Frances Gelthorpe appear in this photo but so does the shadow of the photographer, the only time this happens in any of the images in the album.


86
Unknown
     
     

87
88
l-r Eileen Jourdan, unknown, Helen Melliss, Freda Goodshall These more mature ladies are un-named, which is a shame. They don't look like staff so are they perhaps ex-pupils from the late 1800s on a reunion visit? Could the lady seated front centre be an ex-teacher? Probably we shall never know.
   

89
90
91
Maisie Harrison Emily Osborne l-r Helen Mellin, Mabel King, Freda Goodsale (Goldsale, Goodshall)
     

92
93
94
Dorothy Blick and Joan Sutcliffe Miss Mulligan June 1915. A handwritten note on the reverse of the photo states that is is by P Greer. Elsie Stranade
     

95
96
l-r Doris Purser, Eileen Jordan, Lucy May, Kathy Perry, Norah Perry, Agnes Bell. Norah Perry was the daughter of the St Anne's principal and may have been the taker of many of the photos on this page. Norah and Kathleen appear in photo 165 in 1976. The Perrys with their bother Bill on his wedding morning Aug. 7 1915. Perhaps that is Mrs Perry front right. By the look of the hat it could be Norah Perry back right (see photo 85). A thought that comes to mind is whether Bill was in the army at this time. WW1 was by now a year old and many young men had volunteered.
   

97
98
99
Miss Evans Mabel King and Helen Mellins Mabel King again, this time dated 1915, from a postcard by a Forest Gate photographer.
     

100
101
104
Two photos of Miss Priest Barbara Blackburn, Helen Mellins
     

105
106
137
Tommy and Valerie Carter 1915 Barbara Blackburn Marjorie and Helen Mellis (taken at Worthing poss 1920s)
     

138
139
140
Marjorie Lee Lizzie Dazieg on the left. Kathleen Sherlock
     

141		 142a 142b
On the left is Miss Mulligan June 1915 at St Anne's (a repeat of photo 93). In the centre photo she is named as Biddy Mulligan just over two years later. She is in the WW1 uniform of the W.A.A.C (Women's Army Auxilliary Corps which was raised in 1917 and then became the Queen Mary's Army Auxilliary in 1918. Her lapel badged is shown enlarged right.
       

143
144
Beatrice Harris Far right is Miss Fletcher
     

145
146
Miss Young, headmistress of St Anne's 1906-18, is here pictured in 1915. The seat shown above was dedicated to her memory in 1964 and stood outside Holy Trinity Church on the corner of Carlton and London Roads, Redhill, its original quality apparent by the fact that it lasted 47 years until September 2010 when it was replaced.

147
The inscription along the seat's back rail reads: - TO THE DEAR MEMORY OF MISS J.M.YOUNG, LAST HEADMISTRESS OF THE ROYAL ST ANNE'S SCHOOL, REDHILL, 1906-1919. THIS SEAT WAS GIVEN BY OLD GIRLS OF THE SCHOOL 1964
     

148
149
150
Miss Avery Kitty Miles Winifred Butten
     

151
152
153
Nora Partridge Sister Farr Frances Gammon on the left
     

154
155
156
Miss Tushingham Miss Johnson Maud Steadman
     

157
158
Miss Elphick (far left, Miss Saunders (poss standing next to Miss Elphick or seated right front). Back row l-r 3 is Barbara Blackburn, 4 Frances Gamon. Centre row 1 Emily Osborn, 3 Helen Melliss
Front row 1 Freda Gamon, 2 Joan Hall, 3 Agnes Bell
   

159
160
l-r back row Sylvia Cox, Eileen - - -, Maisie Harrison, Barbara Blackburn, Joan Hall. Centre pair Agnes Ball, Marion Taylor. Front three Helen Mellis, Freda Goodsall, Francis Gamon. Sadly no names are provided in the album for this group
   

161
The reverse of this photo is shown for the names
   

162
St Anne's domestic staff 1915
     

163
164
A photo of part of the St Anne's building that looks like it might be from the 1920s, perhaps on a pupil's or Perry family member's return or reunion visit. No names are given for this group but perhaps that's Miss Young seated centre. The ocassion may have been an ex-pupils' reunion. The photo could have beem taken at the same time as the one on the left.
   

165
166
A St Anne's reunion. Names l-r are Norah Mellins, Elsie Strannach, unknown, Miss Young, Lucy May (see photo 96), boy, unknown, Emily Osborne (see photo 90). No year is given but as the chair at Holy Trinity Church was dedicated to Miss Young's memory in 1964 it must be before then A St Anne's reunion in 1954, perhaps the same one as in the photo left. L--r are 1-Marita Marsland, 2 or 3 Dorothy Fraser, 4-Helen Booth, 5,6 or 7 Elsie Strannach (see photo left), 5,6 or 7 Bessie Carter, 8- Miss Young, 9-Persis Freer (see photos 83 and 83), 10 unknown
   

167
Members of the Perry family in July 1976. From l-r are Helen Andrews (nee Perry), Dr Peter Dilnot, son-in-law of Helen Perry, Kathleen Beamboy (nee Perry), Norah Perry. Was Norah the shadow in photo 85? It may be that it was Kate Perry who was rarely without a hat. See also Perry family members in photo 95 and 96.
 

The photos above take us back to the years around WW1. It is a sobering thought that of all the people pictured above few, if any, will still be living. It was an age when although engines had been invented they were in very limited use, so everywhere in England was very quiet. There are accounts of times when in Reigate the guns could be heard firing in France. Perhaps some of the pupils at St Anne's at Redhill also heard them, bringing home the stark reality of the times. By coincidence this page has been completed and this is being written on 11th November 2011, ninety-three years to the day after the armistice that brought a cessation of hostilities to WW1. The pupils of St Anne's were a part of the generation that the young men who went to that war were fighting for. They were also fighting for generations to come, which includes us who are fortunate enough to be able to look back upon all those faces that gazed into that camera lens almost a hundred years ago. Let us thank the photographer and those who have preserved the albums that have held the results, especially Joanna Parkinson, a descendent of the Perry family, and her husband Stephen, who allowed these photos to appear here.
 
 
This is a page on Alan Moore's website (expired in 2014)

See also the main St Anne's page
11th November 2011