We hope you enjoyed the Bank Holiday last Friday and were able to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day in some way during the lockdown. From your photos many of you made the most of the lovely weather and decorated your houses with home made bunting.
A couple of our former pupils have the following recollections of VE Day, when they would have also been pupils at The Blue Coat School.
Doreen Gent née Edom (BCS pupil 1943 -1949)
“On VE Day, I was 11 years old and at BCS, but we were allowed to go home for a few days. Since food was on ration and my ration book was kept by the Blue Coat School while I was boarding there, I would have been given food coupons from the ration book to allow my mother to purchase my food while I was at home.
We had a street-party in the road where I lived in Kings Heath. Every family took out tables and chairs and even though food was in short supply, it seemed to appear like magic. My mother gave sandwiches and made a cake and there was jelly and blancmange; everyone was elated. But I don’t remember any grown-ups sitting down at the tables and imagine that since the food was limited, it was saved for the children.
Since money was also in short supply, we were not able to have new clothes and even those who had enough money would have needed sufficient clothes coupons from their ration books. So, my mother made me a lovely red, white and blue dress out of crêpe-paper (the sort of paper that was also used for Christmas decorations) and I was delighted. Luckily, because the weather was fine and there was no rain, I didn’t need to worry about it disintegrating!
I also remember that we went indoors and listened with great reverence to both Winston Churchill’s and the King’s speeches on the wireless.”
Trevor Collins (BCS pupil 1941 -1948)
“My wife Bernadette was 10 at the time, and I was going to be 12 years old in August. I cannot remember much of that actual day at school but we do remember the ‘street parties’…….tables laid out, plenty of food, dancing, shouting, laughing, singing…but most of all a feeling of PEACE! …I have to say.”
