Recollections Of St Gorran School

I think I am the Clare you referred to . I was at the school from about 1959 to till the early 60s. It was hell on earth. I do not remember you by name. Everything went missing. they were taken by KWR and E> Dorothy Charlton and placed in anoter childs draw etc to make it look as if someone had stolen the item and then Miss Richmond would hand out her punishments. I am trying to trace a pupil called ANN-Mary Ward who was my best friend until she disappeared suddenly. Since leaving st. Gorran my life has been very strange. I believe that St Gorran was set up for a purpose. Every govt department claims to have had no knowledge of it's existence and yet babies esp twins were being placed there by social services from all around the country after being taken away from their parents.Cornwall education dept claims to have no knowledge of its existence nor the dept for education. It seems on paper this school never existed. Very strange. The abuse was horriffic and yet no-one seemed to be prepared to do anything. My friends kept disappearing. One day they would be there and the next they had "left". Have you done any research?
My strange life has continued for the next 55 years and I am convinced it is all connected to that school in Cornwall. Most if not all of us were put there for a purpose. We were deliberately abused to train us to accept it in later life. Do you remember Mr Harris? I was told he was a doctor who was dying from cancer. The latter part of the statement was obviously a lie but I suspect he did have a medical background.
Let me have a few more of your recollections if they are not too painful. I would like to know more of your background and how your life has panned out if possible. I have so much to say but I will leave it at the moment.
Best Wishes
Clare

Penny
My e-mail address is cmtrains@yahoo.co.uk
Clare

Fascinating - my mum was a cleaner there and I attended the school for a year or two in the mid to late 50s. It was indeed a strange place. I remember a pupil called Hillary Bokham or similar - I also remember being thrashed on the backs of my legs by birch branches and refusing to cry !! I also remember being taken to see another boy who was being punished by sitting in a bath of cold water shivering.
When I told my parents (we lived in Myrtle Cottage at Gillan) they told the police and a plain clothes chap typed a statement from me. Don't know what happened as a result.
I remember there were chickens and bees and extensive grounds. My name is James Davies, it would be lovely to hear of anyone who was there.
I remember it as a very cruel place run by nutters !!

Hi All!
I came across this website and as an ex St Gorrans pupil (inmate?) I thought I should add my bit. I actually quite liked the place perhaps because it seemed bliss in comparison to my traumatic experiences at an earlier school-abroad-run by the rather inaptly named Sisters of Mercy and I was also of an age and disposition where I could handle things better. My brother and sister who also went to St Gorrans hated it. I eventually ended up getting expelled whilst on holiday at St Gorrans having already transferred to another boarding school. I suppose I was no longer intimidated by the staff and got too much for them to handle.
I would love to hear from any past pupils.
Phil

Hi to all ex st gorrans!
My name is David Jenkins. You might remember me as the boy with a sudden temper!
I went to that school from 1954-1961, sometimes spending Half Terms and Holidays there. the abuse was incessant, beaten every day for some thing.Often made to take my bed into the boiler room and sleep there. I was taken into the girls dorm, made to undress and bath there.
, among other abuses. I was once caught, when cleaning the chapel, opening and looking at the missal and the pictures.
I was taken down to the goat shed and beaten naked with rope.
Dorothy Charlton and Kathrine Richmond Mr Harris just used and abused us kids for profit at expensive fees and we where the slaves.
My only good thing that I can remember about that place where the goats.
Hillary Bokenham, Christian Verboom and Melisa Knibbs I remember They kinda looked out for me

Hello David,
I remember you... My name is Claire Ortoli. I was at st G's for three years which seemed like a lifetime from 57 to 60. I also remember the punishments as vividly as you do but for me they were not as severe. Miss R's behavior was decidedly sadistic. I am thinking of writing a book about my experience there....we are survivors!

have read many accounts of peoples time there at least I was not the only one beaten my mother has given me all my old letters home and report cards and letters for miss Richmond and miss Charlton they are quite funny/ sad full of lies and the would of bean locked up today for what they did
I am john pleated went there1963 to 1967 ish
there always seems to be people from early years not my time
if your out there give look up on face book
Ian branchy Sarah Ann pointer two brothers heweitt stithins
demonic Selby walker [just remember]at the age of 8 what a name jones for helston dad was a baker and on and on
get in touch thanks

I boarded at St Gorran summer 1967 and then every summer through to 1974. The school moved to the countryside near Kingsand Cawsand facing the Plymouth bay. Mrs Richmond, Miss Charlton and Mrs Cooper with her daughter (Wendy) stayed on. Mr Harris didn't come.
Obviusly nothing changed. The shepherd dog was there as the punishment on the back of our knees, with the kitchen wooden spoon. Milking the goats and peeling the patatoes with an old mill type machine are part of my memories. There where two indian boarders who lived all year round, brother and sister, orphans. I think he was called Morris Valadores. He took the the worst of the punishment.

thank you to people who have left comments and description of the school. My name is Simon Wale and I was at the school in the late 60's and my sister lee was there for 1 or 2 terms. I am a bit like Phil above and found the School more structured in comparison to the place I had come from. My memories are not that detailed and it is good to read about the memories of other people. I remember the animals, especially the goats and the horses. I remember having to clean the duck pond with a hose and it involved sucking out the water out and getting your timing right.. if you didn't . Yuck... we had a number of jobs to do in the morning before breakfast which include salty porridge and jam ( if lucky). I remember letter writing on a Sunday night and being tested for times table...The scenery was something else and horse riding was cool.. I think I remember more about the animals than the people... a have a few memories about the cleaning .. it would be lovely to hear more memories of anyone who was there.. I had special which gave me a distinct look...
simon wale

I had alopecia which gave me a distinct look

My name is Michael Bennett and I was a boarder at St Gorrans from 1959 to 1962 or 63 and my brother David joined in 1960. I was very surprised to read of the punishments, I don't recall any and certainly wasn't hit. I do remember the jobs to do before breakfast which on a cold wet winters morning were not fun, and for the first year I was very homesick, however my overall memories of St Gorrans are very good, the goats, the horses and donkeys and even the 2 Guernsey calves that we got later on. I have fond memories of collecting the grass cuttings from around Culdrose airfield to make hay, the trips out in the Norwegian boat fishing for mackerel, visits to the Royal Cornwall Show with the goats and the visits by the television company were they tried to get us to herd the goats on horseback - it was never going to work. There was also the trip to Scotland in the Bedford minibus and the Landrover. I do remember Hilary who was older than the rest of use and a young boy called David who never went home at at holiday time. I'm not good with names but I think a good friend's name was James (Staines?) who's parents farmed by Kingsand and Celia Knibbs who's boat broke loose up the coast in a storm and was washed up on Gillan beach. I have a lot to thank St Gorrans for, it taught me that you can tackle anything and the can-do attitude has served me well throughout my life. I have been back to Gillan a few times since, the first time, the place was derelict, since then it was bought by an ex-pupil who restored it to its former Art Deco glory.

I was there in 70’s I remember the abuse looking after the horses got me through,I had a good friend called Morag,we run away for the day before we were caught lol.
I would love to find Morag but don’t remember her second name.
My name is Tracy willshire if anyone remembers me.x

Hi Phil. I remember you well. And I remember your sister C. too. Your brother R. was not at St. Gorrans when I was there. Actually I had email contacts with both about 3 years ago. I was the eldest of a crowd of 5 (brothers and sisters), from Italy. Anglo-Italian. We were at the school from around Xmas 1956 to Spring 1957. I (Mary) was the eldest. Laurence, the youngest, was then 4. I have a few photos taken at the time, one with your sister C. I belong to the lucky lot who don't have bad memories of St. Gorran's. I was punished only once, by Miss Richmond, due to a misunderstanding. Slashed on the back of my legs with a stick. But I don't remember the episode as so traumatic. What irked me was that the punishment was undeserved. Apart from that, I don't remember any further abuse. I actually ended up liking it there, and when our father came to pick us up to bring us back to Italy, I resented it. I have a few memories to share. Apart from you and Cl., I remember Susan Hooper, Phillipa, Hillary, Mary Griffith, one boy called John, two brothers (not twins), one of whom was possibly called Micheal, and a little girl, Melissa, who was my little brother Laurence's bosom friend (same age as him). I remember the day the French priest got drowned. I also remember you used to help the previous priest, who I think was English, and one day you told me you wanted to become a priest. I didn't mind the chores (mine was to collect the eggs from the hens' nests and scrub the shells clean in the kitchen sink. Let me know if you're interested in sharing more.
Best
Mary A.

Clare do you remember me? I arrived when I was eight or nine I autumn 1958 until 1961.
I too have had a very strange life. Sex drugs and rock and roll. I lived all over the world but had no sense of identity in a strange way I found your message very comforting as it validated all my memories. I was so scared of Miss Richmond she beat me often, the worst time with Mark "foghorn" Christian and Meliss Knibbs were really good to me and it is strange that this come to me on the day of the lunar elipse. If you see this please get in touch as you say 55 years later,
Tripuri Dunne (formerly Marguerite Dunne)

Thank you James
For validating my painful memories.
I was there from Autumn 1958 to 1961 I think. I remember some awful punishments and I was always in some kind of trouble with Miss Richmond,

Christian and Melissa looked out for me too I think I was there from 1989 -1961 Melissa was agood friend and without her well I don't think things would have gone well for me. I got expelled when I was about 11 or 12.
Please feel free to contact me my name is Tripuri but I was Marguerite ....I have only foundjust these messages...

I was beaten with a spanish bullwhip on my hands and calves my email is tripuri@talktalk.net I think was there till 1961/2
Tripuri Dunne formerly Margerite Dunne

Ralph Harris was a radiographer who had to retire and was an old friend of KWR. I was there from 1952 to 1956,when I left( I was actually expelled) and joined the RAF.The reason given for the expulsion was,and I quote " a bad influence on the younger students". I think I know you Margarite, did you have a sister Ann ?

I was there before you Simon I was 9 and so I think 1959 to the end 1961 or 62 . Yes about three years . Cant remember.
I loved the horses and goats and the view and the trips with Mr Harris to Falmouth harbour.
I hated cleaning the hen perches in the freezing cold before breakfast and I hated porridge so it always got cold, and I was frequently punished for not eating it.

Sadly I was an only child, so it is just as well that a lot of the other children were actually really good to me. I still don't really understand why I was always in such trouble but it was a long time ago.
It may have taught me endurance and I do believe they thought they were doing the right thing...but it did seem harsh at times.

I meant 1959 -1961/2

I was at St Gorran around 1959-60 as a boarder - I’m John Wilkinson and I was about six years old and was there with my sister Sara who was about four. I was presented with the same plate of pilchards for days because I gagged in trying to eat them. I recollect a boy in a fight with another boy being grabbed and stripped by KWR and thrown into a nettle patch, and a German boy locked in a cupboard for days. I was fortunate to escape - my parents were summoned and told I was showing academic tendencies and were alarmed enough to withdraw me and Sara. KWR was right in that anyway - I’m a professor in the US. But it was a damaging experience.

Hi all, My name is John Ince-Jones I can not remember which years I was at St Garran but born in '55 it must have been early '60's. Dad was in the Navy and got divorced so I was boarded. I remember the goats and chickens and was made 'chief goatherd' at some point, this involved cleaning them out and re-loading the salt licks. I recall being selected to swing the incense during 'church' quite vividly. on the down side when looking after the goats on the approach road I was caught riding one of them (I was quite small) and was taken into the office and as punishment struck on the back of my hand several times so hard that the ruler broke into bits. Dad was called and I believe he worked hard to save me from expulsion. Another memory is that I was very lucky and had a bed which was placed in a bow window which looked across the valley with a curtain across the end, I could lie on my back and see the stars at night and I had a transistor radio with which huddled under the cover I could listen to music really quietly. Another memory is that I was deeply in love with the girl who had to 'sex' the chicken eggs in a shed. This involved sitting in the dark and passing the eggs in front of a light box, what she saw I do not know! lastly I recall Miss Richmond pausing outside the goat house and bending down then vigorously rotating her arm, I think she had a joint or nerve problem. I hope that something chimes with your memories. Yours aye, john

I remember Maurice and his sister Maria. I think that they had relatives that used to visit. i also remember Wendy Cooper as her mother was the riding teacher. She was also sadistic and used to put me on the clumsiest of horses called "Stormy". I'm sorry but I tend to agree with the above as it is the only school that I asked my parent to take me away from. I was there from 1968 to 1971. I remember the food was great but the abuse was terrable. I found that presents that were meant for me were given to other kits and I only found this out when relatives asked me about presents that they had sent to the school for me. But one thing for sure is I remember is that you couldn't get through a week without being beaten.

I was their in the late 60's until 1972-I remember the first school for a year or so before we were moved- I spent the first year with my sister Pieta who sadly died in 2017- I was beaten a lots I always wet my bed-some of the older kids fed me bleach when the adults were away for the day- I was sick for days-I had my hands tied together for borrowing my sisters pencil and remember having to stand in the bin for hours-one of the priests used to pick me up by the hair for not reciting the catechism correctly- I also remember Ming the male goat that stank of urine-Amber the cow who was kicked to death by one of the horses and plenty of goats- I remember Carl Racca and his sister also Maria Valedares and Wendy Cooper-all sorts of nasty memories which I won't write on here but they were bad and often happened late at night

My name is Susan Baragwanath.
I was there from 64-66. I remember Marguerite, Maurice and Maria Valadires. Excuse spelling. I , like all of us unfortunates, was horribly, sadistically and violently abused. I remember a boy named Mark who was often beaten with a horse whip or the chain end of the dog lead.

Fascinating! I just found this as i was searching for the location on google maps. Maybe someone would be so kind as to tell me :)

I was there for a year in 1963/4. My name is Robin Wookey and I have an older brother Michael who was there for two years.

We dreaded Miss Richmond and always had memories of her riding boots and pants carrying a whip with which she meted out punishment to those naughty boys! It always seemed that Miss Richmond to great satisfaction at punishment. My memories are vague with names but I do remember having to get up early to sweep the goat pens and the wonderful walks to the beach searching for flint and along cliff's edge.

Miss Richmonds cruelty still sticks in my mind! I can see we were not the only ones!

Does anyone have any photos of the school or of anyone there. We do have a couple and I will post them soon.

Hello to all!
I'm Michael, Robin's older brother. We both attended st Gorran School. I arrived there in Manaccan in April 1961 until July 1964.
I was closest to Christian Verboon (of Dutch, African decent; his parents were also in Nigeria or Holland) who was 6 months older than me. We were familiar friends but at times competitive. Christian had a brother Robbie who was 4 years younger.
I was also friends with James Stanes, Stephen Goode, who were a year or so younger than I. I know of Michael Bennett , his younger brother David Bennett & Peter Tynan. Of the girls I seemed to remember being close or more familiar with Marguarite Dunne, Sally Anne Trelease, Veronica Seliman, Brenda Pope, Celia & Melissa Knibbs.
Katherine Wakefield Richmond was the between 47 to 50 year old principle of the "farm school" being between 47- 50 years in 1961 while Miss Dorothy Charlton, slightly younger was the offsider. Miss Richmond taught the older children. There was 50 year Ralph Harris who was a friend of Miss Richmond. He was involved in electrical & wood work, & whatever.
It was not an easy life being around 10 years of age in 1961 when I came there as a boarder. The older boys & girls (around 20) got up at 6.45am in the dark, washed & dressed as quick as we can. We were in farm jeans (special school overalls & in windsheater jacket if required. Once dressed we rushed downstairs & through the junior school room, walked another 100 metres or so further to the former large garage, now essentially a goat shed with around 20 stalls. Miss Richmond milked the goats, we, the boys cleaned out the goat stalls, brushed the courtyard & around the stalls, some girls cleaned the chicken & duck compound up the road & hill. Hillary Bokenham who was 3 years older than me being a member of the staff, took care of the two donkeys, Jessie & Tommy, & also the two jersey calves, Starlight & Venus. One goat I admired but a bit scared of was Clover with her horns! One billygoat I was more scared of was Skylark! Hillary Bokenham also took care of the two horses, called Stormy & smaller Fiona. So, after tediously cleaning the goat stalls, brushing, we had wheelbarrows of droppings & other muck to push up the hill to dump on a vegetable patch or similar. After around 30 minutes of cleaning the goat stalls, chicken & duck enclosure we all were sent to breakfast which commenced around 7.30am but only after we made our beds; fair enough! Miss Charlton had other assistants named Mrs Peters & Mrs Mullion serving out the breakfast. Usually we had eggs, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs & baked beans, a plastic bowl of cereal & one slice of white bread with just a knife serving of marmalade. I must admit that goats milk is good for us.
Classes begin at 9am, till 11.00 to 11.15am, when we had half pint of goats milk & able to exercise on ropes & hand bars. Lunch period was from 12.30pm till lessons start again at 2pm. Some afternoons either the boys or girls took around 20 goats for a walk up the road for their feeding from hedgerows for about an hour. Anyway lessons go on till 4pm, when the boarders have tea & the day children leave for home being collected by their parents.
Once a week I might get a ride on one the horses but mostly on Fiona, the smaller horse with Hilary Bokenham on bigger Stormy! Oh! There was a German shepherd named Snorry I think.
The smaller junior boarders went to bed by 6.30pm while the older boarders stayed up till 8.30pm.
Incidences when not cleaning out the stalls properly I might have a delayed breakfast even sent down 100 metres to the large garage! On occasion even to miss breakfast or the evening meal if I couldn't do my given job to do properly. Other times even not allowed to watch TV....eg, Steptoe & Son or Lucy Ball. I might have had one leather strap or stick used on me by Miss Richmond. Maybe I was stupid not able to understand my lesson of some subject?
All in all, it was great to be more familiar with the goats, & being closer to nature & to the sea, down below some 500 metres down hill, but we children were useful for cheap labour shortly after morning rising & before breakfast. It was definitely not easy physical work.
While at St Gorrans School I travelled on a school journey to Lock Lomond in Scotland & another time to Holland. Lucky if parents were in position to help in those days!
I visited England in 1974 again when St Gorran school was already sold to a family. I know that both Miss Katherine Richmond & Dorothy Charlton continued teaching in I think on a high hillside house in east Cornwall or west Devon, not far from the coast.
My father was generous contributing some finance to the building of the swimming pool in 1962 I think. However I was asked initially to write to my father upon encouragement from Miss Richmond!
How I remember was that while I was at St Gorrans School between April 1961 till July 1964 I kept a diary even at that age including birthdays of the boys & girls! I also wrote in a booklet 4 years later.
Keep in touch
Merry Christmas!
Michael Wookey (from Sydney, Australia. We moved here from England in August 1967).

Found this site quite be accident. I find it quite interesting and remember many names listed here. I also remember feeling the hand of Miss Richmond at times also being put on the "Silly Boys Desk" on my return from hospital after having my appendix out! I (George) was there with my brother Peter from appox mid to late 1950s to early to mid1960s as a day boy. School trips to Wales and Scotland. Had my 10th birthday in Scotland on that trip. Remember on one occasion taking the goats & calves out and on returning had lost the calves Miss Richmond was not amused!!! Hated the Macaroni cheese on Fridays still do; probably to do with being made to eat it by Miss Richmond even after vomiting it up at the time!!! Still here though now retired living in Helston.
Best wishes to everyone especially with this covid-19 around stay safe.
George Blight.

I was at this school in the late 50s early 60s probably leaving around 1961. My name is Mike Edwards and I was around 9. My younger brother Mark was also there but my parents took him away on account of the treatment he was receiving. One example was made to carry a board around him all day with his times tables and he was only allowed to take it off when going to bed. I was not aware of the appalling cruelty that other kids went through but perhaps I blacked it out. But I do remember birthday presents being taken away from me. Perhaps the lesson I learned was to keep my head down and try not to be noticed. I do remember Hilary B and Richard Ortoli. I also remember a boy from South Africa who believed in Narnia. Our beds looked out from a bay window down onto the cove where we had to go swimming no matter how cold. I remember helping to build the new chapel without any regard to health and safety and being hit by a falling roof beam across the neck. And I had responsibility for one of the goats and getting up in the freezing winter to feed this goat but struggling to get the door open because in winter the door swelled up and would not open. And then there was that ghastly taste and smell of goats milk. And after the goats also had to get the chapel ready for around 7am for Father O'Driscoll to say his mass. In fact the only fond memory I had of that place was the priest which in the absence of a father figure made me want to be like him so I was moved to St Edmunds College in Hertfordshire with a view to moving into the adjoining seminary. But I saw the light in the 6th Form. But it did get me out of that hell hole. God moved in mysterious ways! Anyone wants to get in touch my email is maedwards@ntlworld.com

Memories Of St Gorran - a Memory of Manaccan.
I can vividly remember seeing Miss Richmond & Miss Charlton...........Miss Richmond would whip me with a riding crop as I was a Anglican and not Catholic hence I was picked on..............they would make the boys drop their pants and inspect............if there were any skid marks there was nil access to ones sweets that were locked up and only given out once a day in ration form............goats were kept in abundance each child was allocated one goat to specifically look after, I had 'The Queen of The Herd' it's name was Flakey and during my time was getting very old with a bad dose of arthritis however she had won heaps of certificates at local shows in her day.I remember also going down to the beach and Miss Richmond letting car tires down as the owners had the temerity to park across her pathway...........jeez she was a ...... haha ............I remember taking the herd of goats out walking to clear pathways as they would eat anything..............I was very naughty and always in trouble however I liked old Reg that was the handyman who lived above the stables.........he drove the Land Rover whilst Miss Richmond drove the Bedford van like a lunatic telling all and sundry that she was once a racing driver..........one time we as a group of 8 or so were taken into Helston and I jumped into the back of the Bedford van cutting my head open on the roof which needed stitches that pissed her off and me being a protestant to boot.............I still have my school reports and other memorabilia that my Mother kept 'Bless Her' I never told anyone of the abuse thinking then it was the norm............got expelled eventually for apparently seting the stables alight!
Simon West

Hello... my name is Treve Holman; i was at St Gorrans either in 1956 or 1957; i cant remember much i was 3.5 yrs old; my sisters Amanda and Liz were there with me aged 7 and 5. They remember more; Amanda was forced to eat her own vomit and Liz was kicked and punched by the two women there; i have vague recollections.. walking down a path to the sea, cleaning leaves out of drains; i remember when my bed was stripped [ at night] and my slipper and tube of toothpaste were taken ; they were the equivalent of my teddy bear. My parents dumped us there whilst they went abroad. I was suprised to find out the school was catholic as my parents were church of England. We lived not far away in a place called Budock vean and close to Port Navas on the Helford estuary; im not sure how long we were there for... possibly 6 months but i really dont know; i went to a kindergarten in Falmouth so we couldnt have been there for very long. My email: treve.holman@gmail.com if anyone wants to contact me would love to know more; i think it was pretty traumatic for all of us; i live in Ireland now.

I went to Manaccan when I was five years old, or maybe it was Plymouth, not sure. I do not remember a lot about that particular location, but I do remember going down to the beach searching for cowries. Then, they moved to Scotland where my parents sent us every summer. It was not a big school anymore and only had a few children: Wendy (Mrs. Cooper’s daughter), foster children, another Persian family (the Khalilis) and us. Mis Richmond and Mrs. Charlton were cruel and sadists, abusers and bullies with capital letters. At the time I remember thinking that Mrs. Cooper was no angel, but was not as bad. Then, there was Mr. Harris, the maintenance man, he was nice enough. I wonder what was behind of having to show your underwear and if it was stained you got a hard smack and no desert (a couple of times we took clean ones from the lockers but it was too dangerous, imagine if caught). Also bathing in the same tub a good few of us with just few inches of water. Once I got toothpaste as gravy for dinner for having spilled a little. The poor foster children received terrible verbal abuse and beatings with the pudding stick and the whip. I remember Maria (her brother had just left), Nicky and Michael who I use talk to because we looked after the goats together. He use to tell me he was dying to run away. Wendy was treated better because she was Mrs. Cooper’s daughter. What could have been a nice place was hell because of the character of these strange women. The farm was actually lovely. I liked the animals: chickens, goats, cows and horses, and I like the craft lessons where we made lovely trays and stools, but I do hope that, somehow and at some point, they were faced with their awful lack of respect for children’s integrity and the further pain the caused to already vulnerable children.

I was at St Gorran school for thankfully only a few months - I think it was in 1957 I was 8/9. Every now and then I google it, because it seems astonishing that a sadistic school regime like this could not have been publicised, but this site is the first time I've found anything. I was keen to go originally - my childhood existence had not been happy - and started as a boarder in the summer term. At the time I was living with my guardian in nearby Mullion. Then in the summer holiday I was joined for I think only 3 or 4 weeks by my sister Christine, who would have then been 13, while our guardian took a holiday from us. I personally wasn't badly abused, but saw several incidences against other children, but mainly the boys, not the girls. I remember only the two teachers, who comments above have reminded me were Miss Richmond and the other one. I'm afraid I don't remember any others staff nor pupils, apart from 2 who were involved in one of the incidents.

I remember doing a lot of work on the farm. That didn't feel like hardship, I loved being outside; but I was once given a task, which was to collect some recently delivered poultry chicks and bring them somewhere to be watered. Being young and absent-minded I left them for too long and by the time I got back with the box of chicks several of them had died. I was very afraid of being punished, of course, but actually I don't think I was. But the poor little chicks...

I was afraid because of how I had seen other children being treated. My worst incident for myself was being obliged to chew through a cod liver oil capsule every morning. Does anyone else remember that? We weren't allowed to swallow it, but obliged to chew the capsule and of course the taste is strong and disgusting. When the morning came when I flatly refused, the cod liver oil was smeared on my toast, but I still wouldn't eat. The same piece of congealed toast with smeared cod liver oil was presented to me at lunch and supper that day and again at breakfast the next morning, so I was given nothing to eat for over 24 hours. Eventually my big sister helped me to force it down my throat.

What particularly horrified and frightened me was the day that one of the boys mimicked the limping walk of a girl with a mobility impairment. The whole school was summoned to watch, while this poor girl, who was much more humiliated by Miss Richmond's response than by the mimicking itself, was required to stand in full sight of us all on a piece of higher land, while the boy was required to apologise to her in front of us all. He was then required to go to pick a bamboo cane from the garden with which he was beaten, then we were told he had to put his burning body into a cold bath while Miss Richmond stood over him. It was common knowledge that misbehaving boys had to pick their own cane for the teacher, then take a cold bath, naked, in front of her. At the time, the sadistic humiliation was obvious. Knowing what I know now about child abuse, I think this practice has obvious strong sexual abuse overtones.

I lasted one more half (autumn) term and then, as with the cod liver oil, flatly refused to return to the school after the half-term break. How come the school was never prosecuted? A previous comment said the school was for vulnerable children - that makes sense, I and my sister were orphans being cared for by a guardian and she just needed us to be somewhere without looking to see if we were happy. But I do remember that several years later (1964) I was at Helston Grammar School when the (male) head teacher chose the wrong girl to sexually abuse her parents made such a fuss that he was prosecuted and convicted. So even in those mad old bad old days it wasn't that child abuse could be done with impunity.

It's been tremendous to see your comments and to feel vindicated in my bad feelings of that place. Thanks so much for sharing. There is definitely a book/film/TV series to be written about this!

Recollections of St Goran School. Gillian. Manaccan. Helston. Cornwell.
My name is Anthony Snowsill.
My brother Bruce, also “boarded”, was 10 years old.
I was 6 years old then when incarcerated at St Goran’s in June 1957 until December 1957 whilst my parents “toured the continent” in a Bedford van they purchased in London.
I don’t recall the names of any other students or “teachers” whist I was at this “school”.
I came across some old postcards still in my possession that my parents sent me while I was at this boarding school & whilst they travelled the continent and put the address above onto Google so I could locate the “old school”.
This page came up and I have read it with interest.
Young as I was my recollections are of
- Feeding the chickens & ducks.
- Making & setting our own traps for catching foxes & weasels/stoats that attacked the poultry at night.
- The terrible tasting porridge & unusual food.
- Being cold some nights
- Having “fights” with other children by throwing seaweed on the beach
- Not being permitted to shower at least twice a day (as was the norm in Labasa, Fiji)
- My brother & me washing ourselves outside using an outdoor hose.
- Being told we were using too much soap.
- Being very surprised at the similarities & differences (from mine) in the behaviours of other children & teachers.
- My parents asking if we had received presents that never arrived.
- Very similar to those already described.
We had arrived in England by passenger ship – P&O Orsova - from the furthest colony in the then Empire, namely Fiji.
At the time we lived on the second largest island in the Fiji Group called Vanua Levu in the largest town called Labasa.
Labasa in the late 1950’s was an unusual mix of quaint British colonial & progressive Australian culture.
The town’s existence revolved around the Sugar Mill & the cane harvests.
The CSR (Australian) Company operated all the sugar mills in Fiji at the time and all clerical and managerial jobs were staffed by Australians.
My father worked for the Fiji Government (then Colonial) as an engineer responsible for all government roads & buildings in Labasa and some nearby outer Islands.
I would welcome contact from others.
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Hello everyone. I'm Steven Dive and was at St. Gorran some time between 1962 and '64, joining as a 5 year old. My parents had parted, which I didn't know at the time. My memories of the place are pretty distant, now, but recognise much of what others have said. I think the building itself is listed as of some sort of interest, which I will try to find. I have friends in Hayle, so we might be able to drive over to have a look at the place again.

Just prior to going to St. Gorran I had just been in hospital, being stabilised after diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes, so feeling pretty awful and pretty frightened, then got mumps badly almost straight away at the school. I was pretty unwell and more scared of being sent back to hospital than staying on at the school. Not a good start but may have saved me from the worst that either Miss Richmond or Miss Charlton dished out to others, by all accounts. Maybe I was considered too delicate for the usual punishments. I think I was excused the cod liver oil as well.

I remember things like having to bathe in the same bath as several other boys, the reputation of Miss Richmond especially and wanting to never be summoned into her study, the goat shed that I never went into but could smell, the horrid food. There seemed to be a constant air of threats hovering over us all and cleaning out the goat shed was one of them.

At meals, they tried, actually unsuccessfully, to force me to eat spinach that had been boiled to death. Maybe those teachers still considered revolting greens necessary for people with Type 1 (thrice boiled greens were the only, completely ineffective, treatment back 40+ years previously but may have given the teachers their only way of making my life difficult:) I have a vague memory of being punished, maybe leading to expulsion as I think I left fairly soon afterwards, for playing with a rosary as it glowed in the dark and fascinated me. I'm not Catholic, so they probably just thought I'd be punished in hell anyway. For some reason, I had to attend those services in the chapel. The only thing I liked was the smell of incense but found the priest frightening.

The good parts were little things like the cherry tree walk in bloom in spring, the primroses along the woodland path down to the beach and finding cowrie shells there, fireworks on the terrace (us indoors looking through the big windows in the schoolroom). I remember watching the very first episode of Dr Who in the hall/lobby (?) in the middle, though, so that's a good thing (haha!). We used to make Christmas cards there as well; silhouettes of the nativity scene against coloured backgrounds. But I think there was still a feeling of threat if someone made a mistake making those cards. I have a vague memory of toys going missing and a boy, who was a bit of a bully, was implicated in taking them. Maybe he was framed!

Sadly, I can't recall a single name of fellow pupils, just those two teachers. I think Lesley's suggestion of a film is a good idea, though maybe given the Peter Greenaway treatment, surreal and a bit bonkers.

My name is Simon Robinson, I was at St Gorran, from approx 1964-1966/67. I remember the goat's and Miss Charlton, cutting the younger pupil's toenail's including mine, in the alcove. I also remember the Porridge, for breakfast. I remember going out with the school for a day, but I can not remember where.