1 Year At Laleham Abbey

A Memory of Laleham.

I attended Laleham Abbey just for one year (1953 - coronation year). My surname then was Hebden. I was very shy and didn't make many friends. The one girl I do remember was an Australian whose surname was Snedden who I believe didn't go home for holidays. I also enjoyed the Corpus Christi celebration and also the time we were all given a bible to celebrate the coronation. Another special event was when we were taken to see the colour film of the coronation at the cinema. During the year I did have a small garden plot where I grew some flowers. I spent part of my year in the dormitory and then moved to my own room. I was 12 during 1953. Do you remember meal times where if we did not like something it was passed to someone else at the table when the nuns were not looking and I think at one meal one or two fellow diners ended up with a large amount of dried figs. During this year sweet rationing ended and so my small supply of weekly sweets suddenly became larger thanks to a kindly aunt of mine. I used to go horse riding too on a Wednesday. I was in the beginner's class and alas most Wednesdays that year were wet and so I didn't get much practice. Other activities I remember was the walks we did outside the convent grounds when we formed a crocodile by walking two by two. Unfortunately, when I went to visit my parents in Cairo for the Christmas holidays it was decided that I would be better attending the local English school there and so I did not return to the UK at that time but rather in turn ended my schooling in Cairo, Cyprus and Rome where my father was posted during those years.