Duke’s Wood School For Boys

A Memory of Hexham.

I was at Duke’s Wood School in 1940/1 at the age 10 years (I’m not sure whether it was called that at that time). I stayed in the ‘Poplars’ dormitory and, as I recall, there was a veranda at the entrance to the dorm, not shown in your photo. We all had bunk beds and I had a top tier. Everyday we made our beds before going to the classrooms. One day the tuck shop fridge broke down and all the juniors were taken to the shop for free ice-cream on the school!

Once, when in Hexham, a couple of my mates and I bought a loaf of bread. Upon returning to school we were taken to the Main Hall and disciplined in front of the whole assembly for supposedly shaming the school through buying bread in Hexham.

One day while playing cricket I made a good score so they made me captain of the junior cricket team. This was very much against my will as I knew nothing about the game!

I contracted Diphtheria while at “Dukes” and was sent away to Leamington Hospital for several months. My belongings were all forwarded on to me except for a beautiful Bible which I had been awarded as a school prize and presented with in Hexham Abbey. Somewhere out there is a Bible with my name on the inside cover.

Alan Bowman