Skelton Primary School, Near York
A Memory of Skelton.
I was at school there from 1956 to 1963, first at the Old Primary School then the new one with Head Mistress Miss E Watson and her elder sister, 'tremendous old school' method teachers.
I lived at Fairfield Farm about 2 miles away so had to walk everyday to class come rain, snow or shine.I remember Keith Smurthwaite the village police sergeant's son, Carol Johnson the grocery shopkeeper's daughter.
Miss E Watson thought I was good at geography. so good in fact she told me I would eventually visit all the places "travelled" to during our imaginary voyages which included Cape Town (lived there for 15 years), Havana, Cuba (lived there for 15 years) and latterly the Middle East and travelled on business to most other places we learned about really not knowing where London was.
Miss Watson drove a new Ford Anglia in early 1960 and if it was raining or snowing she would pick me up from the roadside and take me to school and used to make me feel very important!!
Sadly I lost touch with both Miss Watsons' and fear they may have passed away by now. Even contacting the school in later life yielded zero response (age of withholding of Information etc!).
It would have been great to visit an old lady and say I went to all those places in the next 55 years!!
We were obliged to attend Sunday School and sometimes the old village church reputedly built with stones left over from York Minster construction.
The Blacksmiths Arms were out of bounds at our age as was the British Legion Club.
On the farm the London to Edinburgh main line passed through and as train spotters we saw all the steam greats and Pullman trains while fishing for big Perch and Pike in the River Ouse.
Hay making time with long hot Summers were the order of the day and massive floods during Winter with snow to cover the fence tops!
Mr Wright of Wright's pie factory lived in the village and the pie factory made wonderful pork pies that were popular in the day and even black pudding!
Happy Days
ROBIN WALTON
June 5th 2016
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