Wartime At Laleham Abbey School Of The Holy Child

A Memory of Laleham.

I think I was about 4 when I went to the convent school in 1940. We lived in Southampton and the bombing was dangerous. I remember the picnics on the river, the nuns tucking their habits up to milk the cows and give us a ride on the pony. When there was a raid we slept in the crypt and pretended to be ghosts. We were well cared for and much loved..when there was a chicken pox epidemic we were put in the garden in a pen and the nuns used to say "How are the little chickens today" We had basic lessons and lots of fun..there was a big cedar tree in the garden that we climbed and I tore my clothes.We used to leave notes for the fairies between the roots and find little packets of sweets left by the nuns pretending to be the fairies.We had birthday parties in the quad. in the summer and mother used to send me a cake (goodness knows where the ingredients came from). I remember some Easter celebration where we had to walk around the cloisters with veils and candles..I believe I caught the veil of the girl in front on fire! We were given points each year and they were deducted every time you were naughty..I never had many left at the end and they were used to buy little things the nuns made...they always made sure I had something though. I still have my reading prize..The Land of Far Beyond and the prospectus with photos from 1940. I left in 1945 when the war ended and we moved away from Southampton.I was Sonya Greenhill then

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