‘Really concentrate on what you aim to be and give your all to it, as I did.’
- Patricia Heath, 2019.
Patricia Heath, O.St.J. was a pupil at the Walthamstow Commercial School for Girls before it closed its doors in the summer of 1938. When the new term started she, along with scores of her peers, would continue her studies at the new day school for girls within the South-West Essex Technical College:
‘We came from the Commercial School in Walthamstow, which was a lovely, big house with tennis courts in the grounds. We all came here together actually’.
She would spend one year at the College before war broke out and the day schools were evacuated.
Students from the Commercial School initially wore the school’s brown uniform when attending the College although this later changed to blue. Speaking to staff during a visit to the College in 2019, Patricia remembered being concerned about her family’s ability to afford the uniform:
‘I can’t remember how I got all the uniform because the first year of Commercial School we had a brown uniform, and the thing is they couldn’t be shortened or lengthened because they didn’t have a hem. I thought, “I don’t know how we can afford a different uniform”, but there must have been some arrangement because I remember having to take money every Monday morning to the clothing [supplier].’
Patricia also remembered the changing of shoes:
‘When we came into school the first thing we had to do was change into our house shoes, then you had gym shoes and tennis shoes. It was so much stuff. I’m sure they don’t change into house shoes now.’
She was elected to be the 1939 Head Girl, a role she ‘was never able to take up because war broke out and the day school was evacuated. So, although I was nominated and it’s in print in the diaries, I never took up the role’. Patricia recalled:
‘When I was elected to be Head Girl for September [1939], my teacher [Miss M. S. Anderson] said to me, “Evelyn (the name Patricia was known by at the time), you must learn to curb your high spirits.” I didn’t know I was high spirited.’
Miss Anderson, M.A., B.Com. was Patricia’s geography teacher and was ‘very jolly and had a lovely red sports car.’
Speaking fondly of her time at the College, Patricia spoke about the sports they used to play:
‘We were taken by bus and on Saturday mornings we played other hockey teams. We had a lovely sports mistress and often on a Saturday afternoon she would give us a treat and take us to a lovely house in the country for afternoon tea. Yes, we had very nice teachers.’
Recalling her time at the Commercial School for Girls she spoke of the assemblies:
‘We joined in first thing [in the morning] and we marched out of the hall while one of the girls would be playing the piano’.
She went on to compare the food between the Commercial School and the College:
‘At the Commercial School we were allowed to bring our own tin of beans for lunch. Tin of beans on toast. Whereas [at the College], we had lunches…. The one thing I couldn’t stand was butter beans. They didn’t have tomato sauce on them in those days. The one thing I did really like was banana custard.’
While at the College Patricia had a ‘good education studying shorthand, typing and commerce’. Her sister, who was also studying typing (not at the College), had a typewriter so she was able to practice at home. This prepared her for the future when, during World War 2, she relocated to the Isle of Man and worked for Dowty Aviation, a key manufacturer of small parts for aircraft, including the famous Lancaster Bomber.
Before she moved to the Isle of Man Patricia worked briefly for British Oxygen in Hertfordshire. This was during the Blitz so, often, ‘[while at work] in the afternoon the [air raid] sirens would go and you’d spend another hour in the shelter and of course you’d come home in the dark. A couple of times I got a black eye from bumping into cars that were parked at the side of the road’. Patricia continued:
‘There was quite a lot of water and worms on the floor [of the shelters] and when the all-clear was sounded you’d come out, but then the siren would go off again and you’d have to [go back in] again. It was pitch black, so quite often you spent the night there.’
While at British Oxygen Patricia earned £2 a week. When she went to Dowty Aviation this increased to £2.25; by the time she left she was earning £10. The Isle of Man was relatively safe from enemy bombing during the war although work was still tough:
‘The factory worked 24 hours night and day. I was working during war time until 7:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, all day on Saturdays and Sunday mornings. My boss was good, he said, “you’re working all these extra hours, so I’ll pay you the factory rates.” So, depending on what time you worked, you’d get time and a half, or a third and on Saturday [and Sunday] you’d get double time. So, [due to all the work], I didn’t have much fun’.
Patricia spent most of her life on the Isle of Man and in 1976 was awarded the title ‘Officer of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem’ for her extensive charity work. Her voluntary work included being County Superintendent for St John Ambulance, Chairman of St Mary’s Girls Venture Corps, Hon. Secretary to the Isle Of Man Council on Alcoholism, Prison Visitor for Solitary Females, Private Secretary at St Mary’s Church for 20 years and Stenographer for the Summerland Fire Disaster Inquiry.
When Patricia and her daughter Linda visited the College in 2019 she offered one key piece of advice:
‘Really concentrate on what you aim to be and give your all to it, as I did.’
Remembering her year at the College Patricia said:
‘I had a very, very happy time here. That year was such fun.’
References
Waltham Forest College, Patricia Heath Speaks to Staff at Waltham Forest College. [Sound Recording]. 2019.
Researched and written by Thomas Barden
