Chiswick Alumni Return To School

One old boy tells of bombing of the chemistry lab

Tony Ryan, the Headteacher of Chiswick Community School, launched The Chiswick Alumni Society at the PTA Summer Arts Festival last week.

Mr Ryan, welcoming the visitors. said, 'It's great to see former students from 1939 onwards, coming back to see their old school'.

George Hopcroft ['39-45] described how he was paid half a crown, now twelve and a half pence, to firewatch during the war. 'It was great fun, until the night in 1943 when the incendiary bombs arrived. We went down into the shelters and when we came up we discovered that the Chemistry Lab was on fire. We put the fire out using stirrup pumps.'

A small exhibition including photographs of the Doodlebug bomb damage in 1944 and of the burial of a Time Capsule to be retrieved in 2045 fascinated present as well as former students. Mr. Hopcroft commented on the Arts Festival noting the fantastic creative energy he witnessed at the school.

Mr. Sadler, Assistant Headteacher, added 'The Society has already called on Alumni to speak at the Careers Day about their jobs and career opportunities. They made a valuable contribution to our careers programme.'

If you know of any ex students from age 19 to 90, please ask them to register at www.chiswickschoolalumni.org .

July 16, 2011