ID: COR_044 / Brian Jay / Don Rainbird / Ron Green

TitleEast Mersea School, 1905 and 1926 - Courier article
AbstractBACK IN TIME - THE MERSEA PICTURE ALBUM

EAST MERSEA SCHOOL

Having shown a group photo from West Mersea school in the last issue, we thought it only fair to show similar pictures from East Mersea, their school having now become the East Mersea Village Hall. The first picture is taken in 1905 outside the school on what is now the Village Hall car park and was given by Susan Kerr of Wivenhoe. Susan's grandmother is the school mistress seated on the extreme left in black, who was Alice Mary Harvey née Pullen. Her husband Captain William Harvey, master mariner of Wivenhoe, was killed in an accident at sea in March 1904, leaving Alice with two daughters. The woman behind Alice is a child minder holding the younger daughter, Kathleen who was born the day after her father was killed and was Susan's mother. Alice lived in the adjoining school house and had to fetch water in pails from a pump in Church Lane. She taught at East Mersea until about 1907 before taking a teaching post elsewhere. The names of the remaining children are unknown - if you can help please let us know.

The second picture shows a group outside the door on the east side of the building in 1926. Their names to our best knowledge are: 1 Phyllis Richer 2 Joyce Marriage 3 Elsie Goodrum 4 Harold Johnson 5 Maurice Johnson 6 Charles Farthing 7 Ernest Chapman 8 Bill Lord 9 Stan Waterman 10 Len Chapman 11 Reg Farthing 12 Edwin Lord 13 Nellie Austin 14 Hyacinth Austin 15 Connie Austin 16 Lily Weeks 17 Joan Weeks 18 Beth Hoy 19 Emily Bibby 20 Elsie Pudney 21 Margaret Weeks 22 Betty Farthing 23 Nora Mycroft 24 Don Gladwell 25 Arthur Farthing 26 Jack Marriage 27 Frank Wopling 28 George Farthing 29 Frank Mycroft. Again, let us know if you see errors.

East Mersea school closed in 1936 [the West Mersea School log book says this happened 3 April 1939 - WMS_LOG4_P070 ], all children from 'up East' then having to travel 'into West' for their education.

Published in The Courier June/July 2005

AuthorBrian Jay / Don Rainbird / Ron Green
PublishedJuly 2005
SourceMersea Museum / Mersea Island Courier
IDCOR_044
Related Images:
 East Mersea School in the 1930s.
 L-R 1: Phyllis Richer 2: Joyce Marriage 3: Elsie Goodrum 4: Harold Johnson 5: Maurice Johnson 6: Charles Farthing 7: Ernest Chapman 8: Bill Lord 9: Stan Waterman 10: Len Chapman 11: Reg Farthing 12: Edwin Lord 13: Nellie Austin 14: Hyacinth Austin 15: Connie Austin 16: Lily Weeks 17: Joan Weeks 18: Beth Hoy 19: Emily Bibby 20: Elsie Pudney 21: Margaret Weeks 22: Betty Farthing 23: Nora Mycroft 24: Don Gladwell 25: Arthur Farthing 26: Jack Marriage 27: Frank Wopling 28: George Farthing 29: Frank Mycroft
 From display at East Mersea Fete 2003.
 See <a href=mmphoto.php?typ=ID&hit=1&tot=1&ba=cke&rhit=1&bid=RG03_033 ID=1>RG03_033 </a> for a copy without numbers on it.  DIS2003_EMF_082
ImageID:   DIS2003_EMF_082
Title: East Mersea School in the 1930s.
L-R 1: Phyllis Richer 2: Joyce Marriage 3: Elsie Goodrum 4: Harold Johnson 5: Maurice Johnson 6: Charles Farthing 7: Ernest Chapman 8: Bill Lord 9: Stan Waterman 10: Len Chapman 11: Reg Farthing 12: Edwin Lord 13: Nellie Austin 14: Hyacinth Austin 15: Connie Austin 16: Lily Weeks 17: Joan Weeks 18: Beth Hoy 19: Emily Bibby 20: Elsie Pudney 21: Margaret Weeks 22: Betty Farthing 23: Nora Mycroft 24: Don Gladwell 25: Arthur Farthing 26: Jack Marriage 27: Frank Wopling 28: George Farthing 29: Frank Mycroft
From display at East Mersea Fete 2003.
See RG03_033 for a copy without numbers on it.
Date:c1926
Source:Mersea Museum