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Slates, Zeppelins and Evacuees The Story of Emmanuel Holcombe C.E. Primary School by Nigel Jepson Slates, Zeppelins and Evacuees tells the fascinating story of a school which, despite its rural setting, has not always enjoyed complete peace and quiet. Most notably for example, when a German Zeppelin air raid attack created havoc in 1916, inflicting extensive damage on the school building. In further relation to World War I, the reader is invited to enter into the mind of long-serving Head Teacher Henry Foster. Creating a ‘Roll of Honour’ in his poignant log-book entry of 1914, he respectfully inscribes the names of ex-pupils of the school serving in the nation’s armed forces, all of whom he had taught, adding detail as to the regiments they had joined. Tragically, many of these same names were fated to appear on the commemorative tribute, erected at the nearby church in honour of those who lost their lives in the conflict. Meanwhile, the onset of World War II brought challenging times again for the school, not least with regard to accommodating evacuee pupils and teachers from Manchester. Very often described as a ‘true village school’, Holcombe was set to have another rude awakening in more recent times when developments such as Ofsted and SATS came to pose a threat of a different kind to the school’s sense of well-being. Though sometimes finding it difficult in early stages to adapt to a welter of new Government initiatives, the heartening story is told here of how Holcombe School, whilst very much retaining its character as a ‘true village school,’ has at the same time enjoyed great success in recent times in terms of the achievements of its pupils, staff, governors and parents. |