Museum News 

Friday 22nd May 1925: Empire Day celebration took place today. The Union Jack was saluted, national anthem 'God Bless the Prince of Wales' etc were sung and the Head Master gave an address on Empire Duties. In the afternoon holiday was given.

December 22nd 1925: The attendance is very poor owing to a severe snowstorm. Only 74% of the children being present.

Thursday 1st July 1926: School closed at the end of the afternoon for Swindon Trip Week holiday. The attendance at the afternoon session was very low owing to children being absent making preparations for an early start, many at 4am.

4th September 1935: A wet morning. 74 children absent. The School Attendance Officer visited the school.

2nd, 3rd, 4th September 1939: The school was used by local billeting officers for the reception of people (women and children) evacuated from London. On the night of September 4th, many evacuees were sent late, and it was necessary for them to sleep in the school all night to be taken to their billets in the morning.

5th September 1939: The school should have reassembled today after the summer holiday but, owing to the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany, the LEA, acting under instructions from the Board of Education, has postponed the opening.

Read these and other fascinating entries in the Log Book for Purton Church of England Mixed School 1925-1944, kindly on loan from St Mary's School.

Purton Museum is open on Saturdays from 10.00-12.30pm and the current exhibition is on Education at St Mary’s School

PURTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MEETING VENUE - PURTON METHODIST CHURCH, PLAY CLOSE
The Society would like to welcome members and visitors to the continuation of their Autumn programme as follows: 

THURSDAY 27TH OCTOBER 2022 AT 7.30 PM
A TOWN MOST NOTORIOUSLY DISCONTENTED: 
MARLBOROUGH AND THE CIVIL WAR – NICK BAXTER
In December 1642 a Royalist Army besieged and attacked the town of Marlborough in Wiltshire. Edward Hyde, adviser to King Charles, described Marlborough people as "notoriously disaffected" ad full of "malice". The Parliamentary commander, Sir James Ramsay, organised the defence of the town building earthwork defences and erecting barricades. Militia put up a spirited defence but could not withstand the Royalist onslaught. Marlborough was plundered and pillaged. Houses were burnt and the cheese taken from the market. Some 120 prisoners were led through the snow to captivity in Oxford castle. John Francklyn, the Marlborough Member of Parliament, was one of the prisoners and died there. The Royalist sacking of Marlborough was amongst the most appalling events of the English Civil War.

THURSDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 AT 7.30 PM
RINGSBURY CAMP AND THE IRON AGE - KEITH ALLSOP
Ringsbury Camp was built in the Iron Age, about 2,600 years ago.  It took an incredible amount of effort to build but what was it used for?  This talk looks at the Iron Age, the role of hillforts and looks at Ringsbury Camp and some other local hillforts (there are more than you think).  Ringsbury Camp has never been excavated, but it has been ploughed in the past so the archaeology will be badly damaged, and I will be taking what we know about other hillforts and applying it to Ringsbury.

FRIDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2022 AT 7.30 PM
CHRISTMAS SOCIAL IN THE SILVER THREADS HALL
We welcome back, by popular request, ‘Out of the Box Catering’ and ‘The White Horse Folk Club’ from Highworth.  These are the same caterers and entertainers that were so successful at the 2021 Social.  Tickets are £17.50 per person and include a buffet supper, entertainment, quiz and lucky ticket number.  Bring your own choice of drink and we will supply the glasses,

Tickets are available at monthly meetings, from Janet and Tony Neate (770117),
Jim Mosley (778395) or Marion Hobbs (770185).

Visitors always welcome

Janet and Tony Neate
email: tjneate57@gmail.com

MUSEUM NEWS

On his retirement in 1976 Mr Glyn Lloyd, appointed a master at St Mary's in 1932 and Headmaster from 1957, said one of his greatest achievements was that "Every child who now leaves the school can swim and is able to read." It was in 1963 that Mr Lloyd launched the swimming pool project and eight years later the heated indoor swimming pool was opened. Visit Purton Museum to view the plaque that was unveiled at the opening of the pool and a 1977 Learner’s Certificate awarded for successfully swimming 25 meters.

Purton Museum is open on Saturdays from 10.00 -12.30pm. The museum will close at the end of October and reopen in the spring.

Lucy Lewis

Museum Archivist

Education at St. Mary’s School, Purton from 2nd April to 29th October 2022

Are you a former pupil of St. Mary's school? Can you help us identify pupils, teachers and the year in many class photos we have on display at the Purton Museum?
The museum is open on Saturdays from 10.00-12.30pm where you can view he current exhibition.

Thank you to the Museum Committee for putting together a new exhibition that will renew memories of times gone by, in and around our wonderful village.