One resident remembers the Village School:

It's said that time flies but if we think about different events that have taken place many seemed to have happened just yesterday.

Starting school in 1935 at Berrister Council School, 'The Little School' as we called it. Miss Willet was headmistress; she came from Pinxton; she looked very old to us. Her hair was streaked with grey and fashioned in a bun style. She wore specs and to our way of thinking very strict. For arithmetic (sums we called it) she would always put an overall on. It was coat style, orange patterned. Before staring lessons, we had to stand up and Miss Willet would say, "Good morning, children" and we would reply, "Good morning Miss Willet."

Miss Willet had a gramophone and we marched round in class to the music. After playtime, we would match back in school to it. Miss Willet would be sat at the side of the stove singing the tune bring played, Not the proper words, her version went like this:
Dance a baby diddy
What can mamma do wi di
Sit her on her lap
And give her … and the next is HISTORY.

First of all we would start our school days in the Little Room.
First Miss Carlin taught here. We remember Miss Irene Bunting mostly, she was very good looking and came from Shirland, living at the Red Lion Public House with her parents and twin sister Winifred. Miss Bunting came to school on a bicycle. Later on she left to get married and became Mrs David. Along with her husband she was going to Nigeria and just before going called to see us at school. We sang to them a well known tune putting our own words to it (My bonnie lies over the ocean):
Mrs David lies over the ocean
Mrs Davis lies over the sea
Mrs David lies over the ocean
Oh, bring back Mrs David to me.
Bring back………etc.
Mr and Mrs David had a son called Nigel.

Miss Helen Holden came next; she was very kind; she was fro Newton. She appeared to be on the tall side but seeing her years after she seemed to have shrunk, this would be on account of having grown up ourselves. Miss Holden took us on Nature Walks, up the field to the top of Ball Hill and across the road, part way to what I think was the Dumbles. She later married and became Mrs Dunkby.

Miss Willet retired and on doing so we all had to choose a gift from several she brought to school. I had apink dressing table tray, which I still have; Jean had a handbag.

Next came Miss Whitehead from Alfreton. She came to school on a motorbike, which was kept in the school kitchen. She was a kind and gentle person. Miss Whitehead kept her handkerchief in a pocket in her knickers, we had ours pinned on our dresses.

Miss Whitehead invited us to her home for tea; we had to take a cup and plate with us. Ralph Chadbourne broke his plate on the way down. She had a serving hatch through which she served our tea etc. In one bedroom she had a pull switch, we all had a go with this. None of us could fathom how it worked; we'd all come up from the country!
Does anyone know where the school bell went?
And the three pictures. Two in the Big Room: one a still life of a bowl of fruit, the other one of a little girl sat on a chair in colourful Victorian clothes. She had a tall mop cap with ribbon tied round the middle, a lovely dress, mittens and tied under her neck and up over her cap was a band., One side of her face was swollen. Underneath were the words:
Matty Mace has a horrid swollen face…… etc.
Can anyone finish this poem?

The other picture was in the Little Room over the door as you went in. A man with a brimmed hat on, a feather in it, he was pointing out to sea. A young boy was with him. They were sat on the seashore, both were bare footed.

School days spent at Berrister were very happy. Playing at Crusts and Crumbs with Miss Bunting, play time and the game of The Big Ship Sails Through the Alley Alley Ho. The songs we sang and poems we were taught.

Coronation Day we had to take a Union Jack Flag, stand on chairs waving the flags and the rest marching under them.

Empire Day when we wore a daisy pinned on our clothes. We sang Rule Britannia and God Save the King.

Nineteen thirty nine came, those us us nine years old plus left to go to the Church of England School, Old Blackwell.
But war was declared on September 3rd and going up was put off for a few weeks.

Seems just like yesterday.

D.K.

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