by Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin

Griselda Gifford (nee Willoughby) became a pupil at West Heath just after the second world war. Here, Griselda takes us back to her schooldays when she remembers, among other things, sneaking into Sevenoaks to watch a Royal Wedding, the freezing cold dormitories, and the anxiety of having to dance with the headmistress! 

Griselda Gifford joined West Heath in 1947 at the age of 14, shortly after the school had returned to Sevenoaks after pupils and staff spent the war years at Claydon House (see previous story on this website).

Griselda became close friends with several other pupils including Anne Hope, Bridget Hollebone, and Mavis Northey, whose mother had been a pupil at the school when it was based at its previous location in Ham Common.

She recalls that life during her days as a pupil revolved very much around the school, and girls were not allowed into the town of Sevenoaks – which was seen as a ‘den of iniquity’ by staff – unless they had been made a prefect.

However, she does remember sneaking into town with some friends on 20 November 1947 as they wanted to try and watch the Royal Wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip Mountbatten.

Griselda said: “We found a TV shop and stood outside the window watching the wedding taking place at Westminster Abbey in black and white, although sometimes the picture would go upside down.

“We were allowed to go out for walks around Knole Park or down into Weald, and sometimes other girls went cycling. I also belonged to the Sketch Club which meant, as well as the school grounds, we could go out into the surrounding countryside to draw and paint pictures.

“We were allowed to wear our own clothes after school and at weekends. During the summer we often had picnics in the American Gardens – and of course the occasional midnight feast in our dormitory.

“The whole school, except for two Jewish girls, walked to Kippington Church on a Sunday and I was confirmed there, after a talk by a clergyman wearing gaiters. Part of his advice was that if we met a man, we had to turn around and run away!”

Although pupils were not given dance lessons as part of their curriculum, they were expected to participate in, what Griselda describes as, ‘the dreaded Saturday night dancing’ to music played on a radiogram.

Griselda said: “Some of the ‘horsey’ girls, particularly those from the Scottish Highlands, knew how to dance because they attended various hunt balls. I didn’t have a clue about any dances except how to waltz, and I was always expected to be the man because I was quite tall.

“There was always the chance that the headmistress, Miss Phyllis Elliott, with her trademark fox fur around her neck, would pounce and make you dance with her. She was an excellent literature teacher but was very scary.”

Coal was in short supply, as it was still being rationed after the war, and this meant the school was always cold during the winter months. Pupils were given stone hot water bottles and rugs so they could do their do prep in the library, but the dormitories were freezing.

Griselda said: “It was drummed into us that honesty is the best policy, and we were told to confess if you talked in the dormitory after lights out. Everybody did it, but I seemed to be the only one to confess. My punishment was either weeding the garden or running round the lacrosse pitch.

“I hated lacrosse, but mainly because I am very short-sighted and I was frightened to wear my glasses when other girls were bearing down on me with sticks in their hands. It was bad enough when you got hit on your hands. Only the goalkeeper was allowed to wear gloves and other protection. The rest of us wore skimpy gym tunics in all weathers. I remember my knees went an assorted purple and blue colour in the winter because it was so cold.

“I quite liked netball as at least I could see the ball, and I enjoyed swimming, but I didn’t look forward to gym lessons. My friend Mavis and I would run up to the vaulting horse and then shy away, like a horse when it refuses a jump. However, we couldn’t get out of having to hang from the wall bars like bats.

“I liked tennis and we had a coach who gave us lessons on the grass courts. We also played friendly games on summer evenings. One girl played at Junior Wimbledon, but I can’t remember her name. At the annual sports day I was quite good at running, but nothing else.”

Griselda had a colourful upbringing both before and after her days at West Heath. Her father had been in the Northamptonshire Regiment during the first world war. He fought in the battles of Mons and Ypres, was wounded, and nearly lost his leg to sepsis.

After the end of hostilities, he joined the Egyptian Police. It was during this episode of his life that he met Griselda’s mother who had gone to Egypt after answering an advertisement in The Times newspaper to work for a dentist in Port Said.

After they married Griselda’s father was asked to join a group of ex-army officers whose aim was to put an end to the blood feuds in Albania.

Griselda said: “My mother loved Albania. They slept in tents and rode along narrow mountain paths.”

Her father was given a medal for his efforts by King Zogu, an Albanian aristocrat who became the country’s youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 27. He was then made President, and eventually King from 1922 to 1939.

When the second world war broke out Griselda’s father joined the RAF and took photos of the action in North Africa.

The couple eventually moved to Monte Carlo, where Griselda was born. Her father was convinced he had developed a system to beat the casinos. It didn’t work and by the time they returned to Britain, he was broke financially.

He went off to Australia to find work while Griselda’s mother was left to bring her up. At the age of four, her mother signed her up as a possible model with advertising agency J Walter Thompson.

Her services became in demand, and she appeared in several advertising campaigns, including her face being seen on the side of London buses eating a banana. The money she earned from this work helped pay for her private education.

Griselda said: “I went to the Open Air School in Regents Park and then at the age of eight, I went to Benenden for a short time. My journey there was memorable because I was transported there on the back of a bicycle ridden by a Jewish refugee who was living at my uncle’s house in Kent.

“I also attended Channing School in Hampstead for a while before we evacuated to Surrey during the war where I went to an amazing school in Albury. I made some good friends there and learned to ride.”

After doing well in her exams at West Heath, Griselda went on to Queens Secretarial college in London, and this was followed by a variety of jobs. She worked at the Foreign Office and also for a publisher, which she remembers being one of her favourite jobs.

Her first marriage produced two children, Niki and Mark. During the marriage, which ended in divorce, Griselda discovered she had a talent for writing stories for children and she had her first book published in 1963. Griselda then later married Jim Hall and they had 30 years together. Sadly Jim began suffering from dementia and died about five years ago.

Her book writing continued during the second marriage and Griselda has now had 34 books published. Her work associated with these books has taken her on tours to schools at home and abroad. You can see more about the books on her website at www.griseldagifford.co.uk

Griselda also developed her love of painting, possibly helped by her time in the Sketch Club at West Heath, and has even sold some of her pictures. She still belongs to a book group and two art societies. She now lives in Bedfordshire with Spark, her ‘slightly overweight’ Yorkie dog.

Griselda said: “Back in the 50s, I went to a West Heath Old Girls reunion party with my three friends from school. We were surprised how dressed up everybody was, and we ended up hiding in a corner eating strawberries.

“I have fond memories of West Heath and would love to make contact with anyone from my era there who is still around.”

* At the age of 94, Griselda must be one of the oldest members of the West Heath Old Girls Association. Do you have a parent or relative, or even a friend of your family, who was at the school who would like to provide some memories or photographs of their time at West Heath? If so, we’d love to hear from them.

Did headmistress see ghost of ‘The Lady With The Lamp’? 

Griselda remembers a spooky story involving headmistress Miss Phyllis Elliott during the time West Heath pupils and staff were evacuated to Claydon House during the war.

Nurse Florence Nightingale famously became known as ‘The Lady with the lamp’ because of her work during the Crimean War when she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople.

She had often stayed at Claydon House as a guest during the summer holidays. This was because of a family connection through her older sister, Frances ‘Fanny’ Parthenope Nightingale, who was married to Lord Verney. His family owned the Buckinghamshire estate. Florence died in 1910.

During West Heath’s evacuation to Claydon House, Miss Elliott was given Florence’s former bedroom to use as a study. A story later circulated among West Heath pupils that one night she was faced with what looked like a ghostly apparition of the ‘Lady with the lamp’!

…and talking of ghosts, here is some info about Griselda’s latest book:

Ghostly secrets

Izzy hates leaving home to live with Gran and having to face bullies at her new school.

When she and her friend Cat are up on the forbidden roof, where a girl, Theresa, once fell to her death, Izzy thinks she sees three figures fighting and a ghost-girl being pushed over the edge.

Gran’s daughter, Belle, went missing years ago. How was shew involved with the girl off the school roof? And what secret is Gran hiding?

Izzy attempts to discover the truth.

Two Falcons Press – Price £7.99

To purchase this book from the author email: griseldagifford@aol.com