Fascinating diaries reveal school's wartime past

Historic diaries found at a school in Kent have been helping its current pupils discover what life was like for alumni during wartime.

Amy Rowley-Jones, headteacher at Walderslade Primary School, discovered a logbook and a suitcase of old photos from as far back as 1906 in a school cupboard.

The relics document the experiences of former pupils during World War Two evacuations and disruption to the school day caused by regular air raids.

"The logbook and photos have really brought the area to life for anyone who has taken a look," said Ms Rowley-Jones.

The first entry in the diary is from 15 October, 1906, and is accompanied by photos of 41 children being admitted to the school on the first morning it opened.

Fast forward to World War Two we find entries detailing how children were evacuated to Faversham in 1939 and Monmouthshire in 1940.

If the struggles of war were not enough, it was recorded on one day in 1942 that 36 children were absent with measles, long before a vaccine for the illness had been found.

The logbook was first discovered by Ms Rowley-Jones in 2018 and is mainly kept under lock and key. But recently, closer inspections have revealed the plethora of information which is now being used by pupils in their education.

"It's lovely to link these in with anything we are doing here. It really makes you appreciate all we have here today," said Ms Rowley-Jones.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.