We were delighted to hear from Imogen Thomas recently who sent us her memories of the war at Haileybury – and also its aftermath. Imogen’s father, Edgar Matthews, taught at Haileybury from 1922 to 1958 and was HM of Batten (1930-53); she provides a remarkable insight into life at Haileybury at the end of WW2, when the lights once more began to shine across Europe.

(Above: Edgar Matthews, HM Batten 1930-53; Imogen’s father)

Bombs falling on Twenty Acre

Each boys house had an air-raid shelter assigned but mostly they just dived under the beds when the warning sounded. There were 27 high explosive incidents (as bombs were officially called) at Haileybury during the war and nearly 300 in the Hertford Heath area. I remember going to the great crater on Twenty Acre to collect bomb fragments. Of course, total blackout was imposed; all windows either painted black or hung with black curtains, with criss-crosses of sticky white tape over the glass to stop fragments flying.

Digging for Victory

Part of the playing fields were dug up as part of the “Dig for Victory” campaign. Growing food for the country was very important work and many farm workers were away fighting. Each summer, from 1940-1945, my father organised a Harvesting Camp at Evesbatch in Herefordshire. It was a voluntary affair but about 40 boys went each summer to bring in the potato crop, pick fruit, etc. My father did the cooking for the whole group. We have a photo of our old car ready to go with a great black cooking stove lashed to the back. We slept, as did the boys, in an army bell tent and ate the food my parents cooked in an old whitewashed barn.

Burning the nazi leaders

Victory in Europe was declared on May 8th 1945. Summer term had started for Haileybury but I was still at home. A whole holiday was declared and bunting and flags appeared as if by magic. My family spent some time arranging a string of bunting across from Batten House to Dumbell Oak on the corner of Twenty Acre. Masses of firewood was collected for a huge bonfire between Allenby and the San. Each house built a guy of a different nazi leader. There was a vast Goebbels and a much smaller Goering, who was parked in our junk room for a time.

(Above: the San as many from the period remember it)

Patriotic songs

When darkness fell on the day, the bonfire was lit and an excited, chanting, cheering procession carried the eleven guys to be cast into the flames. All sorts of patriotic songs were sung, finishing with the Vivat. The Head of School was then carried shoulder high down to the Quad, where all the lights were on; an extraordinary sight after four years of total blackout. All around one could see bonfires blazing and hear bells ringing.

(Above: all together now, “The Romans were a knowing race…”)

About Imogen Thomas

Imogen is the wife of former Allenby HM and English teacher Jack Thomas. She is also the author of the comprehensive school history, Haileybury, 1806-1987, which is available from our online shop here. On their retirement from Haileybury in 1988 Jack and Imogen established the Matthews Thomas Drama Award in order to “assist younger members of the Society to further their studies and development in any aspects of drama”. The most recent recipient of the Award is Hannah Turner (Alb 07).