Girls Together - SepiaSaturday

 

 This week's prompt photograph from the Sepia Saturday website  features a group of young women and girls, many in white dresses and with the elaborate hairstyle of the times c. 1900. 

  

A photograph from the collection of my local heritage group Auld Earlston.  The occasion -  an outing by members of the parish church choir, c.1907, with the women at the front relaxing with hats off, once they. Ǐdthey reached their destination. 

  

My paternal grandmother Mary  Barbara  Matthews(1876--1959)  with a similar hairstyle, c.1900.  She was the  3rd  child out of ten, born to John Matthews and Matilda Such of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire in the  English Midlands and masried my grandfather Alvert Ernest Weston. 

Did you spot in the prompt picture the young girl with the long loose hair sitting at the front ?

She  reminded me of my great aunt Jennie Danson, (1897-1976)  of Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire.   Jennie was the last born child, and only daughter born to my grandparents William Danson and Maria Rawcliffe.  By all accounts she was a feisty  individual who held her own in a household with eight older brothers.  This photograph was taken  c.1909  when Jennie was would be around 12 years old.  

 

 

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From  early 20th century hairstyles  to more groups of women and girls,  all similarly dressed. 

 

Land Girls gathering in Earlston for work on local farms  

during the Second World War, replacing men now in the armed services. 

 

 

 

 

Members of Earlston Girls Training Corps   

The first Girls Training Corps units were formed in 1941.with the aim  to prepare young people aged 14 to 20 (too young for official war work)   for service in their community and to support the war effort upon reaching adulthood.  

Activities included learning to act as bicycle couriers, learning morse code and airforce recognition, gymnastics, homemaking, craft-work, public affairs, land navigation, learning first aid and marksmanship,  firefighting, and assisting with air warden duties.Within a year of forming, over 120,000 girls had joined a GTC company.  The GTS was disbanded  in 1948.  (Source:  Wikipedia) 

 

On a happier note,   - below are Earlston's Girls' Club in  their production of  "Simple Simon" , staged with orchestra in February 1939 in the Corn Exchange, Earlston,   The large chorus took the part of villagers, sailors and native girls.    A  local newspaper noted that "all the players acquitted themselves in a very creditable manner, fully deserving the warm appreciation of the audience." 

 

 

 

 

 

 Below more dressing up here  by the Junior dancers in Staining Gala Day, Lancashire. c.1952, and I am the little girl kneeling on the left of the front row, with us wearing apple green satin dresses.     

 

The Village Gala was the focal event of the calendar where we lived.   All the surrounding  villages had the their annual gala day, when the  band led the Rose Queen in procession with her maids of honour and retinue to a field where she was crowned Queen by some local worthy, followed by dancing displays  games, stalls, craft competitions, refreshment tents - and sports.  A great community event that raised spirits after the war years.  

 

 

  

And finally my school photograph c.1955   at Devonshire Road Junior School, Blackpool.   I moved on from Infants to Juniors, where the boys and girls were in separate classes - When I was  there   boys were on the ground floor,  with playground to the back, whilst girls were upstairs with our own assembly hall, and our playground was at the front of the red brick building - and "never the twain should meet"!   I think we were the last council junior school to go co-d in Blackpool, following the death of the headmistress.

 Here I am the prim little girl second from the right on the front row of seats.   Uniform was not compulsory. but see the popularity of peter pan collars, and ribbons in our hair.  We are all very regimented with hands  in our laps and crossed ankles in our Clarks sandals.   The class here numbers 43 today the maximum class side for older primary school pupils is 33.  

 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity to share their family history through photographs. 

 

Click HERE to see favourite family photos from other Sepia Saturday bloggers. 

 

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