1940s: Kilquhanity after the Sturgeons
Vivienne (1941 - 1942)
Letters from Vivienne to Felix Sturgeon date from Christmas Day 1941 to July 1942 and tell us a lot about life of Kilquhanity during its early days. I have so far been unable to identify Vivienne but she must surely have been either a teacher or some sort of helper at the school.
All the letters appear to have been written after the Sturgeons had left and there is a definite sense of a change from a ‘mansion’ to a ‘school’. The impact of war, evacuation, refugees and other matters also appear to have been taking their toll.
Vivienne to Felix December 25th 1941
. . . Well, to begin at the correct place, we were very sorry not to have been able to bid you farewell of course, tho’ we quite understood. All were lingering over dinner when it was discovered you’d ‘done a bunk.’ Our esteemed Director (John Ed.)said ‘Well, there’s such a thing as a casual goodbye’, so yours truly piped up ‘that’s just it, they couldn’t have made it ‘casual’, their feelings go much deeper than most folk imagine, and anyway, the motive could have been nothing but good, ‘cos they didn’t even say goodbye to Harold and me!’ … Pretty good for an impromptu, what you say, pieface?
At the Staff Meeting that evening … The same meeting decided to re-decorate almost the whole school, and John’s first job was to plaster the B’s dorm., giving the excuse that it was good for the B’s to be able to ‘help’, before they went home, but it is my private belief that the main reason for doing it in a hurry was that Mrs Muir was coming!
During the meeting, Val, Ishbel and Ian (kids) walked in, Val as spokesman, demanding that Bill should leave at once to read to them, then finding the discussion at a standstill, ordered John to continue, saying that if he hadn’t been talking about them, there was no reason to hold up the meeting while they were there. H. was furious at the attitude and how John looked for all the world as if he simply did not know how to cope with the situation … he just sat with his tongue in his cheek. Eventually the kids retired, and to my disgust, Bill followed them soon after.
I am not sure if you were here when the Staff met the seniors to discuss next term’s work, but the boys demanded one hours Maths per day … yes I think you did know. However, whilst on the subject, when Ian Pere came to collect the boys, he asked H. if he really thought the school could give Ian all the learning he required.
He was assured of course, as you know H is academically minded, and apparently John must have told the same tale, as Ian is to return next term, so in future when John kicks against their learning so much, (joke) H will remind him of his promise to Ian Pere. Actually both Ian and Paul asked H for work to do in the hols. and this brought forth much adverse criticism from John.
We had another staff meeting last Thursday to discuss new staff, so that John could write before the weekend. (that’s a new one on me, wanting other opinions). However, the points were to ask Peter to return, bringing with him a friend he lives with, Donald Gilchrist, who has exemption to do agriculture, so will come here as a gardener, and teach languages and music! Kilquhanity is bordering on the lines of a ‘hide-out’ to my way of thinking, still John knows what he is doing, (we hope).
At that same meeting, John suggested we gave up our days off during the hols, which of course, is sensible, but when I asked him the next day if the arrangement include Mary, he took me aside, and asked me to try and be a little ‘bigger’ in my outlook to which I replied that surely I was entitled to know, seeing that I was the one to take her place etc. etc. He simply took it that I begrudged her the time off, and wasn’t convinced.
He went on to say that it was up to us to ‘be around’ always, and do jobs as they came along, not looking to see if one does more than another, etc. etc. He went more or less straight to H; before I had a chance to see him…
Soon we shall have more staff than pupils, for on top of Peter, Donald, Joy, the girl, and us others, there’s to be a kindergartener!
I am more homesick today than I’ve ever been here… its Christmas Day, and dinner consisted of potato soup followed by pudding and coffee! I’ll leave this open till tea-time, in case we have dinner then!
Vivienne to Felix February 1st 1942
Mary went away on the Friday after Christmas, so we set to and had a good feed. On the Sunday we had a delicious leg-o-lamb, and during the week, one or two plain suet puddings … and they were simply grand. On New Year’s Eve A. S. Neill rang John to say he would be coming the next day for the night.
He came and stayed two nights. I’m wrong, Neill came on New Year’s Eve, cos I remember he was at lunch on New Year’s Day when we had roast PORK. Well, Hogmanay was spent drinking, and sitting round the fire telling dirty stories, incidentally, H and I were asked to contribute no less than four bob each towards the drinks, of which we partook only lemonade and ginger-beer! It nearly broke our hearts, our pockets, anyway.
Neill asked John if we had classes in the afternoon here, saying that he never did, as he thought that a morning full was quite enough, so H piped up, just for something to say doan-cher-know, ‘Yes if the kids really get down to work, a morning should be sufficient’, now the funny part is, that he said it without any thought of sarcasm, nor indeed was there any in his voice, but Neill at once said, ‘Oh do you believe in work then?’ so poor H said ‘yes’, so Neill turned to John and said ‘Sack him.’ This so tickled John, that he repeated it to the Blacks when he went there during the hols, cos Ishbel told me so!
The music-room was to be the new Lab so the seniors chose green and cream (painted.), and when it was finished, it was so nice that John thought it would be better as a staff common-room, (we’d used it for meals, and got attached to it you see). I strongly suspect Robin of having a lot to do with the change.
6.40 same day:
H was very upset about it, and so were the boys when they heard the news. Then the garage was suggested, but Ian and Paul thought they would choose their own place, so scouted round one day, and finally decided on the workshop. They have painted it, with Harold’s help, and they are getting very thrilled about its possibilities, so that’s O.K.
While Mary was away, you can guess that we all took advantage of a ‘lie in’, and breakfast was any time between 10 and 12. We decided it wasn’t fair that I should have to do all Mary’s work, so we paired up, and each pair, for a day at a time, was to get breakfast, lay tables, prepare tea and supper, and do all the dishes. This worked well except that Robin said from the start that he could not possibly do anything as he had so much to do in the painting line; (no-one saw him before midday, but that’s a minor detail). Hugo and Nan were there also Crombie (Saunders – poet ed.), so we had a good time. Hugo and Crombie often came into the Gun-room, not only to play the piano, but they also liked our easy-chairs!
Well, as regards the decorating, Robin may be able to dabble in water colours and oils, but I’m damned if he can make a good job of a room! Talk about a dirty worker, there was paint and distemper everywhere. The most disgusting thing of all to my way of thinking was the fact instead of painting right over the light switch bases, or missing them altogether, he just didn’t bother if they were touched or not. H and I naturally thought he would clean them up after the room was finished, but not he, they’re just left, so you look at them when you come, the ones in the dining-room and the library which is now called the ‘Big Common-Room’ are the worst. By the way the old music room is not called the staff common-room, but ‘Smoky-Jo’s’, how’s that?
7 pm I must away and bath C’s if the little dears are willing!
7.30… water cold, so got rid of them quickly with a wash! When Mary came back, H and decided there was no reason why we should break the habit of staying in bed till ten and missing breakfast, so we didn’t. nothing was said till two nights before term started, then Mary said to me very sweetly, ‘You will of course be about early tomorrow to help, won’t you’, I said ‘Yes of course’ so she said ‘Will I set breakfast for you then?’ I said ‘No thanks’, so she said what about Harold?’ so he said gallantly, ‘Not for me thanks’.
Poor Mary, she didn’t gain much out of that! I was indignant, as you can guess, especially at the inference that just because we got up late, we did no work, yet the previous evening I had been at work bed-making till 8.45. As it happened, John helped me to wash the supper things, so I took a deep breath and said ‘You see John, that’s the sort of thing I resent in Mary’. He asked me if I was sure that her motive was unkind etc etc, and I remarked that I was sure she resented anyone’s rising later than she thought they ought. That was all then, but the funny part of it was that the following morning, we arose at 9.45 as usual, and I went into Smoky Jo’s soon after 10, and they were just having breakfast!
The next night we met to discuss planning out of work in the fairest way……
I mind Neill till goes to bed at 11(am)……..
Morag sets the dinner table, and we share the pms between us to mind the wee kids. She has them 2 to 3.30, I to 5, one day, and we change over the next day. She attends their tea at 5 while I dither about, bringing clothes in etc. We share the bathing of course. There are many deviations from these rules, however, as we each have a half-day off instead of the whole day, besides which Morag and I each have a further pm off until tea time, and John takes the place of one and Bill the other in minding the kids. Of course this doesn’t really amount to free time as there’s always heaps of mending to do, but it’s nice to be free of the kids for a while.
Friday Feb 6th
The more I know of Sean, the less I understand why you spoke of him as ‘A great big beautiful boy’, my opinion is, strictly confidentially of course, that he’s a great big lazy, selfish SLOB. Mary has taken to feeding the brute with tit-bits, i.e. egg and bacon for breakfast sometimes, and this am, baked beans on toast, besides the porridge which was all the rest of us had. However, he had another relapse, and just didn’t get up, so he missed that.
I wonder he doesn’t get the ‘sack’, as he is always playing truant, but I spose one can’t blame him, living in a free school! He is very thick with Robin, another who gets away with a lot! Bill gets the milk in the am, Mary at night, and Robin offered to get the afternoon’s supply, but just because he let us down once or twice, Mary suggested that Bill gets two lots. It amazes me just…
Feb 14th
How such people really do get away with such a lot. Recently he asked H for the key of the Lab. In which was an axe he wanted, this in itself was enough ‘cheek’, but would you believe it, when H sent someone to collect it later, Robin had LOST it !!!!! When John went for his tribunal, he left Robin in charge of the time-table, suggesting that he ask the seniors to help out.
The programme he produced, however, left all the staff out, the seniors to do the jolly lot! Ian and Paul rejected the idea, and just went to H for Maths as usual. Bill was mad also, as he said if he’d known he was to be free, he could have done the flues! Robin too was mad when he found no-one was sticking to his idea. While on the subject of Robin, the last straw was when Ritchie got an electric shock the other day.
When R painted the dining room, he removed that light which was over the sideboard, and just left bare wires, saying he’d see to them later. Naturally, it never occurred to H to interfere, though he often complained to me about the danger of leaving them so. Anyway when our Ritchie got the shock, John asked H if he would see to them, and Robin didn’t even blush, much less apologise!
Now for the ‘Joy-flower’, we have had a terrific time here about that little affair. In the first place, when she wrote to say she was to return this term, her Pa ordered her home at once, but we persuaded her to stay until he promised to let her come back. John spoke to him on the phone, and the old man repeated the promise 3 times at John’s request, so Bill said she ought to go.
H and I said she ought not to’ve, but as by that time Bill’s word was law to Joy, she went, unfortunately with, as you say, a hacking cough. She made an attempt at a runaway, but that was baulked, and John didn’t see why we should return her numerous belongings until we had her word that she wanted them.
Birrell sent a telegram signed ‘Joy’, and admitted it later. Then Mrs sent a letter to me asking me to send the things, to which I replied saying there would not be room for all in the trunk. We had no instructions as to what we should do with the surplus, and by the time the trunk was full, we were snowed up.
Then the trunk was called for by some hotel or another, so we let it go, but we still had the laugh of the old bugger as there were still some more to go. We then had a personal visit from a woman from the hotel, asking for Joy’s ‘personal things’, dressing gown, dress, skirt, coat, blazer and hot-water bag were what was left. Incidentally there was a list of things inside the trunk, in the old man’s writing, and you’d be surprised at the details.
So many pairs of ‘panties’, new, so many old, colours of every thing, and believe it or not, he even listed ‘sanitary towels’!!!!! Did you know Joy is not really their daughter? They adopted her legally at the age of 18 months. The puzzling thing is, that apart from a 13-page letter I had from Joy soon after she left, and one to Bill, we have not had a word from her since.
This type of reference to a child and family will run through Kilquhanity’s narrative. What would today be termed ‘dysfunctional’ in terms of managing the family in society and dealing with institutions such as education. A significant percentage of children and staff who came to Kilquhanity were sent/or arrived with troubled and troublesome personalities.
This letter continues:
Paul has given me your letter to him. I’d better just mention that he doesn’t really want to leave here at half-term. In the first place, John is hoping that no-one at all will go, as it’s such an upheaval for so short a time, but apart from that, P is so happy, and is looking forward to ‘messing’ about in the lab, uninterrupted. I do hope Paul pere will not make him leave here, and so does Paul. H and P and Ian are in their element now with that lab, and as far as H is concerned let alone the kids themselves, it would be a very sad loss to the school.
They really are working hard and seriously, and learning a lot. Val is leaving at the end of this term I think. I must say there had been a great improvement in Val this term, she is not nearly so callous, thus infinitely more lovable. Ishbel is WORSE. A GRAND PASSION on Robin does not improve matters.
She has been in the habit of inventing diverse excuses to make R kiss her, such as the game ‘Truth and Dare’. R was called out from coffee one night for this purpose, and came back looking most embarrassed, I asked if he’d satisfied the seniors desire to see a real Professional one (kiss), and he said ‘Of course not’ very unconvincingly. I had it from the seniors next day however, that the demonstration was most satisfactory, so What?
Neill is a much more satisfactory bairn this term. I have him quite a lot each day, and never once has he been any trouble. He trots along to me from Morag when I go to collect him, and waves ‘Ba-ba’ to her! He says ‘Hah-ee’ for Harold and ‘Ver-ver’ for Vivienne o, best of all, ‘Cocky’ for Colin. The latter by the way, is a perfect pest this term.
I hope this hasn’t sounded too grumpy, cos really, we’re tremendous happy, much more so than either of us thought possible. There’s a cloud looming, though it may not be as bad as we anticipate, but H heard from Mary that as Sean was not liking his job at the farm, and is giving it up, John has asked him to come and work here!!! Sometimes I wonder if John really IS crazy or only just kind!
This last comment about John ‘crazy or kind’ is also indicative of a thread which passes throughout the Kilquhanity narrative. There are many examples of John’s decision/indecision making, acts of kindness and humanity to others and acts of inexplicable reasoning a well as a distinct avoidance of confrontation in relation to matters of staff management.
Vivienne to Felix March 2nd 1942
…. (Ishbel) honestly she gets worse AND worse. Did I tell you she had a pash on robin? Last night she actually took her bedding and retired to his room, (the one over the Gun- room, since the ‘Wee-house’ has been too damp). When the seniors told me, at about 11.30pm, I thought I’d better tell John, as I’d already discussed the ‘sittywation’ with him, then I decided it was fairer to tell robin and let him deal with it himself.
However, he gave me the impression of the greatest unconcern, almost as if he expected it, and the out-come of it was that Ishbel plus mattress was lifted bodily out and ‘plonked’ on to the floor in Bill’s room, (Joy’s old room). John thinks the whole staff should thrash the thing out together and decide the best way to stop the ‘affaire du coeur’.
The trouble is, however, that Robin is so good at excusing his short-comings, added to the fact that Morag has a soft spot for him, so that all the blame looks like falling on Ishbel, whereas, I’m sure that she gets plenty of encouragement. The other seniors are furious, and rightly so, that on more than one occasion, when one or more of them has attempted to enter the staff common room, Robin has politely told them to scram, intimating that it was the STAFF room, while dear ‘Ishy’ sits comfortably by the fire! Well, more of this anon, and by word of mouth!!
Our new language teacher will commence duties next term. He came to give the ‘once-over’ during the weekend, and seems ideal, i.e. he is on Harold’s side!! We had previously decided not to go ut of our way to talk with him, however, Robin got there first!! You see, we had learnt a lesson with robin. You may remember the talk we had when he first came, and wasn’t in agreement with complete freedom, talked about starting a school of his own, on £250, and asked H if he would be interested etc. etc.
We, like you, thought he was ‘the goods’. Then we woke up! On Saturday pm, I went to the staff room to get some darning wool, and there was Robin, Morag, and Graham Orton, the new man, of course. Honestly, I wanted to laugh at the’ bum-sucking’ that was going on. (Sorry, but it IS most expressive). There was Robin, walking up and down, trying to play ‘deputy director’, saying how the kids change when they’ve been here a while, how simply WONDERFUL it is, how GRAND to see them gain CONFIDENCE etc. etc., in his best ‘old school tie’ pronunciation!!
I was quite prepared to go the whole w/end without talking to him, but on Sunday am when I went to refill the jolly old milk-jug, I found H talking to Graham in the staff room, and on waving aloft the jug, to indicate our mid-morning ‘cuppertea’ was ready, H very bravely brought him along. He was very taken with our room.
His first words were ‘I say, er.. which room is this then,’ so we, trying to be off-hand, said ‘ours’ and he remarked how ‘lovely’ it was etc. etc. Well, we soon got down to discussing the school, and to cut a long story short, we found he has precisely the same fears as Harold had, and is glad to know that, and I think myself, that having had that talk, influenced him a bit in his decision to come. He told John that he’d had a good chat with H which had cheered him up, and John replied that he, John was sure that H would be able to help him!! Graham is only 22, married, black hair and spectacles, the sort that H always ‘takes to’.
Something more to make Robin jealous. He already is of the boys friendship with Harold. He planned to take the seniors to Carlisle for the day today, half term, and when the poor bloke consulted the kids in question, Ishbel was the only one that said she would go, so that fell through!!! Good job Robin is thick-skinned. Mr and Mrs Bradley came for the week-end, and Mr Bradley confided his fears about the ‘rightness’ of the school to Harold, ‘sfunny how he gets folks confidences hurled at him!! Mr B is worried about the swearing, stressing the necessity of respecting other peoples wishes in this matter etc etc. I told H he must tell John, opening the subject by simply asking John if Mr B spoke to him about it.
Vivienne to Felix July 7th 1942
……We had a statement of finance last night at staff meeting, by request, and we are in a pretty bad state, so much so that we shall not be able to have a sou towards holiday expenses, unless anyone is penniless!! We are expecting to have to give up our pound per month soon!! In any case we shall not get it during the hols. However, it’s all for the cause of idealism, so we are told, though I am wondering if I ought not to reconstruct my idea on what the word means, there seems to be a bit of controversy on the matter!!
Robin’s woman is due to join the staff next term, so that will be another £50-odd pounds for nothing, (per year). Graham, the new language man cannot stick this place any longer, and will leave this term!
Don’t faint but Nan and Arthur have been re-installed at Kilquhanity!!! This is the how of it: John told us, when we were talking to him at the beginning of term about wanting to stay here, that it so happened that Arthur had written to say that they were unhappy at Dora Russell’s school, Nan had to do simply everything!! So, says John, he took that as a heaven-sent opportunity to replace US!!! and told them to come.
They arrived on my birthday, and on Harold’s which was two weeks later, Nan fell ‘ill’ with a vague sort of haemorrhage from which she is still recovering, so out of 7 weeks she has had 5 off!!! Poor Mary, she was so pleased to have Nan’s help in the kitchen, though Arthur has been taking Nan’s place to a large extent, I wonder who does HIS work!! They are still using John’s sitting room, while Arthur converts the green garage into two rooms!!
Vivienne's negative criticisms of John and Morag appear somewhat one-sided and there is little or no material in the archives as regards possible responses to these by either John or Morag.
Numerous individuals are mentioned in these letters. I have done my best to identify them wherever possible.
Staff
John Aitkenhead – ‘our esteemed director’Vivienne?Harold – Vivienne’s partner or husband?Bill – Bill MacKinnon – Morag’s brother? Married to Käte, a german teacher who possibly joined later.MaryPeterDonald Gilchrist – Gardener – who had exemption to do ‘agriculture’ – and taught language and music. Was he responsible for introducing the staff to Tusilago?Mrs Gibson – part-time ‘washing and ironing’, cleaning.JoySeanThe girlKindergartnerIsa and John WilsonRobin - Morag ‘has a soft spot for him’), Robin’s woman was due to join later in 1942Graham Orton – March 1942 -Language Teacher – left in 1942Nan and Arthur (Harrison) Left soon after and returned later in 1942 having been working at Dora Russell’s school. Bertram Russell = Bertrand Russell: ‘In 1927 Dora and I came to a decision, for which we were equally responsible, to found a school of our own.’
Children
Val Mitchison - daughter of Naomi MitchisonIshbelIanPaulNeill - Aitkenhead's sonRitchieColin ?Beris – Nan Harrison’s sonBeryl – mid 1942
Others
Mrs Muir – ‘was coming’Ian Pere – parentNan and HugoA.S. Neill - Visited on Hogmanay 1940 and New Year’s Day 1941Crombie Saunders – Robert Crombie Saunders, poetSeumas?BirrellMr and Mrs Bradley visited in March 1941
