Bell baxter lives section I former Pupils Contents

Agnes B M Melville

BBS 1945-52

Mrs Brownie Wright sent the following to our Newsletter editor for publication in Issue 45, which appeared in early December 2013.

I have realised that the next issue of the FP Magazine will be number 45, so it seemed suitable to send some reminiscences from a 45er.

I left Balmullo School a few months before my 11th birthday in 1945 and found myself in Class IB at Bell Baxter School. I have a photo of that class, which I guess was taken in the summer of 46, 15 boys and 14 girls.

I stayed with that class for four years until the day that Doc Inglis threw my maths paper across the room with the comment ‘That is the girl who was an infant prodigy, she is no longer an infant and no longer a prodigy.’ I think that one beats ‘hasten, hasten with the basin.’

That was enough for my mother (first Vice-President of the PTA!!) to arrange with Dr Dunlop that I would repeat my fourth year. I made a new set of friends and at the end of fifth year, having only passed Lower English, (the first year there was such a thing!!), I had to repeat fifth year and again make some new friends. Thus having been at BBS for seven years, I can attend three class reunions, 1945, 46 and 47—a record on two accounts?

I have memories of school concerts in my early years, where Ella Kirk arranged dances for the stage in the Regal Cinema. One was a fairy dance to the music of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Moira Mark was the Fairy Queen and Cathy White and I were elves. I went home and told my mother that we needed two elf costumes and that I had told Miss Kirk that Mum would make them both. The next year it was a Toy dance and I was a blue and white rabbit— nearly died of heat in that costume, again made at home.

I have spent some time recently trawling through the 44 Magazines which have been so ably produced over the years since the first reunion. Thanks must go to Muriel Dymock, who was a Prefect in my first year. They all seemed so grown up, to us beginners.

I have several old school magazines from 1945 to 1953 and also photos taken over that period. One of the fun items is the change of hairstyles, especially mine, as in my last year, I went from long hair to very short and on going into school, the next day, was not recognised!

It is a long time ago, but we got a good grounding in all subjects, which stood us in good stead for the future. I went on to the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science, fondly known as ‘Atholl Crescent’, (not the Dough School— that was Glasgow), did a teacher’s training, taught at Madras College in St Andrews for three years and married Kenneth, a farmer in Galloway, in 1959. I have a daughter Patricia, who trained as a Pharmacist and is now in hospital administration. My son Ken did Business Law and has been in advertising as a career. I am Granny Biba to Findlay, Honor and Xander.

I regret that I have not made it to all the 45er reunions, mainly as when my husband died in 1988, I took on the managing of the farm. I keep busy with my involvement with the RNLI and church locally and have learned to be a silver surfer—love my computer.

I suppose it is to be expected that, with advancing years, there are familiar names in the obituaries in each magazine, condolences to their families. However to those of us who are still upright, I send best wishes and Happy Memories.

Brownie (Melville) Wright. E-mail address- wrightbrownie@gmail.co.uk.

An appendage to Brownie’s reminiscences:-

School History Several years ago, on looking at an old valuation roll of about 1835, for this area of Galloway, I found that in the parish of Crossmichael, which is about 8 miles from where I live near Castle Douglas, there were several farms whose annual rents were sent to the Trustees of the late Reverend Dr Andrew Bell for the Cupar Madras Academy, per W A Taylor, Writer, Cupar, Fife.

Dr Bell had returned from India and bought an estate of 415 acres Scots at a cost of £6420 in 1796, he called it Egmore after the Egmore Redoubte in India. I cannot find any house called Egmore in the area, but the farms listed were Little Emambrie, Southend, Halfeme and Fordhouse Parks all tenanted by farmers, some whose names are still in this area and I know exactly where these farms are situated. The Woodlands were in the hands of the Trustees. The annual rents sent to Mr Taylor were £749-8-2, a large amount in present day money, and the payments must have gone on for several years.