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An Incident in the Caldicott 1913-1918.
Towards the beginning of 1914 I was living at 25-26 Cartwright Gdns, St Pancras - (the early day of the Caldicott Community) It was a Day Nursery a Creche and a Kindergarden School for Working Men’s Children founded 1911. I went there in 1912. By 1914 - before the First World War started I was a Nursery Maid and had been cared for - helped & educated by Miss Leila Rendel and Miss Phyllis Potter. I was actually wearing my first “grown up” uniform - a blue gingham dress with white collar & cuffs of soft white linen and a big white apron - sensible black shoes and my long brown hair braided neatly back and tied with narrow black ribbon bows - all of which I felt very proud to wear.
I cannot recall the actual day or date, but I know it was around Spring time because I recall noticing Daffodils in the Gardens opposite the Nursery where we used to take the children to play, also, there were flowers in the Nursery.
We had bathed and fed the children and changed them into the nursery and school overalls and taken the 5 & 6 yr olds into the nursery school next door through the communicating door. Then I usually stayed in the Nursery and Babies Creche - suddenly we smelt smoke coming from the upper floor
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of the nursery school - in very quick times all the children were safely out of the house with staff, the Babies & Nurses being taken to Hotels in the Gardens, then Miss Potter called loudly to me and said: - “Gracie - run as fast as you can to meet Miss Leila - you know her usual route from her home in 23 Russel Square - tell her of the fire and to hurry - I ran just as I was and met Miss Leila in Gt Marchmont Street calmly admiring the beautiful hats in the window of a Miliners shop! I was so very excited I just clutched her coat sleeve and said “Oh come quickly Miss Leila the upper part of the school is on fire & burning down” she held my hands tightly and I even remember she was wearing - what to me were lovely dark blue soft kid gloves with a lovely light fur at the wrists which matched the fur on her coat collar! - she then said so calmly - “Has anyone been hurt & are all the children safe? I replied “all were safe and out of the school and nursery” she then so very calmly led me to the shop window and said “Isn’t that just the most beautiful had you’ve ever seen Gracie?
I replied “Yes it was a lovely dark red velvet and beautiful Hat - but please please
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hurry Miss Leila or the school will all be burnt down!” and she then put her hands on my head and looking at me with that well known lovely smile she quietly and calmly said: “Well Gracie my child, should that happen we must all work hard and build it up again - mustn’t we?” and at last she came along home with me.
The Fireman had prevented the School or Nursery from being destroyed but the two upper floors were completely gutted. Although I was only a youngster at the time I do remember even the Fire Officer smiling at me when Miss Leila said: - “Oh Gracie will you be a dear child and bring us all a tray of nice hot tea and some biscuits?”
Miss Leila Rendels remark of “building up the school again” has remained with me through many many upheavals in my life.
Nossels
January 7th - 1986
[with thanks to Caroline Hallett and the Caldecott Foundation]