On this day in 1955

In the fifties and sixties, when leisure travel was primarily domestic, heading overseas was still a novelty. Yet, some mainland schools organised trips to the Channel Islands for their pupils. When they did, it often got into the papers.

The Diss Express reported one such visit early in April 1955. A party of school children headed to Guernsey for Easter. Mr Pascoe, the headmaster, with Miss Jolly and Mr Golledge, all of Bressingham School, led the 26 students, on an adventure that also required a stop over in London.

St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament were both on the itinerary, along with a boat trip to Sark.

Unlucky break

Unfortunately, it didn’t go entirely according to plan. Mr Golledge fell over on the second day of the trip and broke his arm.

Aunt Jane’s Postbag, a column in the Diss Express, received postcards from three of the pupils who went on the trip. None of them were reproduced in the paper, but they were described briefly, and the notes on the back were quoted. They didn’t make any reference to Mr Gollidge’s accident (or perhaps they did and it was edited out for the sake of his dignity), but they did reveal that as well as Sark the party visited Herm and Lehon, which is perhaps a mis-spelling of Lihou.

The weather was apparently good but, in the words of Margaret Pascoe, “We did not have a very good crossing”.