St. Mary’s National School served the inhabitants of St George’s Quay, Lancaster
Antiquary
St. Mary’s National School took part in the Signing of the Peace Treaty celebrations in July 1919 and the children received their medal and new sixpence. The Logbook in the 1920s recorded the daily life of the school. The League of Nations is mentioned only once, in November 1921, when a short talk was given about it at the Armistice Service, held in school. There is no record of attendance at any League of Nations Union talks. However, in 1926, Rev. A. Egerton brought an Oxford graduate into school and over four days he lectured to the pupils on Persia, South Africa, India and Australia.
In the early 1930s there was an annual playlet performed (possibly by the pupils – the Logbook is not clear). The playlet, ‘Our Empire Pageant,’ was performed in 1931 and 1933, on Empire Day, along with a talk on the League of Nations. A peace play, ‘Mr World and Dr Peace,’ was performed on Remembrance Day in 1932. 60 of the pupils visited the Palestine Exhibition in February 1934. A talk by a graduate on Persia in December 1936 suggests that the school continued to broaden its pupils’ awareness internationally, but no other events are recorded in the Logbook.
References/Further Reading:
St. Mary’s National School Logbook 1917-1939. Archive ref: SMQ/5/3, Lancashire Archives.
P. Brett, 2013. Citizenship Education in England in the Shadow of the Great War. Citizenship Teaching and Learning 8 (1).