An education epic

●Stuart Beaton follows up the story of schooling in Troon.

Pictures above and below are two of the original classes when Marr College opened on September, 2, 1935.

WERE ALL the coherent facts about education in Troon and district carefully extracted from every available source and placed on canvas, there is little doubt that the resultant living screen would portray an epic. Nothing ever remained static.

In September 1909 the schoolhouse which was attached to the "Wee School" underwent alterations, the ground flat being converted into a laundry with the upper floor becoming a model house for the housewifery of the Supplementary Department; hardly reminiscent of the original Wild West but certainly momentous for girls like Katie McGinty who was once taken home in a leaky rowing boat at a time of high flood.

On June 1, 1912, in the “Big School" a boy in Papa Leith's art class refused to take the belt, denying that he had poured treacle into one of the toilets; but he had been caught in the act,  black-handed, by Sergeant Thomson the School Officer. He was soon held in position however by this hefty ex‑Army gentleman while the Headmaster applied six hearty ones to the posterior with his hand.

APOLOGISED

The boy, now in tears, apologised profusely. He was then given a cake of chocolate, and promised never to do such a thing again stating that he did not like treacle in any case. Due to some slight discomfort he was then unable to sit down in class so he was immediately sent home by Mr Winning, a gentleman ‑ tall dignified, and just.

Then came the War with its attendant local problems, though minor in comparison with life and death on the Western Front.

It so happened in June, prior to the outbreak of hostilities that the school in Barassie Street had to be closed for three days due to the holding of the Golf Championship, the last for a considerable time, and caddies were in great demand at four pence a round.

But disappointment was soon to reign among the children when a School Officer, Sergeant MacDonald, took his leave from the establishment in September, 1914, having been committed to the drilling of recruits for Lord Kitchener's Army.

Prior to his departure the pupils presented him with a hundred Woodbines and six pairs of socks. He was very popular, the only flaw in the ointment being that he was a non-smoker. Clearly someone had blundered. The staff gave him a walking‑stick.

Before long, inevitably, there was to be real disruption in the affairs of the school. The military authorities required the use of the Higher Grade as from January 22, 1915, and pandemonium reigned. Pupils and teachers had to pack up and make other arrangements, moving in procession the following Monday to the Academy Street School where new timetables were quickly prepared.

After a week of bedlam the infant department was housed in the St Meddan's UF Halls, while the '`Big School" found accommodation in the precincts.

The Unionist Hall was also brought into play and the old Parish Church took the overflow; but everything returned to normal, education‑wise, by September of that year, although all schools were still to be requisitioned in part, from time to time, throughout hostilities.

UNHAPPY

In November 1918 the holiday in honour of the Armistice closed this particular chapter in history but there is little doubt that many unhappy memories lingered on. Mr David Fulton still treasures the souvenir sixpence which he received on that occasion.

In May 1919 the end of another long‑standing era was heralded, with the Dundonald School Board officially going out of office due to the Act of November 1918, when the county replaced the parish as the unit of educational administration. Much regret was expressed in the local newspaper.

The new Board elected in 1920, was therefore one of a somewhat different grain. It was more of an adhoc authority and held office for three years. The new office‑bearers were; The Rev Robert Smith; The Rev Father Hayes; ­Messrs Smith and Craig of Kilwinning; Mr Turner of Dreghorn; and the Clerk, Mr Wilson of Irvine. This represented only a third of the county governing body.

MYSTICAL

Troon no longer had its "Lord of the Manor". It will be seen later how this new Act was to affect the opening of Marr College, an educational palace of the future at that time something merely mystical.

A further remodelling of the infant school was to take place in 1921, it being extended to eight rooms plus a central hall for drill; and another class was formed at the Higher Grade to accommodate children from Loans. In April, 1923, all schools were decorated inside and out, the occasion being the wedding of the Duke of York to Lady Elizabeth Bowes‑Lyon, and a holiday was declared.

The passage of time was to bring about many changes. Mr Winning, MA, FEIS, the Headmaster, died on the Isle of Wight on January 1, 1925, after a long illness, but he was interred at Troon; and George A. MacMillan took over as Acting Headmaster until his retirement in 1930; Mr G D. Montgomerie then filling the breach. Even if School trips abroad were not then on the scale of the 1980's there was the interesting instance of Miss Milne's journey to Czechoslovakia in June, 1925, in order to add to her knowledge of children's drill. By this time there was a very complete and efficient secondary department at the Higher Grade Public School, continuing well into the 1930's, when hitherto unforeseen changes were to be brought about. And at the "Wee School'' Miss Cruickshank ruled with a rod of iron.

At this stage, still no more than a brief mention of the magnificent new Troon school which was completed in 1931 and duly opened on Monday, September 2, 1935. On account of this belated, but most opportune event, the junior classes were transferred  from the "Wee School" to its "Big brother" in Barassie Street, with those pupils of secondary age moving on to Marr College, in addition to the following members of staff: Hugh G. Fraser; Robert Houston; Alex P. Arrol; David McCreadie; James H. Gilfillan; Miss M. M. Robertson; Miss M. L. Young; Miss M. D. Patterson; Miss J. MacDonald; Miss E. Vallance; Miss D. J. Hiddlestone and Miss Milne.

IMPORTANT

The year 1935 was assuredly an important one for the port of Troon. As apart from anything else there was a holiday on the occasion of the Royal Wedding; the milk scheme also being put into operation in January. There was yet another day off school on May 10, in respect of their Majesties' Silver Jubilee.

There was a bonus for the children in the form of a special free outing to the pictures and during the previous week Provost Donald had distributed the brand new shillings which the town had gifted to each boy and girl to commemorate the event.

Still continuing in Royal vein, the pupils were soon to be marched round to the new Town Hall to hear the Proclamation of the Accession of Edward VII. There was a further break from lessons in May, 1937, to celebrate the Coronation of King George VI and his Queen, every child being presented with yet another shiny shilling as a souvenir.

Then, on June 11, of the same year, the School Coronation Sports were held in the spacious Marr College playing fields, specially minted coins once more being donated by the town. Last, but by no means least, the Coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, was ample reason for school closure: it being June 5, 1953, when Union Jacks were the order of the day and all teaching establishments were duly decorated. At services in the schools all children received a badge, a box of sweets, and a booklet entitled "The Royal Day".

DISRUPTION

But there was more to education than days off and presentations. In May, 1935, and apparently for religious reasons, eleven parents would not permit their offsprings' gums to be frozen prior to extractions, the defective teeth therefore remaining in place.

Then came the Second World War, disruption being of course expected. Action was taken to safeguard the school windows, some with cloth and others with wire netting. On the outside, the doors and windows had the added protection of baffle walls. Almost every girl in the town became involved in the knitting of War comforts, much of the wool being gifted by the boys.

In March, 1941, refugees arrived from the Clydebank area to be accommodated in the infant school, five classrooms being used for that purpose. At the end of that week the pupils were dismissed early for disinfestation of the school, there having been an epidemic of lice in the town one of the lesser hazards of war. Further evacuees from bombed areas in Greenock also arrived and were housed in the Barassie Street School.

There was a ruling that if the alert persisted beyond midnight, or should it occur after that time, the opening hour for school would be 10.30. On all Sunday School picnics gas‑masks had to be carried by everyone. At the "Wee School" the laundry was put into use as a dining hall and drill had to be conducted out of doors as there was just no room in the building.

But nothing is forever, Victory in Europe Week was held in May, 1945, when peace terms were signed on Luneburg Heath, and there was a service in each school; the Rev R. A. Budge being in attendance at the infant school.

Miss Margaret Hood succeeded Miss Aitken as infant mistress at the "Wee School" in the summer of 1960, transferring her charges to the Barassie Street complex in 1964, when the children of St Patrick's moved, in a sense, over the wall, to the urgently needed accommodation.

The new primaries of comparatively modern times are Muirhead ‑ Mr McWilliams succeeding Mr Henry McCulloch as headmaster; Barassie ‑ where Mr Rankin is in charge; and Struthers ‑ under the leadership of Mrs Kelly.

To complete the record people at the top in the hierarchy of the Barassie Street School, after the retirement of Mr Montgomerie in 1945 were: Mr White; Mr Thomas Blackwood in 1951; Mr James Nicolson in 1963; Mr Hamish McDougall from 1972 until the summer of 1984; with Miss Eleanor Smart now head teacher.

Next Week: Early Day in the Saga of Marr College.