Stowfield House
Courtesy of: Wendy Mattera. Uploaded: April 2008
Stowfield House Boys
Back: Micheal Pope, 2 ?, Robert Peacey, Malcolm Allen
Left: Brian Peacey, Des Brown.
Thanks also to Des Brown.
Wendy wrote (April 2008): "I recently came across this photo from my past of a group of boys who lived at Stowfield House in the early 1950s. As I thought about it, I realised that I knew nothing about their situation. Was it an orphanage? Were the boys refugees? Had they lost their parents during the war? How many boys lived there? I can remember a lot of them coming to Lydbrook church every Sunday evening with Mr. and Mrs. Sterkx who were the Matron and the Director. I would be interested to learn something more about those boys I knew more than 50 years ago".
Margaret Wilce added (April 2008): "The boys were evacuees mainly
from London, they went to Joys Green and Lydbrook Schools, at least two
were adopted by local families".
Ann Butcher added (June 2008): "Sometime between 1935 and the
1950's Stowfield House was a boy's home. Not exactly an orphanage but I'm
not sure what. My brother Donald Wall was a resident there for some years
during the war.He always seemed to have very fond memories of his time
there. Unfortunately he died in 1964 when I was little so I can't add any
more".
D. Keith Wilks added (May 2009): "Senior boys from Stowfield Home
attended Berry Hill Secondary School. Some are mentioned in my book 'Teacher in the Forest' - John
Hardwell and perhaps Stan Wall, Peter Procter. Others I cannot
remember".
(Keith's book will be of interest to all former pupils of Berry Hill Secondary School and was printed in Lydney in 2007. Copies are still available from local bookshops).
Roy Taylor added (September 2009): "I was at Stowfield House from 1949 to 1953. It was an orphanage for boys".
Desmond Brown added (July 2011): "... I was at Stowfield House in 1946 until 1953. Only 6 of us were last to leave at the time after the war there were boys coming and going some were going back home. We were well treated by all the staff that looked after us. Many of us did n't know we had a family as i did n't know till later. Some did well in life like Steven Fry who ended up as a Lt Commander in the Royal Navy. I enjoyed my young days at Stowfield God bless to all the boys that were there."
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WANTED: Old photos, old postcards, ephemera and memories of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. U.K.