My Life Story
Teenage Years
Part I
Just before I left primary school a new family moved into Waveney Road. I became friends with Gloria who was the same age as me and we have remained friends. When we were 11 we would go on bike rides to Hornsea, about 10 miles away, and talk about what the future might bring. We went to different schools and so we had plenty to share and talk about.
Gloria’s dad was a sales rep for a stone mason, I believe. He travelled all over the north and occasionally he would take us with him for the day. We loved it. It meant an early start and, as there were no motorways then, it took hours to drive through the West Yorkshire towns to get to somewhere like Manchester. We would eat in cafés, which was a real treat, and we enjoyed seeing all the different places. We all sat in the front on a bench seat. You don’t see them now. Great memories, thank you Cyril.
I was very excited to go to Estcourt High School and I wore the blazer with pride. The uniforms were expensive and prohibitive for some parents, so it was not uncommon for children to turn down places at grammar schools. This had certainly been the case for previous generations, but there may have been grants by this time. I am unsure. Uniforms were certainly not available in supermarkets as they are today.
On starting school, I was very keen to seek out my second cousin Susan, who was 15. She had other ideas, wanted to be seen as cool and did not want to be associated with a “fag” in the first year. It was a long time before I forgave her for that rejection.
To add to my problems a group of girls decided to bully me, perhaps because I was small. They awarded me a certificate to say I was the smallest in the class. I was not prepared for what came next, although I had previous experience of bullying from the other side.
When I was walking to school at age 5, I was told to scratch someone who was on the ground. I could not see who it was. An older girl, a mean and nasty piece of work, said “Scratch her, scratch her or we’ll scratch you”. There were about four of them aged 9 or 10. I remember it distinctly. I was terrified so I got down and ran my nails against the poor little girl’s legs but it wouldn’t have hurt her. I have done some mean things in my life, regretfully, but I have a clear conscience on this. I think that I did the best thing at the time as I literally wasn’t big enough to stand up to the group of much bigger girls. The victim, Carol, was about my age and was left crying. The bullies ran off and Carol and I walked on to school. She held my hand and I remember it was very soft. I didn’t tell anyone though.
In my first term at secondary school I lost something, I can’t remember what it was, but I was in trouble with the teacher. The girls saw an opportunity and started to take things out of my desk, so this became a pattern in different classes, much to their delight and amusement and to my distress. I did tell the form teacher, but she told me that I should be honest about losing things and “call a spade a spade”. She said that I needed to accept responsibility for my actions, be more organised and grow up. My solution was to carry all my things with me in my satchel and keep it with me at all times. I even took it to the toilet! The toilets were not nice, outside, where many of the older girls smoked, and there was sexual graffiti too which I came to understand. As an adult I cannot understand how this was implicitly encouraged; it appeared to be accepted as it was not removed. Being found without your beret was a much worse offence – keeping up public appearances?
This was a very difficult time for me. Someone took my compulsory beret off my head, from behind me in the playground, and I was in trouble in front of everyone. I think that the duty teacher did then see that my reason was plausible, as some girls said they had seen it happen. I was very grateful to them. Fortunately the bullying stopped then, but other girls suffered far worse. It did scar me though as I do not like to be found without anything to this day. I have yet to learn to pack lightly!
The form teacher, who had humiliated me by saying I was dishonest, taught us French. She did not like me and for some reason she held the fact that I was an only child against me. She would shout “Début Enfant Unique” when I had to answer a question or translate. She had five children and asked my mother why I was an only child. My mother replied “I don’t think that is any of your business Mrs D—-”, which certainly didn’t help me!
In hindsight, having worked in literally hundreds of schools, I can see that it was not a good school. I think that there was a lack of ambition for the girls. Quite a number left as they were pregnant, and one I met in town the day before my wedding said that she was very envious of me and other classmates who had gone to college or university. She said “Look at me, three kids and no money”. We were 21. I felt sad for her and grateful for my circumstances. We had no money as we were students but I was looking forward to getting married.
I did ok academically and well for that school, in the top stream but I was not top. Once I did very badly in a Geometry exam. As I went into it I remember thinking to myself “You only have yourself to blame.” I hated Geometry and had not revised. I reaped the consequences with a humiliating 13%, but I learned my lesson. I worked hard for my O levels and I was awarded top marks in the school for English Language and History. I do not remember sciences being an option with the exception of Biology.
Out of approximately 120 girls, only 17 of us went into the Upper 6th to do A levels. We did not receive any careers guidance as I recall and I believe that most of us went on to be teachers. It suited me since my two A levels were a means to an end: English Literature which all 17 of us did, and RE which most of us did. One girl did History (my favourite subject but I thought the teacher was poor) and failed. I am not sure if anyone did three A levels, but History and RE were timetabled against each other so it was not an option for me.
Sport, Art, Needlework and Domestic Science were not my strong points! I was always sidelined for anything sporty, and told I was very weak at Art, which I still am, although I am sometimes creative! Needlework was ok but I didn’t enjoy it. My excuse is that I am right eye dominant and left handed! One time I got a high mark for my lemon meringue but then told the teacher that I had forgotten to put the sugar in! She reduced my mark from 9 to 7½! Honesty does not always pay!
I once moved a mirror in the Needlework room as it didn’t look stable. After a few minutes it slipped and broke. I owned up to it and my Dad got a bill from the City Education Office. He protested and asked why he was being penalised for my honesty. He stated that it was an accident and there was a lot of vandalism at my school for which the parents weren’t charged. This was true. He stuck to his guns as it were and after a couple more letters the charge was waived.
Another time my mum wanted me to have my hair done and to leave school 15 minutes early because of something we were going to. The teacher refused our request, so I said that she was teaching me not to be honest. I said that I wouldn’t be honest next time and that I would say I had a dental appointment. I now think that I was quite bold, but she surprisingly conceded and said “OK then!”
Unsurprisingly, when prefects were chosen for the Sixth Form I was not amongst them. The RE teacher, a man, told me that the consensus was that I had too much to say for myself. He said that he had spoken up for me. I have never been a “Yes Person”, as one of my Head Teachers much later told staff, but I have mellowed!
During my school years I would walk to school on a Thursday and then go by the Circular bus to the other side of the city to see my maternal grandmother. I would have my tea there and after an hour and a half would return by the same route. I enjoyed this as I liked to participate in the fun the pupils had on the bus with the boys from other schools. Also on the way home, a young chap from the Youth Club, who was already working, would get on the bus and we would chat. He had a girl friend but I liked him as a friend.
At the age of 13, I started attending the Youth Club at the church with my friend Gloria. There were lots of activities for young people then and many of us from Kingston Wesley agree that we had a wonderful social life in our teenage years. There was a group who met after church on a Sunday evening. I still see some of these friends occasionally and, although there were a few broken hearts along the way, I think that it prepared us well for adulthood. We agree that we were very fortunate. We had wonderful days out as some of the group had vans and another was able to borrow her parents’ car. We even went camping in Whitby with several tents. Great fun!
At 13 I had my appendix out. It was a better experience than an earlier one as I was in an adult ward, although the elderly lady opposite died. I had been in hospital at 5 for a sinus operation. I was traumatised because when I turned round to speak to my mum she had gone and I cried. A nurse threatened to slap me if I didn’t stop. That made it worse but I tried to stifle my sobs. Other children were crying too and I could hear it get worse as they came round to inject us in our bottoms. I was terrified but I survived. I have often wondered why we were injected at the same time. Odd! It transpired that my mum had been told to leave without saying goodbye to me. One didn’t like to question authority in those days, but I would never leave my children without saying goodbye and reassuring them, even if they did cry – which they did sometimes!
When I returned home from my operation, the minister from the church came to visit me, having heard that I was not well. My parents did not go to church, but they had done in their youth and they gave to the church monthly. They liked my new friends and let me host the Sunday group when it was my turn (they went out). The minister told my mum that he and his wife would have liked a daughter and would she like to swap for one of his twin sons! We were surprised to learn about his three children but I didn’t know them until they joined the group some time later.
When I was 15 I was invited to a friend’s 21st party. For some reason I was seated with the Blundred twins and Gloria observed that Peter kept looking at me. I laughed and said that she had imagined it, because he seemed quite intellectual and he wouldn’t be interested in girls. I was wrong.
I have always been interested in spirituality and esoteric things. I visited various different religions in Hull and at one time our neighbours were spiritualists and I enjoyed conversations with them. I enjoyed things like handwriting analysis and palm reading. I had my fortune told a few times at Hull Fair. Peter, known to his family as Pete, pretended to be interested in such things. When I was talking about it one Sunday, he asked me to look at his palm and, dramatic as it may seem, I knew then that I was likely to marry him. It was probably to do with two children, which most people have! The following month he came round on his bike to ask me out. We went to see a Carry On film.
This was in 1968. Gloria, I and several others were attending classes to become church members, the equivalent of Confirmation. The Blundred twins were also attending. Pete and I were going out regularly by then, mostly walking to the park or going on bike rides. Gloria and I were doing O levels. Pete was helping me with my Geometry and Trigonometry. I had to do a re-sit so that tells the story! In the May we were made church members, the first time we knelt at the altar together.
I remember us having a conversation very early on when I said that to me women’s futures did not seem very appealing. Years of domesticity, chores and child rearing. I was not sure that I was cut out for it. Pete’s mum had other outlets as she had a major role in the church as the minister’s wife. She led meetings and seemed to thrive on it, although it was certainly not without its pressures. To my surprise Pete agreed with me. This probably set the tone for us. We have both been very independent and did not always adopt the traditional regimented roles, although this elicited negative comments throughout our marriage. It worked for us though, and we changed our procedures and roles many times to adapt to our changing circumstances and finances.
We have been through a lot together since then and although we were irritated with each other sometimes he never ever let me down (except not dancing) and I can honestly say that I never doubted his love for me.
© 2026 A L Blundred