RESEARCH
Wennington School closed in 1975. At the same time I was asked if I would take on the position of secretary to the school's Old Scholars' Association. I agreed to give it a try: 46 years later I'm still trying. All the school records and reports were eventually given to the Planned Environment Therapy Trust' s Archive Centre at Toddington in Gloucestershire. The archivist, Craig Fees, for nearly 20 years, welcomed Wenningtonians to visit, assist with the archiving, and for us to delve into our private records. Craig is particularly interested in Oral History so was keen to record ex-pupils talking about their backgrounds and experiences. This I could never do: my life had been spent in protecting my mother's reputation, I hated talking about myself; I was conditioned into going into panic mode and my mind would go blank.
It is through Craig's persistence that I've found the confidence to write my story instead of making a recording. It was many years before I plucked up the courage to look at my records; this was partly instigated by an imminent take-over of the PETT archive by the Mulberry Bush organisation and there was doubt that pupils would have access to their records in the future.
What I learned was that Frances Barnes gave my mother support. Mum was always looking for some purpose in life, other than bringing up two children. She delved into different religions. She'd rejected Catholicism, the Church of England, tried Methodism, sent her children to Bethesda Sunday school, and was veering towards Buddhism. There was a copy of a letter from Frances advising Mum to join the Labour Party. This advice was only half followed: Mum joined the Liberal Party and became secretary to the local Liberal Councillor.
There was a psychiatrist's report that said my mother appeared cold. There was a letter from my mother to Kenneth and Frances asking if I could go home for a while because she was ill, she needed help with Graham and the running of the house: ”And we know how good Pat is at organising”. There was a copy of the reply from Kenneth refusing to let me go: “It would disrupt her education and set a precedent”. Perhaps they and the authorities thought that Mum was too dependent on me, that I'd already been given too much responsibility. Was our close relationship one of the reasons I was sent Wennington?
A few years ago I found a bundle of letters from my father to my mother. An early one took me by surprise: he wrote that he and his wife had discussed the situation and they were both willing to adopt me. I've never regretted her not taking up the offer.
My brother recently told me that he thought that as a child I was always on edge. He could not explain what he meant, but added that I was always protective of him. A few years ago Graham decided to look into our family tree. He compiled a folder of photos and certificates including a copy of my father's death certificate. My father, Victor John Tarbett, died on 24th June (my birthday) in 1973 at the age of 72.
Pat Mitchell
Devon
May 2021