I was sent to Suntrap from my home in Ealing, West London, for three months around Christmas 1949, when I was eight.  I feel it must have been that year because the very kind man in charge of the dormitory, Mr. Hollway, arranged for us to make a large model of "HMS Amethyst" which had featured in

Suntrap days in the late 40s

After a very active wartime career, "HMS Amethyst" was sent to the Far East to guard British communities in Shanghai.  In 1949, the British warship was trapped 200 miles inland when denied safe passage by the Chinese Communists after a three month long stand off. In April that year HMS Amethyst made a heroic escape out to sea, down through the Yangtze River.

HMS Amethyst

a heroic escape from Chinese rebels that year.  We hung the completed model from the ceiling as our Christmas decoration and somehow Mr. Hollway procured sailors' caps labelled "HMS Amethyst" for all members of the dormitory, of whom I think there were twelve.  We were given the names of the crew: I was Cookie!  The head boy of our dormitory was called Beasley, "I think?"

I remember the school with affection, although I have never found out why I was sent there.  Probably, I was "delicate", though as far as I know, I had never suffered from asthma.  We had lessons during the day and what we called "Nightschool" in the evenings where we had various organized activities.  I remember watching the Hitchcock film "The Lady Vanishes". On November 5th, we were invited to a local bonfire.  At Christmas we were taken to a pantomime in Portsmouth.  Also at Christmas, we put on a show consisting of several sketches. I remember bath nights on Fridays, after which we received a change of underwear and lined up outside Matron's Office for a dose of syrup of figs.  I also remember having to rest on our beds after lunch each day. I remember my Mother visiting me and taking me out for tea at a nearby cafe where I chose poached egg on toast. A few years ago, I landed at Portsmouth from a ferry and went to Hayling Island with my family to search for Suntrap.  Having seen the photo on the webpage, it's not surprising that I never found it. Author: Keith Allchin (kfa@ukgateway.net) Sheffield UK.                   Posted: December 7th, 2001

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