On the morning of our Christmas entertainment the post brought a little parcel containing a match box and in it some of the rubble picked up after the Children's Hospital in Great Ormond Street had been bombed. This was the hospital to which we sent our 'Job' pennies. The babies had been carried to safety and I read to the audience that evening the letter from the Appeals Secretary asking for funds to which several of the parents contributed. In 1941 Mrs. Cox who had been a teacher at Southey Hall joined the staff to teach the Preparatory Division. Miss Fuller, the Principle of the Leatherhead School of Music came to give lessons in place of Miss Lawless who found the petrol ration and her duties as ambulance driver in Bromley prevented her from carrying on. We had not had any air activity since Christmas so we did not use the refuge room by day but the boarders still used it as a dormitory. We were fortunate that the school did not suffer any epidemics either, although the first half of the summer 1941 was very cold and wet and the tent was not much in use. Neither could we do any practice at tennis as we were often obliged to have games in the gym.

Our National Savings Week was in June when we made a special effort to save enough to equip a soldier. Sergeant Lane of the Canadian Regiment stationed at Southey Hall came to show us all the equipment that is necessary for a soldier. He unpacked his kitbag and showed us how everything had to go in. The result of our efforts in that week was enough to equip two soldiers.

We had twenty-two new pupils during that year of whom five were boarders. Gwen Elson came to help in the Preparatory in place of Deidre Fraymouth who had begun work as a full-time student at Epsom Art School. The sports were in July and the leader of the winning team was Barbara Maddin. At the League of Pity Entertainment we had sixty-three visitors, mostly parents of pupils and also a number of old pupils. Among those who came out of interest in the school were Major-General and Mrs.Dunsterville who were staying in Bookham at the time. General Dunsterville was a friend and colleague of Rudyard Kipling and the original Stalky of 'Stalky & Co'. On one occasion when he and Mrs. Dunsterville came to tea with us he kindly autographed my copy of the book. We didn't do an actual play this year but had a puppet show and songs and recitations and country dancing. The children mimed the story of the Town and Country Mouse with Susan reading the story.

In the summer of 1942 Miss Iles joined the staff to take the Nursery Class which, begun the previous year, was sufficient in number to need a room of their own. We had several expeditions with a picnic to the Silent Pool near Albury, to the Druid's Grove in Norbury Park and to Slyfieid Manor. One afternoon I took the Upper and Middle Division to study the history and architecture of Great Bookham Church. The Church Hall was taken over as soon as war broke out as a First Aid Post and the St Nicolas Girls Club who had for some time been having their weekly meetings there were now without a meeting place and were also without a Leader and the Rector asked me if I would take it on. So they met every Monday in the gym for country dancing and various activities. On Midsummer Eve they gave a performance in the spinney of scenes from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in aid of the Red Cross.

During the holidays the school car was disabled and put away in Mr Fussell's stables for the duration of the war and we had a car and driver from Gau and Lawes. I told the driver one day of my anxiety in case of fire which was the one thing I dreaded most but he assured me that there was someone on the look-out at the garage and in the case of a bad raid we were top priority because of the children and they would be down at once which was a great relief to know.

We had our larger garage made into another schoolroom and the tent at the bottom of the garden replaced by a lock-up summer house. An appeal was made by the Government for nettles to be used in making medicines and a small party of Old and present Spinneyites with Gwen Elson and Miss Eleanor cut a great many from the plentiful supply of nettles in 'the orchard and took them tied in bundles of twenty-four to the First Aid Post. Later we also answered the appeal for chestnuts and took many sackfuls there too.

Miss Hayes joined the staff in the Autumn term to take the Preparatory and Jill Dibdin assisted in the Nursery Class. Earlier on we had a Davy Fire Escape fixed in the white dormitory and the boarders enjoyed some practice in going down it. The window in which it was fixed was at the end of the house looking out on to the chestnut spinney so it was not a very big drop. On the 15th November we heard the church bells ring for the first time since the beginning of the war. This was to celebrate the victory in North Africa. '