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Oldfeld School and the Hickson Family
Arthur Hickson was the headmaster of Oldfeld School, a private Quaker school in Swanage, Dorset, originally founded by Arthur's mother Lizzie Hickson (nee Beck). In 1940 she was still acting as headmistress although in failing health.
When war was declared Oldfeld School was requisitioned by the military, leaving the Hicksons with the problem of what to do with their 80 pupils. They were one of several private schools in a similar situation who looked overseas for a solution - Roedean was another. (Ironically Barbara would have started at Roedean in September 1940 had the war not intervened).
Although Sheila refers to them as cousins the relationship with the Hicksons was quite remote. Like the Mormons, the Quakers have always taken family relationships very seriously (if not obsessively). The Eades probably knew of the plans for Oldfeld's evacuation through their Great-Aunts in Bristol Elizabeth and Helen Sturge (at least one of Guli's nephews having attended the school).
Oldfeld School in Swanage
Arthur Hickson in the Stables at Oldfeld
Stanstead College
The Colby Family and Stanstead College
Stanstead Wesleyan College was built in 1872. The first Colby had arrived in Stanstead in 1832, and his descendant Charles Carroll Colby was one of the founders of the College. In 1940 Dr Charles William Colby was Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and it was through him that the connection with the Hicksons came about.
As a young man Charles W Colby contracted tuberculosis and was sent to Les Avants near Montreux in Switzerland to recuperate in the mountain air. He spent two years there, in the course of which he met the Hickson family. Arthur Hickson was the nephew of Hannah Beck, who had taught at Stanstead. When Charles W Colby had to spend two years in France on business he sent his nephew and ward John H E Colby to spend a year at Oldfeld School.
"Little Oldfeld"
The links with Stanstead College resulted in them offering to host Oldfeld in its entirety. By the end of December 1939 plans were in place, but it proved extremely difficult to get places on a boat as they were not the only people attempting to leave England for safety abroad. By the time they set sail on the Duchess of Richmond it was the end of September 1940, and there were only 19 in the party, including Arthur and Vera Hickson, their 5 children, and the school matron.
They arrived at Stanstead on October 10th, accompanied from Montreal by the College Principal, Errol Amaron, without whose support the evacuation would not have been possible. The Hickson family took over the ground floor of the old sanatorium, which subsequently became known as "Little Oldfeld".
The Donnison Connection
By a curious coincidence David Donnison, the older brother of Annis (whose governess Sheila shared in Rangoon) also attended Oldfeld, although he had moved onto senior school before the war began. He has written about his experiences there in "The Last of the Guardians" - the story of his parents life in Burma. It was through this book that I was able to make contact with Annis Donnison (now Flew) and visit her and her husband Tony.
Stanstead Links
Many thanks to Ross Murray (Communications Coordinator at Stanstead College) for much of this detail. Below is a link to the college website, together with an article specifically on the British evacuees which the college kindly shared.
The Beck Family
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