Celebration of armistice at St Hild's College
Description of St Hild's teacher training college's armistice celebrations
We celebrated the signing of the Armistice all by ourselves, as were avoiding the City because of influenza. St. Oswald’s bells began and the students left their classrooms with a rush. I had decided that we would not go to Chapel until the Cathedral bells began. They kept us waiting but we hoisted the Flag and saluted it and danced around impatiently. When the bells at last rang out there was a rush of about 10 staff, 129 students, 19 servants, and one dog (Kerry) to the Chapel. We sang oh! how we sang! “God save the King”; then followed thanksgiving prayers, then the Te Deum, then the lesson “Now let us praise famous men”, the “Now thank we all our God.” I am quite sorry for you that you could not hear us sing. It really was a beautiful service.
After that we had dinner and later peculiar noises were heard emanating from the dormitories and a procession of up-turned basins beaten by tooth-brushes and dustpans beaten by brooms, etc., passed my door. In the evening we had a dance in the Gymnasium with all the lights on and later we ate all the chocolate we had stored in the cellars for air-raids and the evening closed with cheers for everybody about 11 p.m.
Date: 1918
Reference: Durham Records Office Ref: E/HB 1/518
Where to find this: St Hild’s College Magazine 1918-1919
Contributed by Fiona Johnson - Durham
