SPECIAL NOTE
If you have been reading this intriguing, ever evolving story, and wish to see the latest communication from Mandy and Old K's, please scroll down until you see the following message!
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G R Swaine Family History Enquiry
On 1st October 2008, an e-mail was received from Mandy Eustace, the great neice of Kingsmoor School's founder, and headmaster, requesting help in her quest to learn more about her family history.
The following is the sequence of events so far. If anyone does have any information that they think would be of interest, no matter how small ,or rivial, I am sure Mandy would like to know about it.
Mandy's e-mail address: mandy.eustace@virgin.net
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Email received Wed 01/10/2008 11:07
Dear John
Firstly, may I apologise for contacting yourself, but having discovered the marvellous Kingsmoor School website (old-ks.co.uk), yours and your webmaster version were the only e-mail addresses I could find.
OK - the reason for the contact.
I have just started researching my family tree, and my great uncle was George Raymond Swaine. Unfortunately all the people who I could ask about him and the school have died (my mother Brenda Margaret Eustace (nee Swaine) in 2000, her sister Enid Swaine in 2005, my grandfather Martin Gilbert Swaine (George Raymond's brother) way back in 1982, and finally Gilbert's wife Janet Swaine in 1996.
I believe that my mother (Brenda Margaret Swaine) attended the school, and I certainly know that Enid did (having seen the In Memoriam, and May Queen sections - I do have a photograph of Enid as the May Queen, but don't possess a scanner. However, I would be happy to try and get a scanned copy of it, if you would like).
I would be extremely grateful if you could drop me an e-mail with any information you might have about George Raymond Swaine, for example, was he well liked or feared? Did he have any children? If you are not able to help, would it be possible to point me in the right direction where I could find more information for myself, or to forward my e-mail on to someone else who may be able to help.
I attach a copy of the relevant part of the family tree, for information. I have at this stage not confirmed that George married Maggie Nellis, or died in 1958, but have ordered the relevant certificates to confirm whether these are correct or not.
I look forward to hearing from you, and once again, many apologies for this e-mail out of the blue!
Mandy Eustace
Reply sent
Dear Mandy
How nice it was to receive your out of the blue, and completely unexpected, note.
I can't be of any use in providing the information you are seeking, but I am certain that there will be others who are able to give you what you want, or at the very least to point you in the right direction. You will see that I have copied this e-mail, and your Word document attachment, to other Old K's; I have high hopes that Nancy Chew will be the fountain of all knowledge when it comes to our illustrious headmaster G R Swaine, and be ably supported by the others listed.
I would be more than pleased to receive from you anything you have relating to the Swaines, photographs and/or documents etc., and with your permission, will put them on our Old K's web site.
To Nancy, Shirley, Ian, Graham and Crosbie may I request that you keep me in the loop by letting me have a copy of any emails you send to Mandy or other Old K's you think might be able to help in this interesting exercise.
Do keep in touch Mandy, and please keep me informed of your progress in your quest to complete your family tree, all of us will be most interested to know all about it. I should tell you that I am confident you will be successful in finding out everything you want to know if you can track down both of my e-mail addresses, you'll have to tell me how you did that!
E-mail received Wed 01/10/2008 17:50
Dear John
Many, many thanks for your speedy response, and for forwarding my e-mail on. I really do appreciate this.
I will definitely try and get any photo's and documents relating to the Swaine's that I have, scanned into an e-mailable form and forward these on. It was about time I invested in a scanner, anyway! My sister also has some of the family photograph albums, and will get her to bring these up with her next time she is visiting.
In the meantime, I attach a few photos / documents which I do have, and which may be of peripheral interest:
1. George Raymond Swaine's World War One medal index card (GRS from now on, much easier!!)
2. My mother, Brenda Margaret Swaine, neice of GRS
3. The newspaper cutting from my mother's marriage in 1945, which also refers to Enid as bridesmaid
4. Picture of Enid - unfortunately I am not sure who Marie is
5. The certificate given to my grandmother, Janet Butterfield (who married GRS's brother Martin Gilbert Swaine in 1921) after she had flown in an Avro Biplane in 1919, "before flying became too common"!
Once again, many thanks
Mandy
PS: Detective work on the e-mail addresses wasn't too horrendous - all from the old-ks website: got the webmaster address from the bottom of the 2007 Reunion report, but then read in the Enid Miller contribution page that this e-mail wasn't accessed too often! So used your 'Contact the Blogger' address as well.
The following are Mandy's e-mail attachments:
1. George Raymond Swaine's World War One medal index card
2. Mandy's mother, Brenda Margaret Swaine, neice of GRS
3. The newspaper cutting from my mother's marriage in 1945,
which also refers to Enid as bridesmaid
4. Picture of Enid, on the right with dark hair, & Marie - Mandy is not sure who Marie is!
5. The certificate given to my grandmother, Janet Butterfield (who married GRS's brother Martin Gilbert Swaine in 1921) after she had flown in an Avro Biplane in 1919, "before flying became too common"!
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Sent Wed 01/10/2008 18:18
Gosh Mandy, that was interesting, fancy having a certificate for flying, mind you I think I would want one even today for flying in the Avro Biplane.
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E-mail response from Crosbie Walsh - Friday 3rd October 2008
Mandy,
I need a little while to think what to write to you about your grand-uncle but I can say that he was a most important, positive influence on my life.
Meanwhile, have you thought of using or getting a digital camera instead of or in addition to a scanner? I use my camera to copy old photos and documents far more often than my scanner.
Crosbie
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E-mail from Crosbie Walsh - Friday 5th October 2008
To: Mandy Eustace
Subject: Re: GR SwaineMandy,
I've been intending to write a sort of autobiography for my family, interspersed with lots of photos. The idea is to put everything on a CD for my five children and 16 grandchildren. Yes, the grass does grow quickly in New Zealand!
The task is so daunting that I've put if off and off, and not unexpectedly has grown even bigger. But now you've given me an idea. I won't start writing with me aged nought (or with accounts of my "illustrious ancestors") but, prompted by your email, I'll start at the age of ten when I went to Kingsmoor. From this you will know what an incredible man "Mr Swaine" was. But give me a few weeks. It's not an easy write.
If you do buy a digital camera, don't go for the cheapest. I have an old 3.2 megapixel. It's adequate but for a better definition you'll need 8 or more. Get one that small to fit in your handbag or pocket.
Best wishes,
Crosbie
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From: Mandy Eustace
Sent: 06 October 2008 15:29
To: Crosbie.walsh
Cc: John Brennand
Subject: RE: GR SwaineDear Crosbie
What an excellent idea doing the CD is! One of the reasons why I have started down the road of putting together the family tree is the realisation that I am now the 'older generation', and unfortunately have missed the chance to find out about my parents and grandparents lives. Your comment about 'Mr Swaine' being an incredible man really touched me, and reinforces this missed opportunity.
Good luck with the writing - it'll be hard work, but hopefully fun! I look forward to hearing from you when you are ready.
Many, many thanks
Mandy
PS: John Brennand e-mailed me to let me know he has put my e-mail and documents etc on the website, and I have forwarded on your e-mail below for his info.
E-mail from Nancy Chew - 12th October 2008
Dear Mandy,
John forwarded your email and I have been looking through old photos and school magazines to see if I could be of any help to you. I did not know your mother as she had left Kingsmoor before I went in 1945 but I was in the same form as Enid. She left in 1947 after School Cert ( the forerunner of O level and I stayed on in the 6th form. Enid trained as an occupational therapist and worked in various parts of Yorkshire,where I last saw her in about1963.
G.R.S.had been gassed in the first world war and I remember him as a larger than life man with principles ahead of his time and he was well liked and respected by both staff and pupils. He certainly pointed me in the right direction, giving me the opportunity the year after I finished school to sample teaching as a career, before entering college. He started the school in 1925 with 5 children in his garden shed at Rose Hill, Marple, Cheshire. The school leased Glossop Hall in1927 and took in the first boarders. Remember this was at a time when there were only a handful of co-ed boarding schools in the country. This he strongly believed in and was the reason I, and I suppose most of us were sent there. Another of his beliefs was in the education of the whole child and he attached as much importance to social education as academic.
G.R.S. married Katherine (or Kathleen) Clay, known unofficially to us as Katie, and she had two sisters, Muriel and Laura Beatrice,always known to everybody asTatty. We rarely saw Muriel but Tatty lived at the school and ran all the catering and domestic arrangements. This must have been quite a difficult job during and after the war as rationing continued until 1954, about the time she retired. Neither sister married but G.R.S and Katie had two children Christopher and Christine. I am not sure who was the eldest. Christine married ?. Herring and they had two children, John and Karen Rosalind, Christine was last heard of in Farnborough Hants. Chris married Eileen and they had two children, Angela and Michael. Chris taught biology at the school and he and Eileen lived in the lodge which is still there. Sadly the rest of the school was pulled down in the sixties to make way for a modern housing estate. Chris left the school in about 1950 and went to Rendcomb College, Cirencester.
G.R.S. retired in 1952 and they went,with Tatty, to live at Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire He died in about 1958 and the three sisters moved to Stratton, near Cirencester, to be nearer Chris. Katie died Feb. 6th 1961 and was cremated at Cheltenham. Chris died about 5 years ago. Hector Sutherland kept in contact with him until his death and could possibly give you more information. He was a day pupil at the school from 1936 to 48. You would have to write or phone as he has not got a computer. His address is:- 1 Boucher Close, Shottery, Statford on Avon, CV37 9YX (tel..01789 294789)
I hope these notes will be helpful. I do have photographs of the school and people mentioned but they are in black and white, small and not very distinct. However I could send you copies by snail mail if you like. I am not clever enough to put them on the computer!
Best of luck in your research. Nancy
E-mail from Mandy - 12th October 2008
Dear Nancy
Many, many thanks for the e-mail below. This has given me so much information to think about. It has also indicated that I was heading down a wrong path with regard to his wife.
Gassed in the first world war. Both brothers seem to have suffered - his brother, my grandad, was wounded (shrapnel in his eye) just before the Somme, and was invalided out. My gran always said it was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him, because he probably wouldn't have survived the Somme.
Children - these are relatives that I know nothing about, and the four grandchildren will be the same generation as me. I am definitely going to see what I can do to follow this up.
I absolutely love your comment that he started the school with five children in his garden shed! I wish I had known him - he sounds a power house of energy.
Thank you again - much food for thought.
Mandy
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1st November 2008Dear John
Have invested in a slightly better digital camera, and dug out the 'archive' material I've got from the Swaine side of the family.
So, attached are the incredibly few photos that are relevant. I have this unfortunate feeling that when gran died, Enid had a massive clear out of the house (she had gone back to live with her mum and dad after falling ill, probably in her thirties), and may well have got rid of a lot of the old photos.
1. The Aero biplane photo, for fun!!
2+3. Enid as May Queen
4. The one and only definite photo of Kingsmoor I can find has a note on the back saying "The lecturn cloth was made by mother". I don't instantly recognise the hand writing, which makes me think it is grandad Swaine (i.e. GRS's brother), and consequently 'mother' would be Grace Swaine (nee Child), wife of their father Walter Swaine.
5. Am also attaching a photo which looks like a sports day. Is this at Kingsmoor? Of course it could well be a much later photo.
6. Newspaper cutting from my grandad and gran's wedding in 1921, with George Raymond Swaine as best man
Kind regards
Mandy
To be continued .....
