On 21st July, we were treated to a visit to the school from Josephine Beaumont and her niece, Lorraine Simpson.
Josephine was a pupil at Ackworth from 1943 to 1946 and she had some fascinating insights into life at Ackworth during the war years.
Josephine comes from a long line of Bowmans who have attended the school from its earliest days. The first of her ancestors to arrive in March 1780 were two sisters from Chesterfield, Alice and Sarah, aged 11 and 8. This was just five months after the school opened. They appear as numbers 84 and 85 in the first Admittance Book.
Josephine’s grandfather, John Edward Bowman (AOS 1879-1883) was a well-known Wakefield businessman, and Lorraine has prepared his diaries for publication at the end of the year. We look forward to seeing a finished copy of “The Diary of a Wakefield Draper” and reading about his days at Ackworth in the latter part of the 19th century.
Visits like this constantly add to our knowledge of the history of the school and of the people who have passed through its doors.
Would you like to return to Ackworth School for a visit? Or perhaps take a look at where one of your relatives attended? Please get in touch with us at alumni@ackworthschool.com to organise a visit.
A look inside a photo album from 1946 – Josephine’s final year at Ackworth.
Josephine points herself out in her form group photo.
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