Wray Endowed School (formerly Wray with Botton Endowed School)
© Janet Nelson
At Wray Endowed School, a small elementary school in the Wenning Valley, the Headmaster gave a lesson on ‘the League of Nations’ on Armistice Day in 1924. (1) A branch of the League of Nations Union had been formed in Wray sometime before March 1925, of which the Vicar, and School Manager, the Rev. T. Redfern, was a leading member. (2) In 1927, a ‘Mr. Hayes of the L.N.U.’ ‘gave a most interesting lecture to the children which was much enjoyed.’ The Headmaster used Armistice Day to promote understanding of the War. On Remembrance Day 1925 the children had lessons on ‘the Great War, Armistice Day and its meaning’ and two years later, on ‘thankfulness.’
On Empire Day (24 May) the children usually had lessons about the Empire and then wrote essays for which some received ‘Empire Medals,’ a custom observed in other local schools such as Burton-in-Lonsdale. In 1927, the Vicar talked to the children on the subject of ‘Empire’. In 1929, the Local Education Authority’s Inspector, promoting the new educational views on making history more relevant to a post war world, suggested the children should learn more about modern times. (1)
References/Further Reading:
(1) Wray with Botton Endowed School Logbook; Archive ref: SMN/1, Lancashire Archives.
Lancaster Guardian, 21 Mar 1925 & 25 June 1927.
Helen McCarthy, 1911. The British People and the League of Nations. Manchester: Manchester University Press.