Scone Public School (RDM)<\/p><\/div>\n

By 1914 Britain had a basic education system which varied depending on which educational legislation applied. Since 1901 in Scotland, the school leaving age had been 14years but in England for most school children it did not take them beyond the elementary age of 12. During World War 1, it is reported that Mr H.A.L. Fisher an Oxford scholar and Minister of Education was one of the people who researched the issues of education, highlighting the lack of finance and absenteeism. During this time he developed a far sighted plan for change and improvement which later was embodied in the wide ranging Education act of 1918.<\/p>\n

Here in the Parish of Scone 1911 censor shows a total of 2341 residents. \u00a0Scone Public School Minutes show, a varied enrollment of between 277 and 223 Children.\u00a0 Scone War Memorial has 72 names listed and of those 18 servicemen who never returned, attended Scone Public School.<\/p>\n

An article `Children at War` from the newspaper the Constitutional tells us, at the outbreak of war a number of schools were requisitioned, or at least, in part to accommodate volunteers and reservists. \u00a0Scone School escaped although there is mentioned of a letter received in August 1914, of the possible requisition, but it was deemed to exempt due to `exceptional circumstances, \u00a0our research could not identify the reason. The School did not escape total attention with the volunteer platoon applying for permission to use the gymnasium as a shooting range, which was approved (assuming no children were taking exercise in the gym) and also a club room for the soldiers from the Gordon Highlanders camp.<\/p>\n

The children were encouraged to help the war effort and in early 1915 formed a school garden to grow vegetables, which were mostly used in the school soup kitchen, with any surplus going to the hospital and Perth Barracks.\u00a0 Children also made garments for the comfort of the troops and under the direction of the Parish Committee in 1916, raised \u00a340 through concerts (in today\u2019s value \u00a34000). Children at that time were also encouraged to gather shells and nuts for the war effort.\u00a0 These were then turned into activated carbon, a vital ingredient for gas mask filters.\u00a0\u00a0 In December 1918, it was recorded that the School children had collected waste paper receiving three pounds and seven shillings, which went to the hostel for limbless soldiers in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

During this time there were many pupils absentees both permitted and unpermitted. Due to the shortage of labour in the area, particularly in farming children were often used as the work force. Scone public school minutes recorded teacher\u2019s visits to families of absent children, monitoring their attendances. As the war progressed, more men were called to the front and school holidays were then adjusted to take into account the harvest, potato picking and so on.<\/p>\n

The janitor in 1914 was Alex Wishart (known as Sandy) a reservist, who was called up in August 1914; he was badly wounded at Mons and taken prisoner. In June 1916, the school board received a letter from him in Switzerland, to where he had been transferred.\u00a0 We do not know how he ended up in Switzerland. \u00a0In 1915 it transpires that James Gerard, the American Ambassador to Berlin, negotiated with the Germans and British Government to reach an agreement, to repatriate limbless and hopelessly invalided prisoners of war deemed no longer fit for combat, to a safe haven.<\/p>\n

In May 1916, 350 or so wounded and disabled men were transferred from German Prison Camps to neutral Switzerland; it may well be that Pte Alex Wishart. 9577, of the Scottish Borderers, was one of those transferred.\u00a0 The British Minister present at the exchange, Mr Grant Duff said, \u201cIt is difficult to write calmly of it\u2026. For the simple reason that I have never before in my life seen such a welcome accorded to anyone\u2026\u201d In the same way a reporter from the Times commented `Our men were astounded at the welcome; many were crying like children, a few fainted with emotion`.\u00a0 As one private said to the British Minister, \u201cGod bless you sir, it\u2019s like dropping right into `even from ell\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n