This article has been aprovided in a collection by Bob Blastock, who died in 2021, and given to the Lanman Museum by his widow Doreen.
There is a large red brick house on this site in College Road, built in the early 2000’s, which has quite a history attached to the land on which it stands. The present house is smart and new, and following is the story of what happened on that site over sixty years ago, during World War II.
We have to go back quite a long way to when a School House stood there, quite close to the Sir Robert Hitcham’s School. A lady called Miss Caroline Amelia Harvey lived at School House, and was head of the Infants School, where small children attended at five years.
Miss Harvey was a well-loved teacher. She had been born at Liverpool with a brother and three sisters. Her father James, born at Stoke Ash in Suffolk, had been recruited into the Liverpool Police Force, originally coming from a farming family. He first married Emily Fisk with whom he had one daughter Emily, born on February 9th 1866. It is not known when Emily Fisk, the first wife, died, but James went on to marry Emma Blake who came from Thorndon in Suffolk on 12th October 1873. His first son, also James, was born on 30th June 1874. Amy Eliza was born on 16th March 1877, Caroline Amelia (the subject of our story) was born on 17th July 1878 and lastly another girl Susanna was born 18th September 1880. These children all grew up in Liverpool where their father rose up the ranks to become acting Police Inspector. He eventually retired in the 1890’s from the Liverpool Police Force, returning to Suffolk and buying Manor Farm, Saxtead.
Miss Caroline came to teach at Framlingham, fairly near to various relatives, and once appointed to teach at Sir Robert Hitcham’s School, lodged locally until being given the School House to live in. It was a large red brick house, and some of Miss Caroline’s family did not like her sleeping there alone at night. A lady living in Vyces Road, Framlingham, called Mrs. Hooper, who had three small girls, became housekeeper at the School House. She went every day to clean the house and prepare an evening meal for Miss Harvey. It was arranged that one of Mrs. Hooper’s daughters (Phyllis or Cecilia) would have their evening meal with Miss Harvey and then stay the night for company – one week at a time for each child. Since they lived nearby in Vyces Road, it was quite convenient.
Miss Harvey, being a maiden lady, loved all the small children in her care, and some of her pupils have told how, if it was a lovely day, she would tell them it was much too nice to stay indoors, and up the road they would go, two by two, through the gate to her house and then out to the lovely big garden, where they would all sit down on the grass and enjoy their lessons in the sun. There are many stories of her kindness and thoughtfulness to the children. One year she decided the class would make a cradle with a baby in it- she herself made the cradles (many evenings’ work) and each child then was presented with a tiny doll (no doubt purchased by her) and tiny pillows and cotton wool bedding, and coverlets were made. One particular pupil remembers this, although being in her 70’s today, being so carefully carried home!
Miss Harvey had white hair from her 20’s. From the photographs of her with her family in her younger years, and then later at a school sports day in 1939 at the Pageant Field, it will be seen that she looks a most pleasant lady, and must have been a great asset to the Infants School. She seems to have loved her garden, as there are roses and shrubs in the back garden at the School House.
Sadly, soon after the sports day picture was taken in 1939, World War II had begun. The following year, a lone Dornier 111/K76 medium German bomber flew over Framlingham one Sunday, 6th October, dropping 7 bombs over the town1, one of which fell on School House, completely demolishing it apart from the front wall, and killing her. Poor Miss Harvey (who usually went to her sister Amy Larter for tea on Sundays) had felt unwell that day, and stayed at home. It was around lunch-time when the bomb fell on her house. Many small children were around the town at that time going to Sunday School, and there are stories from them of their experiences and memories of that day. One child remembers trying to get home up College Road but of course the fire brigade and air raid warden had cordoned the road off. He was taken near to the damaged School House and mentioned that just the front wall was left standing. He looked up at it from the rubble, and one of Miss Harvey’s pictures hung on the inside wall – a picture of a cross. This has remained in his memory to this day. Included in this short history of that fateful day are articles from Framfare recording research done by Mr. Tony Moore and later a letter from his cousin, who was 8 years old then, living next door to the School House. Mr. A.J. Martin has also written ‘Bombs in College Road’ recording the sudden death of Miss Harvey.
The incident was recorded in the East Anglian Daily Times and a notice of her death published on 8th October 1940. She was buried the following Thursday, the service being held at St. Michael’s Church, Framlingham. There is a picture of her grave, next to her sister Amy’s in Framlingham Cemetery.
Miss Caroline Harvey’s name is commemorated in perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and her name appears on the Framlingham War Memorial. She will not be forgotten.
A lady living across the road from the School House then purchased the site (Mrs. Nancy Bowen), had the rubble cleared, and then left it as a wild life site for many years during her lifetime. On Mrs. Bowen’s death, the site was sold with her estate, and purchased by the developers of the new Harvey House.
It is to be hoped that the present family will enjoy their time in College Road.
Footnote
- In fact 8 bombs were dropped in this raid, not 7 as stated by the author. ↩︎