Pressure and Planning for a New Building
The
biggest change at the Miller Institution came in 1937 with the opening of the
present main building. As with the
1900 building the architect was again Sinclair MacDonald.
This time the cost was £16,000 which is about one fifth of the estimated
cost of renovating the rather small dining centre in session 1999-2000!
The building comprised ten classrooms and a gymnasium with support
facilities - two offices, one for the Head Teacher and another for the
Secretary, gym changing rooms, and cloakroom accommodation.
The original placement of this building was to have been close to Princes
Street but the Rector at the time, Thomas Greig Ironside, requested that the
building be sited in its present and more suitable location.
Above the front door the initials ‘MA’ are to be seen carved within a
decorative slab. This work was
carried out by Mr Scott Sutherland who is better known for the Commando Memorial
near Spean Bridge.
In
the early 1930s, there were classes in the original Miller Institution building
including 1892 extension, the 1900 building, Mina Villa and, of course, the West
Public annex. The area where the
present building was to be opened in 1937 appears to have been in the Mina Villa
property to the north of the Villa garden.
The small playground part of this was in poor condition being rather
muddy while the rest had many trees and bushes.
There were apple trees and gooseberry bushes amongst the vegetation and
local boys were known to go there for the forbidden fruit.
There were toilets roughly between the north end of the 1937 building and
the wall behind Bain and Gibson’s premises on Princes Street.
Initial
discussions regarding the need for new accommodation took place at a School
Management Committee meeting in spring of 1930 and at a joint meeting between
this committee and the Council Works Committee in August.
As can be seen, it was seven years before the full process was completed
and the new Miller Academy opened.
In
the early stages of the search for a solution to the need for more teaching
space and toilet accommodation consideration was given to the purchase of
property adjacent to the original building.
In February 1930 the Education Committee considered at some length a
recommendation from the Council’s Works Committee that the adjoining property
to Miller Academy, known as Munro’s Buildings, be bought for a fee of £700.
I am told by James Wilson of the well known business family who owned
various properties and businesses, including the Royal and Station Hotels and
Dunnet’s Garage, that Munro’s buildings was known to him as Munro’s
property. It was the building which
is presently the site of Bain and Gibson’s electrical shop.
The Wilson family purchased this property and along with the Station
Hotel and the intervening ground they planned to develop a large hotel on the
whole site. The plan did not come
to fruition.
Discussion
was at times jocular and occasionally argumentative but in the main the
recommendation was given thorough, if over long, consideration by the
councillors. The Rev. D. Carmichael
from Reay ventured to ask if the council were to buy the whole of Thurso.
The Chairman replied in equally jocular vain,
‘I don’t know. We are dealing
with one item at a time’. He
continued to point out that the recommendation to purchase had been carried by
seven votes to two and that it was claimed that the purchase of the property
would be a great benefit in facilitating the proposed changes at Miller Academy.
Unfortunately,
though it would appear all considered the property worthwhile and the price
attractive, the actual use to which the
building and ground would be put had not been properly considered.
It was unclear to councillors whether they were discussing a building to
be used in its present condition, one that was to be adapted or simply knocked
down. There was even some
discussion as to the usefulness of the building material if Munro’s Buildings
was to be demolished.
Councillor
Miller was strongly opposed to the purchase on the grounds that he had already
presented a motion requesting a new school in Thurso and it was only with
reluctance that he had agreed to the purchase of Mina Villa.
He was totally against the Authority buying old, obsolete property and in
any event they already had a field where they could build ‘latrines’.
He added, it is said with a smile, ‘
In his opinion, the only way in which it would be a good speculative investment
was if they applied for a licence for the property.’
The
arguments for and against purchase outlined in the John O’ Groat Journal of 21st
February 1930 takes up too much space to be reproduced here.
Suffice to say, the argument for toilets on the ground in question, the
likely profit to the council or its use for school accommodation did not, in the
end, carry the day and the motion was defeated by seven votes to six with two
abstentions.
Since
the protracted and then abandoned plans to purchase the building and land
adjacent to the Miller Academy still left the school without the required
gymnasium and new toilets the matter was further discussed at an Education
Committee meeting in August 1930. The
discussion appears to have been precipitated by a letter from the Education
Department enquiring whether any decision had been made regarding a new
gymnasium for Miller Institution. The
result of the consideration by the Council was a meeting on the school site
which one councillor described as being big enough for ten schools.
By
the end of 1930, the pressure was on for the Caithness Education Committee and
the Education Department to make progress with new accommodation for Miller
Academy and also to provide new schools at Lybster and Wick North.
The local press carried a report of the visit of Mr McKechnie, Secretary
of the Education Department, in which ‘ordinary business’ was conducted and
then the new schools requirement examined.
No final decision was made at this time and the matter was to be
considered at the next meeting of the Caithness Education Committee but it was
quite clear that a picture of severe need was arising.
Mr McKechnie advised that an ambitious building scheme be proceeded with
whereby a new school in Thurso could serve the whole district.
He said that two badly lit and poorly ventilated rooms in Miller Academy
would have to be vacated and permission to use the classrooms in Mina Villa
could only be given for a limited period of time.
Five new rooms were needed immediately it was ascertained.
The
article below, amply emphasising the need, was produced on one page in three
columns in the John O’ Groat
Journal of 17th October 1930. The
bold type is reproduced in a similar fashion to the way it headed the article.
Though the article covers Lybster and Wick North Schools as well as
Miller Academy it is worth reproducing it in its entirety to give some
impression of the quality of educational building provision in the county in the
first third of the 20th century.
Three
New Schools Needed.
Dilapidated
Buildings Which Require
to
be Replaced.
Miller
Academy, Wick North and Lybster Schools.
Suggestions
by Secretary of Education
Department
‘Miller
Institution is a magnificent wreck but is on a desirable site; Lybster School is
an absolute wreck, minus the magnificence; Wick North School has outlived its
usefulness and is one of the worst school buildings in Scotland.’
These
were the impressions gained at a meeting of Caithness Education Committee held
on Tuesday, when Mr M’Kechnie, Secretary for the Education Department, was
present, along with other officials. Suggestions
for building of new schools to replace these three were put forward, and are to
be considered at the next meeting.
REASON
FOR VISIT
A
whole day was spent in the deliberations, during which Lybster and Thurso
schools were visited and inspected. Ordinary
business was disposed of in the forenoon, and at two o’clock in the afternoon
the Committee met in the Town Hall, Wick, with Mr M’Kechnie, Secretary of the
Department; Mr J. A. Macdonald, M.M. District Chief Inspector of Schools, and Mr
Barron, District Inspector.
Bailie
Harper introduced the visitors at the afternoon meeting. Mr Barren and Mr
Macdonald, he said, came to see them regularly in the course of their duties,
and they were pleased to see them on that occasion. (Applause)
Mr M’Kechnie was also no
stranger to the North. At one
period he used to visit the county as Inspector of Schools.
He (the speaker) once had the pleasure of meeting Mr M’Kechnie, and one
man had said at that time that Mr M’Kechnie was the coming force in Scottish
education. That forecast had come true. (Applause) They congratulated Mr
M’Kechnie, but they could also congratulate themselves because the very fact
that he had come up there to see them indicated that he was the right man in the
right place. (Applause)
Speaking
of the chief reason for the visit - the state of Lybster School- Bailie Harper
said that the late Authority had given the matter very serious consideration
and had decided, by the casting vote of the chairman, to go on with a reconstruction
scheme. They now had,. however, new members who were not familiar with the
school, so perhaps they could visit Lybster
- and Thurso, where Miller Academy had to be examined - before
discussing the matter.
Bailie
Harper concluded by extending to the visitors, on behalf of the Committee, an
invitation to join them at dinner in Thurso.
Mr
M’Kechnie’s Remarks
Mr
M’Kechnie said he could not vie with the chairman in felicity of expression or
richness, of reminiscence, but he could vie with him in his interest in the
matter with which they had to deal that afternoon. (Applause.)
Continuing,
he gave the reason why he had come North. At a conference on the Lybster School
question held in - Edinburgh with representatives from Caithness, Mr Georgeson
had suggested that it would be better if some competent person would come from
the Department ‘and examine the school. Mr
Georgeson showed a preference for the architect, but it was not always possible
for a part-time man - as their architect was - to come North at a rate of
remuneration fixed by a stingy Treasury - (laughter) - so he came up himself.
He had great pleasure, on behalf of his friends and himself, in accepting
the invitation to dinner. As to the
business, they already had examined and made up their minds, regarding -
Lybster School,
but he would not discuss it until they went to see it.
Mr
Alex. Bruce, solicitor -Is there to be no discussion on Lybster?
The
Chairman - After we have seen the school we can have a discussion.
Mr
Bruce said he was very sorry be could not accompany them to Lybster, but he
wished to express his views. He was not aware of the Department’s views
regarding reconstruction.
Mr
M’Kechnie - The Department, at the conference I referred to, were quite clear
that reconstruction was inadvisable.
Antiquated
and Insanitary
Mr
Bruce, continuing, said that if the matter was to he tackled at all there was no
use in speaking about reconstruction. The
school was antiquated, out of date and insanitary, and could not he converted
into a sanitary building. Next
to Wick and Thurso, he said, Lybster was the most important educational centre
in the county. It had produced many
brilliant scholars and, in addition, was a valuable feeder to the High School.
They had no industries in Caithness, and they should do all in their
power to support education. Having no industries, all they could do for their
boys and girls was to give them a good education.
Without it they would be seriously handicapped.
So far as the population of Lybster was concerned the numbers were at the
same average which they had been for some years.
The fishing also was better than it had been twenty years ago.
From the financial point of view he considered that it was not a very
serious consideration to build a new school.
If a loan was spread over a period of forty years the annual charge was
infinitesimal.’ The people of
Lybster were not in favour of reconstruction.
They were looking for a new school, and he did ‘not see why there
should be any hesitation on the part of the Committee.
Looking at the buildings they would see that it was impossible to have
them reconstructed. There was not
a classroom that looked south, the rooms were dark and
cold, the
offices were insanitary, and there was no cloak-room accommodation.
He appealed to them to give most favourable consideration to his
proposal. It was a very important
matter for the parish of Latheron, and he submitted that they had no alternative
but to build a new school.
The
Chairman thanked Mr Bruce for his statement, and no further discussion took
place.
At
Lybster School
The
party then motored to Lybster, and were shown over the school premises by Mr
Campbell, headmaster. Those who had not already seen the school were surprised
at its dilapidated and insanitary state and ill-conceived construction, and the
general opinion seemed to be that a new school was the only remedy.
Following
the inspection the company ‘proceeded to Thurso where, along with Mr Ironside,
Rector, they looked over Miller Academy, Mina Villa and grounds.
Mr
M’Keehnie strongly advised the Committee to proceed with an ambitious building
scheme whereby a complete new school to serve the whole district could be
erected. Two small, badly lit and
poorly ventilated rooms in Miller Academy would have to be vacated, and
permission to use the class-rooms in Mina Villa would be given only for a
limited period. Five new rooms were
said to be required immediately.
The
Committee had already agreed to build a gymnasium and new offices, and the party
looked over the proposed sites. Mr
M’Kechnie advised them to get a shadow plan of a school in which the gymnasium
would form an integral part, and to build seven or eight rooms in such a manner
that the building could be extended when required, and would ultimately
replace Miller Academy and Mina Villa. He
congratulated them on the purchase of Mina Villa because of its site, which
was the most suitable they could have secured for a new school.
At
a later stage, during the discussion of Lybster and Thurso schools, reference
was made to Wick North School, which was described by Messrs M’Kechnie and
Macdonald as being the worst school building in Scotland. The Committee were
also urged to build a school to replace the North School.
No decision was reached regarding any of the schools, and the members are
to consider the matter at their next meeting.
After
a daintily-served dinner in the Royal Hotel an informal conversation took place
during which Bailie Harper proposed the health of the visitors.
In
the log entries for the early and mid-1930s, Mr Ironside makes frequent
reference to the shortage of teaching space and despite his best efforts he is
still a classroom short at the start of each new session.
To alleviate the problem, at least in the short term, he had, in 1936, to
arrange for 50 of the younger infants to be taught in one classroom.
The
fact that the committee was already more or less committed to building a
gymnasium, toilets and new offices meant that the Secretary to the Education
Department was able to advise that a better scheme would be to have plans
prepared for an integrated new building with all those facilities included.
With Mina Villa and its grounds, an excellent acquisition as Mr McKechnie
observed, already purchased there was to hand an area that gave a most suitable
site for the new school.
The
decision of the Caithness Education Committee to further consider the building
of a new school in Thurso at their next meeting resulted in the matter being on
the agenda for the committee’s November meeting.
It was decided at that meeting to consider each of the three new schools
separately. The position regarding
the Miller Institution, it was proposed, should be remitted for consideration
and report and the Works Committee should make suggestions as to the site and
nature of the school and the approximate cost.
This suggestion, in the form of a motion, was carried and it was said at
that meeting that Mr McKechnie had indicated the best type of school would be
one built like a bungalow type with separate buildings.
It would appear that the motion was acted upon with reasonable haste as
the January meeting of the Education Committee heard that the County Council had
approved the appointment of Mr MacDonald, architect, to prepare sketch plans and
estimates of the probable cost. At
this meeting it was also decided that the Education Department must be asked the
financial position which would arise in the event of the Education Committee,
with the approval of the Council, resolving to proceed with the proposals.
Two
photographs taken at the Miller Institution about 1930.
The first has the original Miller Building, now the town library as the
back drop and the second is taken towards the rear of the area where the present
main building stands. In the
background can be seen the rear of Bain and Gibson’s and the gable end of a
house on Princes Street. The
teacher in the second picture is Annie Sinclair.
The New Building
Over
the period of the construction of the new school building there is record of
regular meetings of the Management Committee to discuss plans and progress and
at one stage a description of Janitor’s duties had to be drawn up.
While there might have been factors other than the pressures caused by
the building of the new school it would appear that the building work and the
depositing of material from the foundations in the playground area was causing
some degree of inconvenience.
As
now, contractors did not always adhere to agreed timescales.
In July 1936, there was concern with the lack of progress in the painting
of the new building. Wm.
McKerracher, Glasgow was warned that if he did not proceed immediately with the
execution of his contract the next lowest offer for the work would be accepted.
At the same meeting Tawse Ltd. received the contract for the formation of
the new roadway from Princes Street and for the same treatment to the terrace in
front of the building. The joint
cost to be £427 10s.
It
is good to see that the Education Committee of that time were getting their
priorities right. Quotes were taken
for the laying and fixing of under-felt and linoleum in the staff apartments and
a suitable carpet for the Headmaster’s office!
The cost and type of carpet is not recorded but the floor covering for
the staff apartments was supplied by D. Anderson, Thurso at an estimated cost of
£17 2s 6d. As completion of
building was approaching insurance cover was also considered and the school was
insured for £14000 and the furnishings for £500.
The
official opening of the new extension took place on 24th March 1937
and the note in the logbook for that date is fairly brief.
It first mentions that the Rector, Mr Ironside, was at the opening of the
new school in Lybster in the forenoon and then tells that the Rector lunched at
the Royal Hotel, Thurso before going to the opening of his own school by Colonel
Horne, Convener of Caithness. The
Caithness Education Committee had in the first instance asked Sir Archibald
Sinclair MP to open the school but he had to decline due to a previously
arranged engagement.
The
John O’ Groat Journal carried a report of the opening of the new building and
the following summary, given by
John Dallas in the 1962 school magazine, is worth reprinting here.
‘The
‘New Building’ was opened by Col. E.W. Horne, Convenor of the County.
At 3 o’clock a large number of people was assembled on the site.
Pupils and teachers marched up to form a square in front of the new
building. A gold key, presented by
the contractors, was handed by Mr MacDonald, architect to Col. Horne who stepped
forward and opened the door. At
that moment the Union Jack was hoisted on the flagstaff on top of the building
signalling the opening of the new extension.
The people then filed into the school to hear Colonel Horne make the
official declarations.
Provost
Harper, Wick, Chairman of the Education Committee called upon Provost Brims,
Thurso to introduce Col. Horne. Provost
Brims expressed thanks to the Scottish Education Department and the County
Council for having supported the erection of the new building and said he
visualised it as the nucleus of a complete school building for all the children
of Thurso. Col. Horne began by
giving a short history of education in Thurso, some facts about the founder of
the Miller Institution and then went on to say that in the past the tendency had
been to sacrifice the body to the mind but that now the tendency was to have
more play and less work. Whatever
side was correct it was their duty to see that suitable and healthy provision
was made for the children of today. He
thanked the contractors for the beautiful key they had given him to perform the
ceremony. A vote of thanks to
Col. Horne was proposed by Sheriff Macgregor, K.C., another to the Contractors,
Architects and Surveyors by Bailie Sinclair, Wick and Col. D.K. Murray called
for a vote of thanks to Provost Harper for the manner in which he had conducted
the proceedings throughout the day.
The
photograph of the event published in the local press at the time is hardly clear
enough for reproduction here. It
does show a large crowd outside the new building waiting for the opening of the
main door with the gold key. The
building does not look markedly different from now, except that the 1937
building at the time of opening did not yet have the chimney cans in place but a
flag pole is clearly visible above the front entrance.
The
Miller Academy main building, opened in 1937, as it looked in 1996 after it had
been externally repainted and fitted with new double-glazed windows.
The
gold key used on that day now resides in its presentation box in the safe at
Miller Academy within the building it opened in 1937.
This Key is a most impressive, well designed, heavy piece of silver gilt
measuring twelve centimetres in length. On
one side it is inscribed, ‘Miller Academy, 24th March 1937’ and
on the other, ‘Colonel E. W. Horne, C.B., C.M.G’.
The key was supplied by J. Calder, Watchmaker and Jeweller, 4 Sinclair
Street, Thurso.
The
Gold Key was not left at the school in 1937 but returned to the school via
Rector Donald Grant of the new High School.
Mr Grant received the key in 1959 from Colonel N. D. Leslie of West
Calder, Midlothian, the grandson of Colonel Horne.
Time has moved on even for the locks on the doors and now the key cannot
serve that purpose as new and more secure fastenings are on the school doors.
Indeed there are few original locks left in the building and the bunch of
keys now required to open the doors of the Miller would give a grown man muscles
through carrying them for any length of time! An electronic entry system now
replaces some of the original locking arrangements – with even the outside
toilet block requiring a ‘Key Fob’ for entry.
Within
two months of the opening of the new school building the Thurso School
Management Committee were asking for additional work to be carried out at both
the Miller Institution and the West Public.
A formidable list of requirements was sent to the Caithness Education
Committee:
1.
The construction of new offices (toilets) at the West Public School.
2.
The erection of two shelters at the Miller Institution on sites agreed
upon.
3.
The erection of a temporary shelter at the West Public school.
4.
That the West Public School should be re-desked with dual desks.
5.
That an electric clock be provided for each room in the new school at
Miller Institution.
6.
That half-a-dozen ladders, or sets of steps, be provided for the book
stores in the new school.
7.
That the Rector’s room in the new school be furnished.
8.
That personal lockers in the staff rooms in the new school should be
provided.
9.
That the steps at the end of the terrace be widened to the full width of
the terrace, and that the space between the old and new schools be paved with
flagstones to the width of these steps as extended.
10.
That additional steps be provided for access to the lower school.
11.
That an electric bell connection to the old buildings and an alternative
bell-push in the science room be installed.
Shortly
after the list was presented to the Committee the architects were asked for
estimates and by October 1937 the architects had placed the information with the
Clerk to the Works and Finance Committee. After
some discussion, it was decided to recommend to the Education Committee the
erection of the two shelters at the Miller Institution at a cost of £103 each.
It was further decided to recommend the erection of a bicycle shelter
with the material from the existing shelter at the school.
This cost would be a modest £25. The
steps at the end of the terrace and further steps to provide access to the lower
school building were also deemed desirable as was the installation of a
connection for the electric school bell to the old building.
The Education Committee readily approved the recommendations and
considered some minor changes to the steps to the old building and the Science
Department as the work proceeded. At
one point it was considered that the narrower stairway should be blocked off and
walls by the wide stairway lowered but this appears not to have happened as
recommended by the architects though some changes to the initial design did take
place.
The
question of lockers for the staff rooms did not receive favourable consideration
and the provision of a shelter, new toilets and 100 dual desks at the West
Public School was left over to another meeting. This
further consideration resulted in the approval for the boys and girls toilets
and the desks. The boys’ toilets
being built new on an alternative site in the grounds and the girls’ toilets
being completely renovated internally. The
site of the boys’ old toilet was filled up to the level of the lower
playground and to save the cost of a shelter the shed used as a gymnasium
provided a shelter.
The
installation of electric clocks in Miller Academy classrooms did not proceed on
the recommendation of the architect. The
architect’s report stated, ‘Owing to
the fact that during the night the electricity is generated with a much smaller
engine with different timing the Local Electricity Company will give no
guarantee that the clocks will be accurate.’
It would appear that there was a strong possibility that every clock
in the school would have to be adjusted every morning.
It was thought possible to purchase one clock at a cost of £4 for the
Rector’s office as an experiment to see how the system might operate.
At a later date electric clocks were installed throughout the school but
at the present time it is much less expensive to purchase a new battery driven
clock than have repairs carried out to a faulty mains driven clock.
At
this time the Town Council, through the Town Clerk, were looking for some way to
have pavement laid on the footpath along Princes Street where it adjoined Mina
Villa. More than one request was
made to the school authorities for them to bear the cost but this they rejected.
They did look into the feu ownership to strengthen their case for not
carrying out work they considered to be the responsibility of the Thurso Town
Council.
The
transfer to the new building would appear to have been fairly painless in so far
as timetabling and curriculum were concerned.
There is certainly little mention of problems in those areas in the
logbook. However, Mr Ironside, the
Rector, had definite problems with one of the cleaners appointed by the
Management Committee in September 1937. His
entry in the log for 15th October is as follows;-
‘I
had great trouble the whole week owing to the defective cleaning of the new
school. I tested the sweeping every
morning with a brush and came to the conclusion that an attempt at a thorough
cleaning was made at the week-end and thereafter for the rest of the week the
rooms were done in a sort of way and not always that while the corridors,
cloakrooms and gymnasium were untouched.’
This
was after the cleaner had received a warning the previous week!
In
time for the opening of the new building the janitor was given a new and very
detailed contract outlining his daily, weekly and periodical duties.
He, at the time of opening, was earning £140 per annum but was being
helped ‘unofficially’ in his job by his wife whose wages were apparently
included in his yearly sum. It was
felt that to ensure everything was above board and that the janitor and cleaning
staff in all the buildings were covered by insurance, the janitor’s wife
should become an official employee of the Council.
This was done by giving her the notional wage of £35 per year but it
must come out of the janitor’s wage since she had already been helping him
with the work. This seemed to be
acceptable to the janitor and his wife though the janitor was somewhat surprised
by a reduction of £1 in his payment of £15 per year for lighting fires and
cleaning for the evening school. He
questioned this reduction and had it re-instated and further pushed his luck by
asking for a new barrow. The
Committee must have been in generous mood as it is noted that he received a
galvanised one with a pneumatic tyre.
Many
of the official records for the Miller Institution show the Management Committee
to be preoccupied with the appointment of cleaners and their duties and the
duties of janitors. There are long
reports on applicants for jobs, the votes they received in the selection
process, the short leets and finally the successful candidates.
Letters for jobs, for increases in wages and resignations are a large
part of business meetings and almost in equal prominence is to be found the
inadequacies of some of these employees. The
cleaners’ work is frequently criticised by the Rector and the janitor also got
his fair share of criticism.
The
janitor did do work on his own accommodation in Mina Villa.
Sometimes without recompense and on other occasions with the backing and
financial support of the Authority. On
one occasion the Janitor, Mr MacLeod, indicated that he would distemper and
paint part of his dwelling if given the materials.
This was agreed and it is assumed the work proceeded.
Not
all cleaning jobs were performed by the janitor or the cleaners.
Window cleaning, in the early days of the new building, at times went out
to tender. Before the Second World
War an advert was placed for the cleaning of all windows of all the buildings at
the Miller Institution. In the
first instance there were no offers. At
a later date window cleaning was obtained at £9 per term with the windows
having to be cleaned inside and out at Christmas and the Summer.
The job was taken on by two individuals, William MacLeod and Hamish Mowat.
By 1953, the situation regarding cleaning of windows had apparently
changed. The Management Committee
asked Mr Ironside to remind the janitor and cleaners that inside and outside of
all windows should be cleaned in the summer vacation.
Clearly an indication that they were not entirely satisfied with past
practice.
Mr
Ironside wrote to the Management Committee on 5th May 1941
complaining that on the 18th April, the janitor was not on duty.
In the new building neither the furnace nor the boilers were lit and it
was intolerably cold. The Committee
decided to ask the janitor for an explanation.
It was not the first or the last time that a janitor’s absenteeism
would be somewhat of a problem. In
November 1946, the school had to close at 1pm as the janitor was absent from
duty for no good reason, it was claimed, and he was reported to the Education
Committee. It was indicated to him
that any future such occurrence might result in his dismissal. This
apparent dereliction of duty was only four months after the Caithness Education
Committee had granted an increase of wages to £5 per week, the amount to
include his ‘War Bonus’!
The
heating referred to was not itself fully reliable and on occasions was prone to
breaking down. Despite the newness
of the system it was not working entirely to everyone’s satisfaction and
engineers were required to examine the equipment.
There was a particular problem with two of the radiators requiring
replacement. Some radiators still
do not operate properly more than half a century later.
The
furnace was coal fired and the contract for the supply of coal was competed for
by local suppliers. The school
always stipulated the type of coal required and generally went for a good
quality English variety. There were
three or four competing businesses but the most commonly successful ones at that
time were Hunter’s and Reid’s. Fifty
years ago coal was being priced at 39/- per ton and firewood at 2/9d per cwt
(hundred weight). The contract
asked for a delivered and stored price. From
time to time the Gas Works got in on the act and got in touch with the school
offering to sell coke over the eight coldest months at what was claimed as the
very competitive rate of 35/- (£1.75) per ton.
This was generally accepted as there was always a need for fuel.
In
1957, after advertising for a supplier of wood for the school fires and getting
no response the Thurso Area Management Committee had no alternative but to
purchase wood from Munro Brothers at the going commercial rate of 4/- (20p) per
bag.
The
offices in the new building were heated by both radiators and a coal fire.
Both fireplaces are still obvious though they have been blocked off for
many years. A photograph taken at
the opening of the new building shows tall chimney stacks with no chimney pots
but a union flag can be seen flying clearly from a high flagpole. A photograph
taken some months later shows that the pots have been added and no doubt other
finishing touches were added over the months after pupils moved into their new
school building.
The
new school, it was hoped, would have a motivating factor as far as attendance
was concerned. Just as now, the
authorities were concerned to ensure that absences rates were not too high and
then too the onus seemed to be on the Rector to account for the lapses in
attendance. Mr Ironside was
required at the end of 1937 to reply to a letter from the Education Committee
pointing out, ‘that the general level
of attendance at Thurso Miller Institution last session cannot be regarded as
entirely satisfactory even when due allowance is made for illness.’
It is noted that the Rector’s reply was satisfactory but I have no
indication as to the nature of the reply.
While
the standard of teaching and learning at Miller Academy appears to have been of
a high standard over the years in all areas there were times when particular
subjects were a cause for concern. One
such subject was Music in the latter part of the 1930s.
Throughout the 1930s, the log book makes reference to the frequent
absences of the Music Teacher. No
doubt those absences might have been for good reason but they nevertheless had a
devastating influence on the quality of the Music provision.
At the instigation of the Inspectorate the Management Committee wrote to
the Education Committee stating, ‘something
should now be done to bring the teaching of Music in Miller Institution up to
standard.’ The upshot of this
was the advertising for a fully qualified Music Master for the Thurso district
and the retiral of the present part-time Music Master.
After
consideration of the applicants for the post of Music Master it was decided to
appoint Albert E. N. Williams who was at that time working as an assistant
teacher in Castletown School teaching Art.
He was to be appointed on the understanding that he obtained special
recognition of his qualification by the Education Department.
This condition would suggest that the candidates were not all as well
qualified as had been hoped for and that Mr Williams was appointed as a man of
known quality able to teach both Art and Music and
able to obtain the necessary qualifications.
Unfortunately, however, the matter of Music provision was not that easily
resolved in the short term. Castletown
was reluctant to release Mr Williams without a replacement as some of the pupils
were being prepared for the Day School Certificate (Higher) in Art.
After
some negotiation and discussion at the Education Committee, it was decided that
Mr Williams should continue at Castletown for the remainder of the session and
the Music Teacher in Thurso be informed that his services would not be required
after the close of the current session. Mr
Williams duly completed his transfer in the summer of 1939 and he has been
remembered by a number of correspondents in their memories of the school from
that period.
A
memory sheet returned by Barbara S. Fraser (Mackay) from Reay who was a pupil at
Miller Academy from 1939 to 1943 listed her teachers and even gave the
nicknames of some. She paints a
short but informative picture of some aspects of the school at the outbreak of
the Second World War.
Teachers:
David
Sutherland (Chops), Jack Wilson (Fuzz), Elizabeth Duthie (Betty Todd), Sandy
Bruce (Brucie), A. Meiklejohn (Meikie), Miss M Wallace later Mrs Sutherland
(Mary Tiptoes), Miss Florrie Dunnett, Mr Williamson, Miss A. Dunnett, Miss M
MacKenzie (Maggie), Mr E. Stewart, Miss C. Murray, Miss M. MacDonald (The
Mouse), Mr D. Sutherland replaced by Mrs Jack Sutherland, Mr J. Wilson replaced
by Miss A. McFarlane, Mr E. Stewart.
Miss
E. Duthie who taught History and Geography, so quote a former pupil, sailed in
like a ‘man of war’, firing on all guns.
Grim faced, ready for the fray. We
all sat subdued – even the most ebullient of the boys.
However, she was an excellent teacher and fear forced us to listen and
concentrate and woe betide anyone whose mind was allowed to wander.
The strap was readily available.
Some
years later after I had gone through a long and serious illness I found her to
be a caring and sympathetic person.
Mr
Bruce, Maths, was my favourite teacher. The
master of the witty remark that was not expected to be laughed at in the
classroom but that was appreciated after he left the room.
The hapless recipient of the remark could only grin weakly.
Mr Bruce had a habit of working out the algebraic exercises on the
blackboard to halfway through and then his favourite expression was, ‘of
course the rest just works out’. Throughout
the years former pupils remember his witty remarks with appreciation and
affection. He encouraged my
aptitude to maths. I found him so
approachable and always did well in that subject through his encouragement.
The
‘new’ Miller Academy was a bright, modern building compared to the original
Miller Institute building which was still being used along with Mina Villa and
the separate buildings which housed the Science, Art and Domestic Science rooms.
I
started school in August 1939 from the Reay Primary School.
War was declared on 3/8/39. We
were given a week off school for the Education Authority to make provision for
air raid precautions. Not long
after that we all had to carry gas masks at all times.
We had gas mask drill once a week and when the Town Air Raid Siren blared
the town pupils ran home taking their country friends with them until the ‘All
Clear’ went. An air raid shelter
was later started at the school. I
do not think it was completed and certainly never used.
Gradually
we lost teachers to the armed forces and eventually nearly all the boys who
started school with me that day in Class 1A did their stint in the forces during
the war or immediately afterwards. I
heard later that one had lost his life in the Merchant Navy at 16 years.
On reflection we had an excellent, wide ranging education. The standard was high, keeping up with the academic reputation that the Miller Academy/Institute had always enjoyed country wide. My memories are happy ones and beneficial.
Miller and the 1939 - 1945 War Years
There
was some concern at the start of the Second World War as to how education could
continue for Miller Institution pupils. The
safety of the children in air raid conditions was considered and how the
building might be protected or obscured from enemy planes.
The darkening of the windows received consideration though this was not
in the event acted upon except in that the badminton club were told that if they
used the gymnasium after dark they would be responsible for a blackout for the
windows. Bus services to quickly
move pupils away were also looked at as a possibility.
Initially
a three point plan emerged;-
1.
Children resident in the town to be sent home immediately upon the
warning of a raid. Children from
country areas to go to a friend’s house.
2.
No darkening of windows but school to close at 3.30pm.
3.
Cleaning to begin at 3.30pm and also to be carried out in the mornings
and to be completed before nightfall.
There was to be no artificial light between sunset and sunrise.
However,
this was not the end of the story. The
Rector, Mr Ironside, was asked, in June 1940, to prepare a report on the
possibility of providing trenches in the playing field for cover for the pupils
in the case of a daytime raid. The
Management Committee noted at their September meeting that they had not received
a reply to their request which is probably not surprising.
One member commented that nothing had been done for the safety of
children in the event of an air raid.
It
became apparent that the school would require some protection if bombed and set
alight or when the local fire fighting volunteers might require a practice area
or base. Some alterations were
required to the building to allow a fire to be fought effectively and it was
indicated that equipment would have to be bought.
It was decided to enlarge the hatches in the roof space to allow easier
and quicker access to the roof and a list of equipment was drawn up for
purchase. This included stirrup
pumps, fire boxes, buckets and ladders. The
last item was seen as the absolute minimum if money could not be found for the
lot. I am not certain what was
finally purchased but the account for four stirrup pumps is recorded in the
Management Committee accounts. The
cost would appear to have been about £6 for the four but since the pumps are
listed along with another unrelated purchase the exact amount is unclear.
Further
actions for the protection of the pupils included an air raid shelter built in
the area of the present school entrance and another in the basement of the main
building and referred to by Barbara Fraser.
This basement was considerably strengthened by the addition of extra
concrete block support walls. Gas
masks were issued and practices held to accustom children to their use.
A number of correspondents remembered these masks and the practices.
Margaret Neil says, ‘Memories of
having to carry around a gas mask in its little box, during the war years have
faded considerably, as have those scenes of prisoners of war, and sailors
rescued from torpedoed ships, arriving in Thurso while we boarded the school bus
for home. The Russian sailors were
the most sad; while the German prisoners of war were radiant and cheeky,
thankful to be away from the fighting most probably, with a chance to work on
the Caithness farms.’ Agnes
Mackay, a pupil at the school from 1943 to 1945 and later a teacher there, also
remembers practising air raid drill, putting on the gas mask and crouching under
the desk. She speculates that the
protections given might not have been sufficient to prevent serious injury.
The
coming of war gave the school the opportunity to press for a telephone system.
Indeed, the case was made for a telephone in all the big schools.
The Council was not to be pushed into making a purchase and though the
request was not turned down, in June 1941, the Council deferred a decision,
apparently, indefinitely. A request for blackout blinds for the Headmaster’s
Office and the staff room appears to have received more sympathy and this was
approved. No doubt, just as now,
the teachers were expected to do much work after the end of the school day.
While
the Rector might have had some success with the blinds, he was not so lucky when
it came to the request for an office safe.
Though he had the backing of the School’s Sub-Committee, the Education
Committee curtly replied that the clerkess should take money to the bank each
day and the Clerk should tell Mr Ironside so!
A more satisfactory outcome in 1950 can be reported, a safe, costing £13,
was acquired by the school with half the cost to be met by the ratepayers.
Dig
for victory was no idle slogan in Thurso. The
local representative of the North of Scotland Agricultural College, Mr Longmore,
visited the school to advise on the best area of the grounds to set aside for
cultivation. He then proceeded to
advise other schools on the need for schools to help produce food to assist with
the war effort. This food might in
any event be required in Thurso to replace that eaten by crows and pigeons!
There were complaints by farmers that the crows and pigeons sheltering in
the grounds of the Miller Institute were doing damage to their stockyards and
crops. It was suggested that an
effort should be made to thin out the numbers by culling some of the birds.
The same action might be taken today as the crows, or to be more accurate
rooks, still cause a considerable nuisance – in the main to cars in the
carpark and the unfortunate children who happen to be playing below them in the
playground.
Many
buildings were requisitioned for the war effort. Throughout the early period of
the war buildings were being requisitioned and released almost weekly.
There is much correspondence relating to requests for school
accommodation and the protests, refusals and appeals by the school authorities.
Amongst the school’s buildings
used were the West Public annex and a part of Mina Villa where soldiers went to
collect their passes and other documentation for travel by train or to Orkney.
An H.M.I. report mentions the West School being requisitioned by the
military authorities and six classes being taught in the West Church in
reasonable comfort but with their return to the school being imminent.
The school had approached the local churches to find out if they could be
used if the school was to be required by the forces.
St Peter’s, St Andrew’s, the West Church and the Congregational
Church were contacted and St Peter’s and the West agreed to the request while
the Congregational replied that they could not permit the building to be used
for the purpose. It was stated in
the minutes of the Management Committee that a letter from the Congregational
Church giving reasons for the refusal of the request had been received but I
have not had a sight of this correspondence.
The reply, if any, from St Andrew’s is not recorded.
Pupils
from the West Public were also taught in St Peter’s Church for a time.
I am told by Gordon Noble that he was taught there and that classes were
located on either side of the pulpit area with curtains screening them from one
another and from children in other areas. Heating
had to be specially installed in the church for the comfort of pupils and staff.
Another
evacuation at this time was from Castletown School as part of that school was
required by the military. Castletown
School had a new extension at the start of the war but it was not entered by
pupils due to its requisitioning in 1940. The
pupils were taught in churches and halls throughout the village.
For two-thirds of the session 1940-41 infants under seven had no
education at all. Secondary classes
were drafted to Miller Academy where the second and third years were combined
with the Thurso pupils and the first year classes taught separately and mainly
by Castletown staff.
The
H.M.I. report of January 1942 is informative not only with regard to the quality
of teaching and organisation but also provides details of the roll and placement
of classes for the early war years. It
is reported that in April of the previous year the total pupil roll was 594
comprising 414 pupils in the infant and primary divisions and 180 in the
secondary division. It is stated
that, ‘Some 40 voluntary evacuees are
on the roll’. The figures do
not include the Castletown sections housed at the Miller due to the
requisitioning of part of Castletown School for the war effort.
At Miller an air raid shelter was to be provided for about 550 but where
such a number could be accommodated, in what might be termed suitable
bomb-proofed buildings, is not clear. Certainly
the shelter below the school which still exists and the one demolished by the
main gate were unlikely to accommodate such numbers in any sort of
comfort.
On
the point of evacuees, I do not know who they all were but assume that many were
the children of Caithness ‘exiles’ living in the more vulnerable parts of
Britain in the early years of the war. They
were most likely sent to the safety of relatives and friends in the north.
One such evacuee was Elizabeth Sutherland, nee Dundas, who reports in her
memories that she was evacuated from Leith through a private arrangement and
attended the West Public and Miller Institution from 1939 to 1946.
As befits a Dux of the school she vividly describes the wartime
arrangements. She particularly
notes, ‘the netted and taped windows,
the late morning starts in winter to conserve fuel and avoid over much
artificial light, the cold examination room arrangement in March with no
heating, the lower corridor sand-bagged and with concrete block partitions for
shelter from air raids and the air raid shelter itself in the basement.’
The
arrival of some refugees after the end of World War II was reported by a
correspondent in her memories. She
indicates that a small group of refugees, probably Arabs and not Jews, attended
the school for a short time and went on to Palestine.
The move would appear to be related to the setting up of the state of
Israel.
In
1942, four male members of staff were on active war service, namely D. K.
Sutherland, J. L. Wilson, A. B. Meiklejohn and J. Dallas, but the staffing loss
seems to have been coped with at this time.
I am told by Mrs Sutherland, Stainland, Thurso that she returned from
teaching at the Royal High School in Edinburgh in November 1941 to take the
place of Mr D. K. Sutherland after he went on war service in October of that
year. Her family in Caithness, she
tells me, were relieved by her return as bombs were landing in Edinburgh and two
not far from where she was living.
Male
teachers on war service were entitled to apply to the Education Committee for
assistance to have the deficiency between their pay and allowances and their
teacher salaries made up by the Committee.
The four members above applied for this financial enhancement in November
1941 and Mr Sutherland and Mr Wilson were successful with their applications at
that time. The applications of the
other two were held over to a later date. Not
until 1942 did Mr Dallas get his financial supplement and I find no record of Mr
Meiklejohn further applying or receiving any financial adjustment.
In
the early years of the war, efforts were made to ensure that senior pupils
received as near full time education as possible and though this did not always
happen a reasonable level of hours of attendance was achieved.
The pupils in the Primary Department at Miller were not quite so
fortunate as they were on half-time education into 1943.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Schools commented upon the shortfall and
indicated the need for a return to normal provision.
This view was supported by the Education Committee in October 1942 when
Rector Ironside was instructed to make plans forthwith for a return to full time
teaching. It appears the
instruction was not implemented at that time. In January 1943 the matter was
again raised in committee and the Director of Education was asked to see the
Rector and to arrange that whole-time education be given subject to the
dispersal of the children during alerts and until such time as bomb shelters
were provided.
As
at the present time, the Education Authority expected the Rector to be a
‘jack-of-all trades’ and responsible for every conceivable aspect of school
life. In 1943, Rector Ironside
reported the theft, over the dinner hour, of the Class 1A money collected for
the purpose of purchasing savings certificates.
After discussion, the Clerk of the Education Committee wrote to the
school ‘recommending’ that the Rector should take charge of the cash in
future and accept responsibility therefor.
He was also expected to take responsibility for the disappearance of
other missing items around the school and though he, along with the Clerk to the
Thurso Interim Sub Committee, made strong representations for gates on the
girls’ and later the boys’ cloakrooms the requests fell on deaf ears.
It would appear that there was a spate of pilfering from the girls’
cloakrooms in 1947 and 1948 and about the same time a coat disappeared from the
boys’ cloakrooms. The Education
Committee was of the opinion that the Rector should take actions to catch the
thief rather than go to the expense of having gates fitted.
The kind of barrier requested is not clear though it must be assumed that
rather than a door a more open lockable structure was envisaged.
This, along with other information in the various minutes and log-books
for the school, just goes to prove that children have not changed that much and
that the kinds of bad behaviour prevalent then and now were very similar.
The
air raid protection measures mentioned by Elizabeth Sutherland were removed in
the late summer of 1945. Between
March and July of that year there was considerable discussion with the A.R.P.
regarding the removal of the ‘Baffles’ in schools.
The timing of the removal and the cost exercised the minds of the
authorities but eventually agreement was reached that there was no longer a
threat from enemy aircraft and that money should be found to return school
buildings to some semblance of normality.
In
Autumn 1945, with the end of the war and the return home of some of the teachers
on war service the Miller was beginning to return in some degree to its former
‘tranquillity’. Mr
Meiklejohn and Mr Dallas came back to the school, the latter in August 1945 as a
permanent staff member to take up duties which would eventually lead to
responsibility for the West Public and finally the Headship of the Primary
School in 1958. Before that,
however, staffing difficulties were encountered and particularly in Science.
John Baikie, the Science Teacher, resigned having applied for a post
outwith the county. He had been
dissatisfied since early 1944 as he wanted a settled post in either Wick or
Thurso but was on a temporary contract. As
a replacement, Mr Meiklejohn’s release from the Army was sought and until this
could be obtained, other teachers were approached without success until local
teacher Mr Ben Manson, from Keiss, agreed to work temporarily at Miller Academy.
When no longer required Mr Manson moved onto Reay and after other
appointments, including the post of Head Teacher at Staxigoe School, he became
Head Teacher of the new Hillhead School, Wick in 1969.
The
release of Mr Meiklejohn serves to highlight the difficulties in obtaining the
services of a teacher still not demobbed from the forces.
Despite Mr Meiklejohn’s agreement to apply to leave the Army there was
some delay in the processing of the release and the Army indicated he would
loose two months’ pay and allowances amounting to £91 15s.
An appeal to the Scottish Education Department for some monetary
adjustment to his salary was refused leaving him short by the amount indicated
above.
The
attendance in session 1941-42 appears to have been much affected by snowstorms,
measles and colds. and it was at this time during the war that the first
consideration was given to providing what is at present the more traditional
school lunch. Though
recommendations were not acted upon at that time there was some feeling that
country pupils should have something more than soup and bread in the middle of
the day. A two-course meal was
considered at a time when Mr Ironside indicated that 90 pupils were receiving
this soup and bread meal. He added
that the absolute maximum number that could be catered for would be 140 pupils.
Most schools in the county at that time were giving cocoa, tea or
ovaltine at lunch break. The Thurso
Management Committee suggested soup with bread or a pudding followed by tea or
cocoa with bread and butter or cheese. Whether
it was wartime frugality or the view that the large mid-day meal need not be
provided on dietary grounds, the existing arrangements for a more meagre lunch
were continued.
Margaret
Neil (Banks) a pupil in the Miller from 1939 to 1942 remembers that, ‘Georgie
the Janitor and his Mrs used to dole out hot soup for us “country kids”, at
the adjacent Mina Villa, during the lunch break.
Especially in winter, that was appreciated to take with our “piece”
from home’. She gives an
account of her journey from Mey. ‘Coming
from Mey meant a long bus journey up and down among the farms and side roads to
collect one pupil here, two or three there, and an occasional teacher.
For me, it began at twenty to eight in the morning, but at least it
afforded an opportunity to swot up the lessons we were crammed with.’
Some
interesting comments on how times have changed in schools since this period are
contained in the memories of Moira Calder.
‘Looking back I think, on the
whole, I must have loved school. Teachers
(with one exception) were strict but fair.
There seemed to be little funds for extras – no school trips, few new
books, no ball point pens (how I hated those filthy ink wells), no soft toilet
paper (have they got rid of the pong in the loos?).
Do present day pupils realise how lucky they are?
I really can never remember litter in the school grounds or the streets
around, defacing books, desks or paintwork was a crime and bullying, cheek to a
teacher etc. earned a visit to the Rector.
Even minor offences were reported to your parents where the boys, at
least, might get a quick skelp.’
At
the end of the war the school was no longer required by the Military.
Mina Villa was de-requisitioned and the County Clerk notified the
evacuation of the Public Cleansing Station at Miller Academy.
The playing fields were returned for use by pupils and Mr McLean from the
Bank of Scotland representing the Welcome Home and Memorial Committee applied
for the use of the school grounds. The
Committee wanted to organise a fete to celebrate the victory in the war and
welcome Thursonians back to their home town.
Permission was given provided the Committee cut the grass at their own
expense!
The
school celebrated the end of the war with three special holidays.
Two for V.J. day and one for V.E. day.
Those were taken from 29th October to 2nd November
1945. The period was to include a
day for harvest thanksgiving.
The Post War Years
After
the Second World War, in January 1946, The Primary Department had 424 pupils and
the Secondary Department 204 and both had an attendance rate of around 90%.
For the first three months of that year the roll was steady but the
primary roll shows an increase of 45 pupils in April 1946.
This was, presumably, due to an Easter intake of pupils of around that
number. It was at Easter 1946
that the Government announced the raising of the school leaving age to fifteen
from 31st March of the following year.
This was to have an impact on the secondary school roll with a whole
cohort of pupils staying in education for an extra year.
In
the post war period some modest improvements to the facilities at Miller were to
take place. The matters of
telephones and clerkesses for schools were again given consideration by the
Education Committee. It was finally
resolved, in 1945, that the school should ‘go on line’ and that a successful
pupil from the Commercial Department be appointed for a period not exceeding two
years to enable this pupil to gain experience in a work situation.
Additionally, in early 1946, it was seen desirable that the Science room
be fitted with a power pack, an immersion heater installed in the Cookery room
and a special light be placed in the Art room. The request for a motor mower was
not met with quite the same generosity. The
Authority was only prepared to meet half the cost with the remainder being paid
by the school.
While
the new 1937 building had electricity supplied by the Thurso and District
Electric Supply Company Limited the Science Room, Art Room, Cookery Room and
Laundry did not and were lit by gas. Subject
to the approval of the Scottish Education Department it was decided that Messrs
Munro and Tait of Wick should carry out the installation at a cost of £191 10s
10d. The electricity was to be
supplied at the same rate as for the main building by the Thurso and District
Electric Supply Company.
Other
work in and around the school at this time included repairs to the terrace, the
rebuilding of the various boundary walls, the re-installation of boys’ and
girls’ showers and some external and internal painting.
The showers had to be re-installed due to their removal for some unknown
reason by the A.R. P. during the war. It
was only after a claim for damages that the work began and the claim made was
not met in full be the Chief Constable who appeared to be the responsible
authority with regards to the A. R. P. The
painting work was carried out by McLean and Cameron, Thurso whose estimate of £695
11s 8d for the work was over £1000 less than that submitted by George Johnstone,
Elgin
By
1947, the school heating system fired by coal was giving cause for concern
though the boiler was only 10 years old. The removal of ash was also causing
some difficulty as the present flight of steps and door to the boiler house did
not exist. Ashes were carried up a flight of 15 steps leading into the school
corridor for disposal. This exit no
longer exists and though the blocked exit in the boiler-room can be seen, the
point of the entry to the school corridor has long disappeared.
The
County Architect was asked to report on the cost of converting to an oil system
and to give a comparative statement on the cost of fuel consumption and upkeep
of the plant. The
Architect’s report indicated the cost of boiler repair and maintenance and
fuel costs to be slightly in favour of coal.
However, the Architect added, ‘The
main advantage of oil is the convenience, cleanliness and general efficiency.
There is no ash removal, and the Janitor is relieved for other duties.
There is also the question of the continuing coal shortage.
I recommend your Committee to seriously consider the installation of this
oil equipment.’ The Education
Committee accepted the recommendation and resolved to overhaul the boiler and
convert to oil. This did not happen as the permission for a change of fuel was
repeatedly refused by the Scottish Education Department.
In
1946, the Ministry of Fuel indicated that all their fuel oil supplies had been
fully allocated until 1949 but during 1948 and 1949 applications with a view to
installing oil when supplies became available still fell on deaf ears.
A series of repairs aimed at keeping the boiler going did little to help
the school’s heating problem and it was clear that a new boiler would be
required sooner rather than later. This
new installation by Alexander Sutherland Ltd, at a price of £399, having to
take place in 1950 after engineers condemned the existing installation.
At this time a mechanical stoker was added to the system and this against
the wishes of the Scottish Office where it was seen as an extravagant way of
charging a boiler. The stoker cost
only very slightly less than the boiler to purchase and install.
Two
oil boilers were finally installed
in the mid-1970s and though regularly serviced the boilers may be coming towards
the end of their useful life. The
next system installed is likely to be similar to those in a number of Caithness
schools, including nearby Mount Pleasant. These
are controlled by computerised telephone links from Inverness!
Big brother in the Highland Capital now being able to set the times and
temperatures for this type of heating
system at a distance of 115 miles. A
slight concession to local choice at Mount Pleasant has been provided by way of
an over-ride button for use when the school is leased in the evening to
voluntary groups.
By
the 1950s, it was becoming quite clear that a new school for secondary pupils
was going to be necessary in short rather than the long term.
The continued effect of the post war ‘baby boom’ and the planned
establishment of the fast reactor at Dounreay were the major factors in the need
for a school on a new site. By
January 1957, the school roll had risen to 630 for the Primary Department and
380 for the Secondary department. In
February the increased roll resulted in extra cleaners being appointed for the
additional classrooms and the Janitor was granted an increase in wages after
strong backing from Mr Ironside.
A
Memory Sheet returned by James (Hamish) Henderson, a pupil at the school from
1949 to 1952 and a teacher from 1958 to 1962, gives an interesting insight as a
pupil and a teacher into the post war Miller.
Mr
Henderson remembers the academic streams being on the top floor of the building
and the non-academic streams, along with Commercial Subjects, below.
Some changes did take place towards the end of his period at the school
with a feeling that the ‘academic types’ should have their vision widened by
doing some Woodwork and some Art appreciation.
I get the impression from his memories that the Art was appreciated but
not the Woodwork!
Returning
as a teacher, Hamish Henderson saw the school grow and develop and his
experience widen. His memories as a
teacher are worth reproducing here as written by him.
‘I
returned to the Miller in 1958, after a spell of work in Portobello, in the
first year when the school became a primary school with John Dallas as
Headmaster and Miss Anderson as Deputy Head.
Apart
from John Dallas there was one other man on the staff, a Mr David Constable, who
was responsible for Art. He was
killed in a car accident within two years of his appointment.
The
staff divided into two major groups – the old timers, who had been primary
teachers during the war and those girls, who like myself had been pupils, went
to college and returned without having been anywhere else.’
Also
in his interesting recollections Mr Henderson pays tribute to his English
Teacher, Bill Shurie, who inculcated an awareness of English Literature, lists
all his teachers and makes reference to John Dallas’s old motor cycle and then
the new Rover he bought to take him from Weydale to the school.
Hamish also notes that he got two of the belt from Mr Ironside for
playing football on the top landing with a milk bottle.
This
photograph of some of the school staff members was taken about 1950.
They are;-
Back
Left – Right; A. Bruce, D.K.
Sutherland, G. MacLeod (Janitor), W. Laing.
Centre
Left – Right; C. Brown, W. Shurie,
R. Bell, Mr Campbell, A. Meiklejohn, J. Dallas.
Front
Left – Right; Miss E. Duthie,
Miss A. Dunnett, Miss J. Ryrie, Miss
MacKenzie, Mrs Stevens, Miss F. Dunnett, Mrs M. Sutherland.
As
the pressure mounted for more and more teaching space a further extension was
required. This resulted in the
erection, in 1952, of a new domestic science block between the main building and
the road. The cost of this block
was estimated at £4182 3s 8d and was constructed by five main contractors.
The mason and joinery work was undertaken by D. M. Geddes (Watten), the
plumbing by Alexander Sutherland Ltd (Thurso), the plasterwork by J. & W.
Bailie (Wick), the electrical installation by R. Finlayson (Wick) and the paint
work by McLean and Cameron (Thurso).
This
block is mentioned, along with some other information about the Miller, in a
town guide of about 1953.
‘At
the top of Sinclair Street is an unusual type of building with a modest dome.
This is the Miller Institution or, as it is called nowadays, Miller
Academy. Erected and endowed in
1859 by Mr. Alexander Miller, it comprised a well-stocked library gifted by the
Rev. Alexander Miller, D.D., of Buckie. In its early days it was run by the
headmaster and an assistant. The
modern school has a staff of nearly 30. The
oldest part contains eight rooms and the library while nearby is another section
of considerable age which houses the Art, Science and Domestic Science
Departments. A new Housewifery
block has been erected in the grounds. The
newest part of the school is a modern structure of ten class-rooms apart from
offices, staff and cloak rooms. Included under the name of Miller Academy and
administered by the same headmaster is the West Public School in Castle Street.
It makes provision for six elementary classes.
The Academy caters for elementary pupils from the town and for secondary
pupils from the western half of the county.’
The
teacher most associated with the Domestic Science at Miller Academy was Anne
Dunnett. She is remembered with
affection by a number of correspondents. Margaret
Stewart, though almost half a century left school, writes, ‘Still
remember Miss A. Dunnett with affection. She
taught in a way a young person never forget – no press button cookery in those
days!’ Margaret’s
sister Moira, at school from 1939, was equally impressed by Anne Dunnett – ‘a
wonderful teacher who could make cooking with even basic rations interesting,
this was war time.’
The
1952 Domestic Science Block with Munro’s Building, now Bain and Gibson’s, in
the background.
The 1952 block has since been used as a staffroom, a medical facility, a toy library, as the Learning Support Base in session 1998-99 due to lack of space in the other classroom areas and now as the Adult Education Department. The block