School rule: Girls must have six hats

The view is looking towards Seaford Head which can be seen on the far left over the open fields, which are now covered with housing including Hartfield Road and Headland Avenue. The road is unmade and just one motor car can be seen.

Downs School was established in January 1901 as an independent boarding school for girls aged between 11 and 18.

The school motto was 'Potens mei quid non possum?' which translates as 'If I am the Lord of myself - what can I not achieve?'

The first headmistress was Miss Lucy Robinson who was replaced in 1914 by Miss Cameron, who ran the school with her sister as the housekeeper.

The girls wore navy blue skirts and bright red jumpers and berets. They also wore either a navy blue blazer or an ankle length cloak.

The school regulations were very particular about the uniform.

Girls were required to wear their skirts exactly four inches below the knee.

A list of clothes and equipment needed for the term was sent to parents. It was a long list of clothes which included no less than nine pairs of shoes and six hats.

Other items required included a rug, an umbrella and in order to write home, a writing desk and a fountain pen.

Considering that the school fees would not have been small, I was also surprised to see that the girls were expected to bring their own bed linen and coat hangers.

The girls undertook many sports but particularly lacrosse, hockey and cricket and there were regular matches against local girls' schools including Ravenscroft and Roedean.

The school had a lively debating society and it is interesting to read the subjects discussed, which range from the childish:

'That Red Riding Hood is more pleasing than Cinderella' to the serious: 'It is necessary for British rule in India that the natives should be treated as inferiors' (the motion was lost) and also the bizarre: 'It is better to hang on to a tiger's tail than to let go'.

Regular visits were made to the surrounding countryside either on foot or by bicycle including a number of moonlit excursions, a pastime which would surely fall foul of today's health and safety regulations.

The girls were encouraged to maintain the gardens around the school and held an annual flower show. I hope Tommy, the school pony, did not eat any of their exhibits - he was acquired in 1914 to mow the playing fields and tennis courts.

The following year the girls were given a pet dog, an Airedale Terrier called Nipper, to look after.

The girls were also entertained with regular lectures and it is interesting to see that in February 1913 a Miss Rackham spoke on women's suffrage.

She spoke about the political need for women to get the vote but thought that although the newly formed Labour party would accept women, the Conservatives and Liberals would establish separate parties for them.

But were the girls up to the rigours of equal rights? The Great War proved that they could.

The school magazine had an 'old girls' section where previous pupils could explain what they were doing since leaving the school.

Initially, the women reported that they were giving lectures on hat-making, running Sunday school classes or studying drawing in Paris, but soon they were working hard on the home front and these occupations soon changed; 'Miss Kessler is the assistant supervisor at the National Shell Factory in Leeds', 'Miss Dutton is filling the post of manager of the Keswick branch of the Midland Bank' and 'Miss Toller is using her knowledge of massage for the benefit of wounded soldiers' Many more old girls worked hard as nurses.

The girls at the school made collections to assist the war effort and sent parcels to hospitals in France and prisoners of war in Germany.

Among the items sent were socks, nightshirts, towels and mackintosh sheeting.

The girls kept up with news from the front and there were lectures on German strategy and even the mock trial of a German spy.

On July 20, 1915 Lord Kitchener came to Seaford to review the troops and the girls were given permission to watch the parade.

Girls from the school camera club were particularly thrilled when the great man smiled at them as they took his photograph as he was stepping into his car at the end of the event.