Mrs Jessie Bulkowski, Box School Teacher Chris Blake February 2021
Box School in 1953 showing Mrs Bulkowski in the centre and Chris front row second left (courtesy Mike Warren)
I was brought up by my mother, Marguerite Blake, a single parent who lived at Thornleigh, The Upper Lay, until 1953. My link to Jessie Bulkowski came when my mother was in hospital for about five months in 1953 and Mrs Bulkowski and her husband Wieslaw, were kind enough to care for me at their home. For some time, I had puzzled how my mum had known her. Lately, when reading your website, I came across the class photograph above which included her as the teacher. This was the answer:
Mrs Bulkowski was a trained teacher and mum got to know of her through my brief time at Box Primary School.
I remember my time with them very well and with great affection. They had a small holding mid-way between Box and The Shoe where they raised hens and pigs. Their house was a small tin-covered structure which has since been replaced by a much larger house owned by a member of the family of M J Church. During my time staying with them, I attended North Wraxall School about half a mile from The Shoe.
About six months ago I decided to undertake family research into the Bukowski family. Mrs Bulkowski was born Jessie Bingham on 23 September 1920 and died in 2010 in Preston, Lancashire. She was only at Box School for a few years after World War II leaving in 1953 but evidently made her mark there.[1] She had trained as a student at Bircasan Training College, Salisbury Cathedral Close in 1939, the same college as Mike Warren’s mother, Gladys, who taught at Box Highlands and later at Box School. Jessie had a twin sister, Ailsa, both the children of Edward Lawrence Bingham (1891-1948) and his wife Annie, from Shifnal, Shropshire. The family lived in the area of Agecroft, Westbury, where Edward was headmaster of Adcroft Council School (later called Westbury Secondary Modern School) from 1932 until his death in 1948.[2]
Mrs Bulkowski was a trained teacher and mum got to know of her through my brief time at Box Primary School.
I remember my time with them very well and with great affection. They had a small holding mid-way between Box and The Shoe where they raised hens and pigs. Their house was a small tin-covered structure which has since been replaced by a much larger house owned by a member of the family of M J Church. During my time staying with them, I attended North Wraxall School about half a mile from The Shoe.
About six months ago I decided to undertake family research into the Bukowski family. Mrs Bulkowski was born Jessie Bingham on 23 September 1920 and died in 2010 in Preston, Lancashire. She was only at Box School for a few years after World War II leaving in 1953 but evidently made her mark there.[1] She had trained as a student at Bircasan Training College, Salisbury Cathedral Close in 1939, the same college as Mike Warren’s mother, Gladys, who taught at Box Highlands and later at Box School. Jessie had a twin sister, Ailsa, both the children of Edward Lawrence Bingham (1891-1948) and his wife Annie, from Shifnal, Shropshire. The family lived in the area of Agecroft, Westbury, where Edward was headmaster of Adcroft Council School (later called Westbury Secondary Modern School) from 1932 until his death in 1948.[2]
Photo of their wedding in 1946 (courtesy The Wiltshire Times, 4 January 1947)
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Marriage to Wieslaw Bulkowski
Jessie married Captain Wieslaw Stanislav Bulkowski at Westbury Roman Catholic Church on 28 December 1946. Wieslaw was the second son of W Bulkowski, born in Poland in 1914, and his parents remained there. A description of her wedding attire on her marriage was a green satin gown with a headdress of ostrich feathers and a veil which had been used by her mother at her wedding. The name Bulkowski was often connected with branches of Polish aristocracy who lost everything when Hitler invaded their country. Wieslaw was captured by the Germans but escaped and fled to Britain where he served in the army during World War 2. He was wounded in the war and was a patient in the Cotswold Sanatorium in 1949 and for several years received recuperation with rug and needlework exercise at St John’s House, Cheltenham.[3] |
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Chris Blake at the North Wraxall smallholding in 1953 (courtesy Chris Blake)
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Farming in Wiltshire
Wieslaw was sometimes described as Major but I am uncertain if that is accurate. Jessie and Wieslaw lived all around the North Wiltshire area and after the smallholding they took over New Homestead Farm, Mountain Bower, Marshfield. By 1964, he was working for the Hinton Chicken Growers Group at Frome.[4] The caption to this photo shows him topping up a feeding hopper before taking it round to his broiler house at Mountain Bower near Chippenham. I think Mountain Bower was possibly a battery hen facility franchised to Hinton Chicken Growers. The company expanded considerably and was an early entrant into the frozen food market. At Frome it was subject to a number of complaints from neighbours that it was too large for its factory premises.[5]They stayed at Mountain Bower for 19 years until they moved to Chippenham in 1966. |
Wieslaw (courtesy Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 1964)
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In the 1950s Jessie was active in the North Wraxall and Ford Women’s Institute, at times organising teas, a bazaar and a spelling bee for the group.[6] As a teacher, she liked to be innovative and in the 1950 Christmas Concert organised Class III to charmingly perform “The Street Cries of London”.[7] The list of children reads like a who’s who of 1950: Gordon Hall, Fay Cleverley, Gordon Macey, Brian Boulton, Teresa Butler, Ann Heath, Diana Gilham, Brenda Nicholson, Graham Moules, Leslie Dancey, Philip Robbins, Doris Lansdown and David Butt. It was an amusing idea which appealed to local villagers as well as recent arrivals in Box at a time when there was little money and rationing was in full swing.
They appear to have separated about 1980 when records show him living at 28 Barra Close, Highworth, Wiltshire. Jessie later moved in with her twin Ailsa in Dorset who had married an American Army soldier, Bernard William Busse, in 1945 and moved out to the USA. They had two children but divorced in 1974 and Ailsa moved back to the UK at Ferndown, Dorset.
Jessie was buried in the family grave at Westbury Cemetery with the words Jane Bingham Bulkowski - A dear Sister, Mother and Aunt. As far as I can find, she and Wieslaw had no surviving children which makes the reference on her headstone to Mother rather confusing. But I will never forget their kindness to me, without which I may have been taken into a children’s home. For a short time, they were my family.
Conclusion
These years at Box School were difficult times to be a teacher. Many children had been traumatised by the war itself, absence of fathers on military service and a general shortage of money and village facilities to ameliorate the hardship. It never ceases to be true that good teachers can be innovative and stimulate children’s imagination to overcome many issues. Those who are “baby boomers” owe Mrs Bulkowski and her peers a great debt of gratitude.
They appear to have separated about 1980 when records show him living at 28 Barra Close, Highworth, Wiltshire. Jessie later moved in with her twin Ailsa in Dorset who had married an American Army soldier, Bernard William Busse, in 1945 and moved out to the USA. They had two children but divorced in 1974 and Ailsa moved back to the UK at Ferndown, Dorset.
Jessie was buried in the family grave at Westbury Cemetery with the words Jane Bingham Bulkowski - A dear Sister, Mother and Aunt. As far as I can find, she and Wieslaw had no surviving children which makes the reference on her headstone to Mother rather confusing. But I will never forget their kindness to me, without which I may have been taken into a children’s home. For a short time, they were my family.
Conclusion
These years at Box School were difficult times to be a teacher. Many children had been traumatised by the war itself, absence of fathers on military service and a general shortage of money and village facilities to ameliorate the hardship. It never ceases to be true that good teachers can be innovative and stimulate children’s imagination to overcome many issues. Those who are “baby boomers” owe Mrs Bulkowski and her peers a great debt of gratitude.
Residences (mostly traced from BT Telephone records)
1949: At 23 The Croft, Trowbridge where Jessie was a teacher.
1950 to 1955: Small Holding between Box and the Shoe where they bred chickens and pigs. This is where I stayed with them in 1953.
1956 to 1966: New Homestead Farm, Mountain Bower, near Marshfield.
1967 to 1980: At 19 Laines Head, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
1980 to Unknown: At Little Somerford, Near Chippenham, probably on her own.
1984: With her twin sister Ailsa at Ferndown, Dorset until her death in 1984
1985 to 2010: At Southport, Lancashire
Died 28 October 2010
Bingham Family Tree
Edward Lawrence Bingham (1891-1948) and his wife Annie. Children:
Gwendolene (1917-); Jessie (23 September 1920-28 October 2010) and twin Ailsa (23 September 1920-); and Laurence Johnson (1924-).
1949: At 23 The Croft, Trowbridge where Jessie was a teacher.
1950 to 1955: Small Holding between Box and the Shoe where they bred chickens and pigs. This is where I stayed with them in 1953.
1956 to 1966: New Homestead Farm, Mountain Bower, near Marshfield.
1967 to 1980: At 19 Laines Head, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
1980 to Unknown: At Little Somerford, Near Chippenham, probably on her own.
1984: With her twin sister Ailsa at Ferndown, Dorset until her death in 1984
1985 to 2010: At Southport, Lancashire
Died 28 October 2010
Bingham Family Tree
Edward Lawrence Bingham (1891-1948) and his wife Annie. Children:
Gwendolene (1917-); Jessie (23 September 1920-28 October 2010) and twin Ailsa (23 September 1920-); and Laurence Johnson (1924-).
References
[1] Reported as leaving by the Parish Magazine, January 1953
[2] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 9 January 1932 and 12 June 1948
[3] The Gloucestershire Echo, 3 December 1949
[4] Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 1 February 1964
[5] The Somerset Standard, 2 August 1968
[6] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 29 October 1955, 1 May 1954 and 12 December 1953
[7] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 16 December 1950
[1] Reported as leaving by the Parish Magazine, January 1953
[2] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 9 January 1932 and 12 June 1948
[3] The Gloucestershire Echo, 3 December 1949
[4] Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 1 February 1964
[5] The Somerset Standard, 2 August 1968
[6] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 29 October 1955, 1 May 1954 and 12 December 1953
[7] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 16 December 1950