“The Deaf and Dumb Blues” – Anerley Residential School Magazine (1909 and the 1920s)

A few years ago we covered the Anerley School, with some photographs and references to material we hold.  For some reason I neglected to include the incomplete but bound collection of  School Magazines we have for the period 1909- 29 (at present in the oversize collection of journals).

The magazines are typical in that they are full of school news, with items like “Cricket Prospects”, “The Elocution Class”, and – “The Deaf and Dumb Blues” (Summer 1925)! Here is the first verse & chorus of two verses, written by one W.H.D. –

When you wake up in the morning just about the break o’ day,
The Cock-a-doodle dooos; the donkey starts to bray.
You think about a lot of games that you would like to play,
But when it comes to think of work you close your eyes and say,
I’se got the Anerley Blues those double D Blues,
I wanna stay in bed; I wanna snooze.
Oh-dear-me! Now when I think of it,
I wanna lot of sleep; can’t get a wink of it.
Must leave my li’l bye-bye,
This is the reason why:-
Gotta peel potatoes, gotta scrub the floor,
Gotta wash the dishes, gotta do more,
Gotta do so many things – can’t pick and choose,
So I’se got the Anerley Double-D Blues!

W.H.D. contributed other similar rhymes.

In this picture below we see some exam results – presumably from L.C.C. schools.  Hugh Myddleton pupils feature, along with Ackmar Road, Tollet Street, Penn and a few unfamiliar to me.

In the same issue are some interesting ‘After-care Statistics” for the period December 1902 to July 1927 –

712 boys have passed through the school.
627 are employed.
11 are unemployed.
16 are not yet settled.
Of 18 there is no trace.
23 are unfit for work.
17 are deceased.
88% are employed.
77% are following the trade taught them at school.

The magazine converted from its handwritten duplicated format to a properly printed format in 1930.

Anerley Deaf School Magazine, 1909,