Searching for Wisbech High School 'old girls'

The search is on to find former pupils from a school with a rich history spanning hundreds of years.

Two former students from the old Wisbech High School, which was amalgamated with Wisbech Grammar School in 1970, are looking for others who attended the school to share memories together.

Pennie Limming and Melanie Stibbons, who both now live in Spalding, have created a Facebook group where they are able to connect with others who attended the school – and as nearly 100 people joined the group they unexpectedly managed to trace a pupil who was born in 1916 and attended the school in the 1930s.

Now, Pennie and Melanie are hoping to make contact with others who would have been students at the school around the same time in a bid to find even older ‘old girls’.

Pennie said: “In the group we have a cluster of people who were there at the beginning of the 1960s and some who were there in the 1950s but it tails off a bit around the 1970s when the school merged with the Grammar School.

“We have one person who was at the school in 1948 and now we have someone who was there in 1939 but that leaves a big gap, now we are wondering if the ‘old girl’ we are in contact with is the only one or if there is maybe an older ‘old girl’!”

Since creating the Facebook group, Pennie and Melanie have not only found several ‘old girls’ but they have also discovered information about their old school which they never knew before, thanks to stories and research they have discovered from other members.

Pennie said: “We’ve found out that in 1939 the school welcomed evacuees from Hornsey County School.

“We also now know that the school took borders until after World War II and that it had a kindergarten which accepted boys, although the main focus of the school had always been to educate girls.

“When I was there, it was an all girls school which, seemingly, never intended to do anything other than educate girls to use their brains – we were encouraged to have a career which was quite radical.

“While there is a lot of personal interest in this, it’s also very important social history and we want to make sure that it doesn’t sink into oblivion.

“Without the internet it may have been impossible to do this, although we have also had many people coming forward with stories, books, photographs and information.

“Maybe there’s someone who has more photos?

“I can remember when I was at the school in the 60s there were photos lining the walls along the corridors and it would be nice to know what happened to them.

“Melanie has some old scrapbooks and photographs which belonged to our headmistress Miss Leonard, which she is keeping safe.

“Hopefully there are more people out there who can share their photographs and stories with us.”

• Pennie and Melanie are asking anyone with information or photos to email wisbecholdgirls@gmail.com or to access the Facebook group which is named ‘Wisbech High School Old Girls’.