Elsie Hill, AGGS/County High Alumnae, celebrated 101st Birthday

Category: Alumnae, News

You may recall your oldest known alumna, Elsie Hill, who has celebrated her 101^st Birthday, 6^th July 2022

Elsie, still has a remarkable memory and is highly articulate for her age.  She purports to not being good with remembering names but when being shown her school photograph and asking her whether she could remember any of the names of the teachers in the longer photograph that she had been connected with, within a short space of time she recalled the names of most of the them, 80yrs later!

Elsie, missed most of her schooling because of a debilitating sickness and being susceptible to infections. Her GP had informed her parents from an early age that she was unlikely to live beyond 7yrs! Despite only being home tutored by her mother, Elsie sat the 11+ at the age of 12yrs and achieved high marks and was placed in the top tier. 

Elsie started at the school in 1933, in the term after the very first Headmistress of the school Ms Howes Smith retired. 

Notable events during Elsie’s time at the school were HRH Queen Mary’s visit to the school, and standing on the school hall balcony listening to the BBC broadcast on the school’s large wireless radio at the time, King Edward VIII’s abdication speech to the nation in 1938!

We wish a very happy birthday to Elsie and many more years to come!