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In the autumn of 1939, and again during the worst years of the Blitz, Cowling opened its doors to children from the cities. Their stay was meant to be temporary, but the memories of billets, school desks and borrowed families have lasted far longer.
Logbooks, inspection reports and class photographs tell the story of Cowling's village school — a place where lessons, wartime disruption and playground games shaped generations. Former pupils remember the bell, the blackout and the teachers who anchored village life.
Ahead of Remembrance Sunday 2026, we look beyond the carved names on Cowling's war memorial to the lives recorded in parish registers, old newspapers and family photographs. Readers are invited to help add detail to the village's book of remembrance.