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One outstanding feature of the 1934 Camp was the greater
variety of the menu, and the boys who had attended camp in
previous years were quick to notice and to appreciate this.
Miss Wise reports—
"The party numbered 207 girls, most of them assisted cases,
though 59 paid the full cost, and 11 Staff.
The travelling arrangements made by the Committee were
excellent. Six coaches carried the party and the luggage.
We left Stock Street School about 11.30 a.m., and arrived at
Dymchurch at 3.30 p.m., having had a very pleasant halt of
twenty minutes at a village en route.
The journey over, old friends greeted, new ones made, we
were soon busy settling in and making ourselves as happy and
comfortable as possible for our fortnight's stay. Once more we
found ourselves occupying three dormitories in our favourite Berkshire
Block, and it surprises me more every year to find how
quickly the girls, strangers mostly to us and to one another, adapt
themselves to their new surroundings.
The general plan of the holiday is, of course, thought out in
advance, but it has to be modified according to the desires of the
girls and, where necessary, according to the weather. We realize
that while for some children the sea and the beach are sufficient,
others like to roam the country-side, and yet others like to feel
that they have completed 12 to 14 miles of steady walking before
they have had a really gctod day. Thanks, however, to the ready
co-operation of the staff, we are always able to arrange for any
kind of activity required.
The entertainment side of our Camp life again occupied all
spare moments, and many and varied were the performances given
when failing light forced us indoors. Though each year the staff
try to escape, tradition demands their variety performance as the
finishing frolic; and judging from the vociferous applause and
merriment, the efforts of the pierrot troupe, clad in green and gold,
were thoroughly appreciated by the audience.
I am pleased to report that we were entirely free from illness
or accident throughout our stay. This is particularly pleasing,
as the increased popularity of this part of the coast necessitates
much greater supervision and vigilance on the part of those in
charge of the children.
Our last evening at Dymchurch was a climax to a very good
fortnight. The low tide, and the full moon rising over the sea
gave the girls an opportunity for a new experience—a moonlight
walk along the sands. This beautiful warm evening alone made
the walk well worth while.
A further activity which should be mentioned under this
heading is the work of the Children's Country Holiday Fund. All
children sent away by the local branches of this Fund are examined
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