In Down Memory Lane this week, we look back 60 years to an exciting school day in Horndon.

On Friday, October 9, 1953, lessons came to an abrupt halt at Horndon-on-the-Hill Primary School, which was opened in 1847. At 11.45am, pupil Carol Clarke told her teacher, Mrs F Hall, flames were coming from the ceiling of their classroom.

The headmaster, Mr E Hughes, reportedly “climbed on top of a cupboard and tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher”. However, he soon realised the fire was out of his control and he sent for the fire brigade.

The 95 pupils in the school that day were evacuated and waited outside on the pavement as the incident progressed. Startled residents from the village rushed to the school to help salvage documents, desks and other furniture before the roof collapsed. Thankfully, everybody was evacuated before the roof caved in.

As the blaze began to subside, 14 passing soldiers “promptly commenced salvage operations” and helped the fire brigade in rescuing items from the school. Later inquires were made as to who those heroic men were. However, once they were finished, they got back into their lorry and left.

A temporary classroom was set up in the school canteen, and help came from Mr FW Bonson, the publican of the Bell Inn and Stanford Primary School, who offered to accommodate the children until the building was rebuilt and safe to attend.

Pupil Melvyn English explained the sequence of events to the Gazette and his story was used in the front page report of that week. This week’s Down Memory Lane has been researched and produced by Bethany Anderson, who is undertaking work experience at Thurrock Museum.