Left with other screaming kids on daunting first day at school

Terry McKenna has sent us this photograph of his first class at St Francis RC School in Maidstone’s Week Street.

The year was 1954 and the teacher was Miss Lenton.

By then Terry was part of a Maidstone family, with his “Mum and Dad” Kathleen and Charles McKenna, and older brother Michael (known as Max).

But in fact Terry was adopted. He said: “My earliest memories are of a Catholic children’s home run without compassion, love and nurture by nuns and a handful of priests.

“The feeling of desperation that was so obvious, and the clinical smell of carbolic that still lingers in my mind to this day, are memories that never go away.”

Terry had been born Terence Glancy in Lennoxtown, Glasgow, in 1949, to Martha Glancy. His father was registered as Terence McGrath.

Terry was placed in a children’s home at 18 months and stayed there until he was adopted when aged four-and-a-half and moved to Holland Road, Maidstone.

He said: “My first day at St Francis was a worry. I had to be escorted in by my new mum, and left with several other screaming new kids.

“But instead of grim-faced nuns, there was this kindly young lady, Miss Lenton.

“There was a sand pit, a swing and several toys to play with, and all indoors!

“All was fine till Miss Lenton sat us down at our desks and told us to introduce ourselves to the other children by name.

“This caught me out a little because I didn’t know what to say my surname was.

“I was put at ease by Miss Lenton who said we were all God’s children and he only called children by their first name.

“She then asked if anyone could read and I was the only child to put a hand up. For a few days I helped her call the class register and felt very special.”

After a year, the children were obliged to attend the church next door.

He said: “For the next five years, all pupils attended morning service every day.

“We were filed into rows of wooden pews and given a book to read aloud with the older children in Latin: a language none of us knew, let alone understood.

“It was not until the final year that someone thought it would be a good idea to print an English version alongside the Latin.”

Mr McKenna, who is now 68, has lived in Bristol for the past 50 years, but still travels regularly to Maidstone to link up with old friends.

He said: “We also had to attend Sunday School, which curiously was on Tuesdays.

“These classes were given by the priests from the church next door who lived in the presbytery which was attached to the school.

“Canon Simmons was the Monsignor then and a lovely old man.

“He used to be our parish priest and when it was our turn for a visit mother used to make a high tea of cakes, scones and jam, along with a trifle (a treat indeed). “Over the years he became a welcome visitor to our home and I absolutely loved his company.

“He was very partial to malt whisky. We lived in an off-licence so there was always a tipple available.

“He once said the malt was as good as communion wine.”