Jarrow March

One day in October (one day before the actual date of the original Jarrow March in 1936), Year 5 pupils from St Bede’s Prep School and their teachers re-enacted a 'Jarrow Crusade' to help bring to life the poverty and frustration experienced by ship workers in Jarrow at the closure of the shipbuilding yards. Although the pupils did not march 300 miles, there were certainly some tired children after they had walked to the Hollow on Eastbourne seafront and around it, carrying banners and chanting slogans to make their feelings clear to (somewhat surprised) passers by. Once the pupils had finished marching they were very lucky to be given tomato soup, tea and biscuits, made by the women of the town to support their men folk who were marching. It helped give the children a flavour of the circumstances and history behind one of the key events in 1930's Britain, which they are currently studying in Integrated Studies.