I Would Be...
In 1949, my Grandfather made the difficult decision to leave everything he knew, and start a new life, alone in Canada. This choice drastically shaped both his life and mine, to have a better future than what he left behind.
My grandfather, was born in London, England in 1931. Shortly after, his family moved from the city to the tiny historical town of Shalfleet, on the Isle of Wight. His parents purchased and ran a 200 year old pub in the town, where my grandfather spent most of his time. At the age of 9, he was sent to a boarding school called Christ's Hospital, over 100 km away from his hometown. Attending Christ's Hospital was a family tradition, and he was the 7th generation in his family to study there.
A photo showing the town of Shalfleet around 1930 (http://www.shalfleet.net/postcards/shalfleet/)
At 18 years old, my grandfather finished his 9th year at Christ's Hospital and began looking into universities. When he was not accepted into his university of choice and could not find another opportunity, it sparked his decision to move to Canada. In 1949, he moved to Canada being only 18, and without any of his family. The driving factor in his move was the abundance of opportunity in Canada, and the realities of not being able to get a higher education in his home country. My grandmother reflects, “He always says to me, “If I had stayed in England, I perhaps would’ve ended up as a bank teller” (Patricia Reynolds, 2017). Many tough issues were considered in my grandfather’s move, like the risk of moving abroad, leaving his family and home, and the difficulty of adjusting to life in a foreign country, but his ultimate decision to move allowed him to achieve a successful life.
A historical photo of the university attended by my grandfather (https://www.mcgill.ca/about/history/features/macdonald-college)
My grandfather met my grandmother while attending school in Canada. They married in 1957
If my grandfather had never decided to move and remained in England, my life would be different although fundamentally similar to what it is now. If my family still lived in Shalfleet, I would most likely live a traditional lifestyle in the rural town. The village has about 1,500 people, and I would be a part of the close-knit community. The family tradition of attending boarding school would extend to me, which would be the 9th generation. Christ’s Hospital is a very historical school that was founded in 1552, and still runs to this day. I would live and go to school in the same place, staying in a dorm with other students. The school offers many courses like English literature, latin, art history and philosophy. A uniform is mandatory, and the style of it has been virtually unchanged for over 460 years. As a granddaughter of a student, I have the opportunity to attend the school even though I live in Canada now.
Christ’s Hospital school grounds (www.christs-hospital.org.uk)
Uniform at Christ’s Hospital (www.christs-hospital.org.uk)
Finally, if my family remained in England but moved out of Shalfleet, my life would be similar to that of my cousin. She is the granddaughter of my grandfather’s brother, who remained in England his whole life. Me and my distant cousin are exactly the same age and both have the name. Olivia Reynolds. She has a life close to my own, where she attends public school and plays tennis.
In conclusion, my life would be both similar and different to what it is today if my grandfather had not decided to move to Canada for a successful future for both himself and generations to come.
Works Cited
"Area: Shalfleet (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics." Office for National
Statistics, www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11128347&c=PO30+4JY&d=16&e=62&g=6402342&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=14845
37765792&enc=1&nsjs=true&nsck=false&nssvg=false&nswid=1366. Accessed 13 Jan. 2017. Chart.
"Boarding Life." Christ's Hospital, www.christs-hospital.org.uk/school-life/boarding-life/. Accessed
13 Jan. 2017.
Christ's Hospital School. Christ's Hospital, www.christs-hospital.org.uk/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2017.
Christ's Hospital Uniforms. Christ's Hospital, www.christs-hospital.org.uk/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2017.
"History of the School." Christ's Hospital, www.christs-hospital.org.uk/about-ch/
history-of-the-school/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2017.
"History of the Uniform." Christ's Hospital, www.christs-hospital.org.uk/about-ch/
history-of-the-uniform/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2017.
Macdonald College in 1908. McGill, www.mcgill.ca/about/history/features/macdonald-college. Accessed
13 Jan. 2017.
Reynolds, Patricia, and John Reynolds. Telephone interview. 5 Jan. 2017.
Shalfleet Village, around 1930. Shalfleet Isle of Wight, www.shalfleet.net/postcards/shalfleet/.
Accessed 13 Jan. 2017.
"Subjects Offered." Christ's Hospital, www.christs-hospital.org.uk/information/subjects-offered/.
Accessed 13 Jan. 2017.
First off, great blog! And secondly, I am very fascinated about your grandfather's life. What really caught my eye is that your grandfather was the 7th generation who went to Christ’s Hospital that was 100 km away from home! Did he wanted to go to the school to continue the legacy? Or did he go because he was forced to? Also another point that interested me was how your grandfather spent 9 years in Christ’s Hospital. Was boarding school very common for young people in your grandfather’s time? Has it changed the way people go to school? I.e. nowadays does education comprise of elementary school then high school or do people still go to boarding school
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post Olivia! I found it really fascinating to read that seven generations of your family attended the same private school. The photo of the village that your family lived in looks so cute! Imagine living in a small village where everyone knows each other compared to the town were living in right now. My grandparents were also from England and like your grandfather, moved to Canada for all the opportunities and a better life. My only question for you, is why did your great grandparents not want to move to Canada with your grandfather? Overall I loved reading about your family’s history from a small town in England and thought your photos were excellent. Great job Olivia!
Hi Olivia! I really enjoyed reading your blog about your family history. Likewise, my ancestors are also from England. What a great coincidence! What interested me the most about this blog was when you explained your grandfather's education. It surprises me that it was a tradition in your family to attend the same boarding school. When you mentioned the boarding school being "over 100 kilometers away", it made me think of how your family adapted to that new environment at such a young age. A question I have relative to that topic is what would happen if someone in your family did not want to go to that boarding school? Would you attend that school considering the circumstances? A connection I can make is my ancestors are also from a small town in England. Both my family and yours moved to Canada for better opportunity and a better education for themselves/future generations. I agree Canada is a great place for a better future! Again, great blog Olivia.
ReplyDeleteHey Olivia, great post! Must of been a hard decision for your grandfather to move to Canada at the age of 18 and all by himself. I really like the photos you used really helps me understand what his life was like and how he lived it. Also find it very fascinating that he was the 7th generation in your family to attend Christ’s Hospital, I imagine it would of been hard for him to leave his family at 9 and go to school so far away. Overall the life your grandfather had seemed very challenging making tough choices and being separated from his family at the age 9 and 18 seems difficult, I would love to hear more about your family’s history and overall I think you did an amazing job.
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