A Day Of Fame

My day of fame in the Daily Telegraph as seen by my auntie, cut out and sent to me. I've kept the photo for 50 years! This week our local paper wrote an article about it on their "From The Archives" page.

"A case of smallpox involving a 12 year-old has this week led to a large-scale operation involving vaccinations and daily medical checks in some instances, on the Penrith school campus where 1,400 pupils attend the neighbouring Ullswater and Tynefield Schools. The situation, without precedent so far as Penrith is concerned, is being watched with extreme care, not only by the medical authorities in Cumberland and Westmorland - the schools draw pupils from both counties - but at national and indeed international level. for it was 13 days after his return from a brief holiday in Tunisia that the boy was taken to a special isolation hospital near Durham as a suspected smallpox case."

-The Cumberland and Westmorland Herald.

The case turned out not to be smallpox after all but I never remember us being asked if we wanted to have the vaccination, as far as I remember, there were no abstainers. It was deemed very necessary. 

The Man taught at Ullswater School for boys and I was a newly employed Lab Technician at Tynefield school for girls at the time. I was glad to have been wearing by favourite navy and lilac blouse at the time but sorry it wasn't a colour photo.