As part of our Schools Commitment to promoting British Values we feel it is important that our students understand our history, especially important events, and honour those who paid the ultimate sacrifice; who gave their lives that we may live in freedom.

This week Senior School Students took part in a History focused Assembly led by Mr Poulter-Dunford and Year 8 students on the History of the GunPowder Plot and Guy Fawkes. Next week at LCS we will celebrate Remembrance Week and will mark the occasion with our Remembrance Day Assembly for staff and students on Friday 10th November. Our students will also be working in form time next week on a ‘Live Art’ project in order to create a Poppy Garden at LCS to commemorate Remembrance Sunday.

Students are more than welcome to add a Poppy to their school uniform next week.

Following our hugely popular Halloween theme day, our wonderful colleagues in Thomas Franks Catering team will also be hosting a special Remembrance Day theme for pupils next Friday. Please see the menu HERE.

The local area and community is rich with World War History given the pivotal role the Forgotten Langley Airfield played in British preparations during WWI and an important chapter in the development of aviation.

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Forgotten Langley Airfield … and its pivotal role in World War II

That there may once have been an runway, albeit a grass airstrip, and a huge aerodrome at Langley are facts that have long been consigned to the history books – along with an important chapter in the development of aviation.

“If the Hurricane hadn’t been manufactured in Langley we would not have won the Battle of Britain”

The 1951 map below shows the principal runway at Langley and the extent of the land held by the Ministry of Supply.  Notes the “1,400 yards grass strip” along with the two other runways not in general use.

Superimpose the plan over a map of modern day Langley and Richings Park and you get a better feel for an altogether different time when much of Langley had not yet been built, there was no M4, and the smattering of houses at Brands Hill would have had excellent views of take-offs and landings.

THEN:                                                             NOW:

Originally built in 1937 for construction of the Hurricane in 1937, Langley Airfield was also where the Tornado, Typhoon, Tempest and Fury were developed and first flown.

It was operated by the Hawker Aircraft Co until 1956 and most of the site was taken over by the Ford Motor Company which operated there until the 1990s.  The 1951 map shows that part of the Hawker factory (on the SE side of the airfield) had already been leased to Ford. It also notes that the Homewood Park Site (now part of Richings Park Golf Course) had been allocated to the USAAF (US Army Air Force) “for storage purposes”.

At one point the British South American Airlines (BSAA) company flew commercial planes from Langley.

If the Hurricane hadn’t been manufactured in Langley we would not have won the Battle of Britain as simple as that, and transatlantic travel would have taken many more years to be established.

In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep,  though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Ms. McBride

Headteacher

To Long Close School,

I am writing to convey our enormous gratitude and thanks to all at Long Close School for your donation in October to Slough Foodbank.

Your kindness and generosity to our charity is greatly appreciated and we thank you all for your support.

The donation of food weighed an incredible 169.7kgs. That is truly amazing! This is equivalent to approximately 182 individual meals.

We are grateful for your thoughtfulness, encouragement and continued support.

Our latest Wish List for November is:

Priority Needs

Shaving Razor Blades

Shaving foam/gel

Pasta sauce

Long-life milk

Tinned fruit

Tinned spaghetti

Long-life fruit juice

Washing up liquid

Laundry tablets/capsules

Shampoo

Our prime function is to supply those in need of food, but we also regularly give kitchen cleaning products, personal hygiene products, and occasionally children’s toys, books, and pet food.

Slough Foodbank does more than offering a short term hand-out by providing food to individuals to meet an unexpected crisis, we also provide information about many specialist organisations able to help resolve our clients’ longer term problems. In this way we endeavour to offer a lasting hand-up as they make a positive move into the future.

Our thanks and best wishes.

Ben

Slough Foodbank Volunteer