I remember my grand aunt Mademoiselle Alice Cledou spent many years as french teacher.
She talked to us about Miss Pool and when she died in 1991,at 104 years old. She was always in contact with Vivian Hellis (or Ellis )and his sister Herminie...nephews of Miss Pool who was the headmistress. We have always a tea pot gived by Miss Pool.

I was truly touched to hear someone still talking about Mansfiled College. I was there from 1955 - 1958 when the school closed. I was the last Head Girl of the school for a year or two. I have very fund memeries of Manasfield College and  one of the girls in the School picture. I am still in touch with several of the gilrs in that picture. I took my O levels at Mansfield before proceeding to Warren School where I took my A levels. If you need further information , memories or names of the other sudents or teachers, please let me know. I will be happy to share. Could you send me the name of the teacher who left in 1958. Was it Miss Mitchum or Miss O'Reilly ? I love to hear from you. Latty

I spent three years in Mansfield College starting when I was six years old in 1952. I still remember how they shoved the porridge down my throat every single morning and then made us line up at the toilet door to have a bowel movement. I have never been able to even look at a bowl of porridge since then. I remember the room with the piano and rocking chair. One day my older sister bought me a huge doll with hair. They did not let me keep it on the premise that the hair was unhygienic. Also it was a kind of culture shock to me having been extricated from Baghdad , my family, and the middle eastern culture with all it's warmth and informality and having been put into such a cold emotionless environment. I don't think anyone would be allowed to run a contemporary school in this manner.

I went to a Jewish boarding school called Ariah House in 1958-9 and have searched the internet without any luck. Any information or photos would be fantastic. Regards.

I was also at Ariah House, from 1959 to 1960, and have been unable to learn anything about the school. I too would welcome any information or photos of the place.

My 2 sisters Angela and Renee and I went to this school having left Baghdad in 1950. I was under 5 years old and did not speak a word of English. Laura Silver, an English student there of my age taught me Engllish, she and I are still in touch. I now live in Toronto, Canada and am a grandmother and mother of two children. I remember both Mrs Hart and Mrs. Alfendary and the famous room with the piano and rocking horse. One afternoon I was Cindarella and rode in a "coach" which the older girls had turned upside down will the legs pointing to the ceiling. I was probably the youngest student in the school. I also remember stories of EO the monkey, the underground bomb shelter with a ping-pong table in it and "Davey" fire drills out of the windows.

My mother was Nancie Hart, one of the principals of Mansfield; the other was my aunt Enid. Aryeh House was a school in Upper Drive, Hove above my own prep school, Cottesmore. I don't know much about the school except that it was one of the four Jewish schools in Brighton and Hove. One other was Beaconsfield College owned by the Lyon-Maris family. The fourth was Whittingham College whose headmaster was Mr Halevy. I think that the teacher, Colette O'Reilly, left the school before 1958. She and I were a couple for a time and were very attached to each other. I don't remember a Miss Mitchum but there was a Miss Mitchell, I think, who was the niece of my mother and aunt's nanny, Louie Mercer. I don't recognise Hilda Shamoon's description of the school. The rocking-chair was a rocking-horse and had been given to me by my grandmother. My mother giving it away to a neighbour when she retired was a bone of contention between us. Memory can play funny tricks and 6 years of age is a long time ago when one is an adult. I would take issue with the statement that porridge was forced down the throats of the children and I do remember that pupils were allowed dolls. The post-breakfast lavatory visit was possible. At my own school we had to sign a book each morning with a tick or a cross!

My memories of Mansfield College are still vivid. My sister Jaqueline was only four years old when we were in North Wales which was at the beginning of WW2. We were well taken care of and I remember walking into the village in our uniforms with some of the other girls and going into the grocery shop to buy Cadbury drinking chocolate (if they had it) as everything was rationed. When the war ended, I remember the joy that went round the school, and we finally returned to Hove where we stayed for a further year or so. Oh, how I hated walking in "Crocodile" form along the seafront but we were allowed to go out as a privilege on our own on a Saturday. The good memories outway the bad ones of missing my family. I would have loved to have been at the re-union

I too was at Aryia House School in the Upper Drive, Hove, just before the war in 1939. I was there when the headmaster's mother died and the whole school had to march behind the coffin on its way from the school to Brighton Station. The headmasters name was Mr. Eliasoff. The school was evacuated to Hennllan in South Wales on the outbreak of war, and my two younger brothers, Jefferey and David went there but I didn't. They told me of horrid stories about the castle that they lived in in South Wales and that the Italian prisoners of war working in the fields nearby were fed better than they were. My younger brother, David was given two left shoes to wear and he suffered to this day with a bad right foot. He is now in his seventies.

I went to Whittingham College for 1 year in 1967 until the schhol closed. Does anyone have pictures or stories to share from that school?

My elder sister, Frances Myers, went to Mansfield College from 1945-1948. I would love to hear from anyone who may remembers her (I appreciate you will be in your 70s). She came home in 1948 after I was born and began a "normal family life" for the first time. Her father had died in WWII when she was three months old and had been looked after by our grandmother while our mother went back to work. My mother sent her to Mansfield College when she was five to give her a stable life and friends of her own age. She re-married in 1947 and I was born in 1948. My sister and I were always very close despite the big age gap. Sadly she died in 2008 but I would appreciate any memories of her.

I was at Mansfield from about 1955-58. I remember Miss O'Reilly, Miss Mitchell and Mrs. Glastonbury (the aunt of the cricketer Peter Glastonbury). I would love to be able to contact Latifeh Manavi. In my time, most of the girls (maximum 36?!) didn't have English as their mother tongue. What happened to the Murad and Joseph girls from Bahrain? And the Eisenberg girls (Elfride & Edith) who went on to live in Israel and Judith Tomaschoff who was on the ill-fated ElAl plane which strayed into Bulgarian air space and was shot down. Judith died. There is an Aryeh House reunion every so often - if anyone contacts me, I can put them in touch with people who go to the reunion.

Editor's note: Just to remind people that unless the email address is in the body of a message - it doesn't show. And sorry but we can't get involved in acting as a third party in email swops - we get too many requests.

I LIVE IN MIAMI, FLORIDA. I ATTENDED BEACONFIELD COLLEGE FROM THE AGE OF 7 TO 10. I AM 78 YEARS OLD, AND THAT WOULD BE FROM 1940 TO 1943. THEN IT WAS A CO-ED SCHOOL AND I HAVE A PICTURE SOMEWHERE THAT SHOWS ABOUT 30 PEOPLE INCLUDING LION MARIS, NURSE AND OTHERS. I REMEMBER ELSA MERRIN FROM GERMANY. PLEASE E MAIL ME IF YOU WERE THERE THEN. GERALD HALPERN

I left a comment earlier, my email address is gezgerald@msn.com 

My mother worked at Mansfield college in the early 1950s before I was born. Her name was Jane Culligan from Drogheda Co. Louth. She used to tell us about the school when we were small children and regrettably I have forgotten most of it except for Miss Alfandary and her liking for Chanel No.5 which wafted ahead of her and warned of her approach. Also there was a little Jewish girl called Denuta whom my mother was particularily fond of. The rocking horse was mentioned too. My mother always had Chanel when she returned to Ireland and a piano, which she played wonderfully 'by ear'.

I attended Aryeh House School from 1950 to 1956. Many of us have found each other through the internet and have organised two reunions in Brighton in the past several years. Another one is being scheduled for either 2012 or 2013. If you are interested in learning more about the reunion, please contact me. Otherwise, if you join Friends Reunited on the internet, you will find a list of registered Aryeh House students and the years they attended the school. Latty Manavi, are you related to Essi Manavi who attended Whittinghame School in the 1950s?

I was looking at some old photos of my parents and found a pic of my mother at the school around 1935/36. I googled the school to see what I could find out and the second photo on the right is the same picture. My mother is on the left second row from the back, third girl in. There is a message on the back of my picture - the name mentioned is Fortugines. Any clues who or what this was? My mother's name was Astna Lynn from Manchester. Is there anyone around who remembers anything about her?

Thanks to those of you who run this website so well, I have made several connections in researching the history of Mansfield College. The new 'contacts' have come from as far away as Australia, Israel, and the United States. If any other former pupils, their friends or families would like to get in touch, do please email me at janeman@earthlink.net.
[Editor: You are most welcome, Jane.  We're pleased to be able to help!]

I was a student at Aryeh House in the year approx 1934 1938. The school was firstly situated in Sussex Square Kemp Town. Then eventually moved to the top of the Upper Drive. The religious teacher was a Mr. Potash and the sports master a Mr. Davies. I had an article in the 9th May edition of the London Daily Mail which was quite fruitful but I would very much like to contact some of my fellow students such as Mostyn Gilbert, Ivor Rosen, Phillip Rosen, or any others. I have many memories which I will gladly share. My family and I now live in Melbourne Australia. My e-mail address is alexj@melbpc.org.au. Alex Jaye.

I came to Hove as 9 year old refugee in 1939 and attended Aryeh House School. I knew no English but there was a special class for foreigners and I soon picked it up. I remember being on the school playing fields on the 3rd September listening to Chamberlain's declaration of war. My father and an adult cousin were also there helping to dig trenches for air raid shelters. The Headmaster's mother was very kind to the refugee boys and we were often invited to her flat and given apples. I remember taking part in the procession following the hearse when she died. I also remember Mr Davies who tried to teach me swimming by taking me some way out to sea and dropping me! Not very successful! I left the school in the summer of 1940 before it was evacuated and we moved to London in time for the Blitz! I would be very happy to be contacted by any contemporaries who are still around! george@vulkan.connectfree.co.uk