News of Holloway Rosina Denton (nee Blundell)
I started at Our Lady of Sion, Holloway in 1940. Most London schools had been evacuated so the Convent opened its doors for tutorial classes for grammer school pupils. We were a mixed bunch from several London schools wearing a variety of uniforms. Many of the girls were non Catholic, like myself at that time. Classes were very small in number. I was in a class of five although we did grow a little as more children returned from evacuation.
Whenever the siren was sounded to warn us of an air raid we were shepherded to the cloakroom where the windows had been bricked up. Each class was under the patronage of a saint and wore a different coloured sash and cross. When the large furniture store abutting the convernt was bombed and caught fire, the sisters were anxious that the fire would spread to them. One of the nuns threw a miraculous medal into the flames. A few days later a fireman gave the medal to one of the pupils as he had found it in the debris.
When I first left school I went to work for a firm of Solicitors where two other old Sionians were employed. Later we were joined by two other old pupils. We were often asked what it was that make us convent girls so differenrt. One of the partners was a Jew and whenever he needed more staff he would phone the school to see if there was a girls looking for employment.
I loved my days at Sion