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School Dinners
Or, the piece of cod which passeth all understanding
In the United Kingdom, the passing of the Elementary Edcation Act (1870) required that every child should be taught in a purpose-built school led by a qualified Head Teacher. In 1874, Elizabeth Burgwin, a 24-year-old butchers’ wife and qualified teacher, became Head of a newly-built school in the Southwark district of London — the Orange Street Girls’ School. It was not a wealthy area, and Mrs Burgwin took it upon herself to provide food for her pupils, who were in the main malnourished.
At first, all she could manage was a drink and some bread, but with the help of a group of friends, she was soon able to provide more substantial meals. Later on, Mrs Burgwin made the acquaintance of journalist George Robert Sims, a popular writer for the Sunday Referee, a national Sunday paper concentrating mainly upon sports coverage. They founded the Referee Childrens’ Free Breakfast and Dinner Fund, supported by an annual apeal, written by Sims, in the paper. Be it noted that, in those days, ‘dinner’ was, among the working classes, the term for the midday meal. The meals provided were a breakfast of porridge and jam, and a midday plate of potatoes and suet pudding in gravy. High on stodge and low on nutrition, but at least a hot meal. More than many of these girls could expect at home. By 1900 this Fund was the…
