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The story of Inez de Vries unfolds through a constellation of documents—some official, drawn from the prim and unforgiving files of Saint Clare’s School for Girls; others more intimate, taken from the journals, letters, and scribbled notes of the girls themselves. Some will appear typed and orderly; others retain the texture of handwriting, rendered in a cursive-style font.
Readers are invited to step into the role of archivist, assembling the story from these traces, and imagining the lives that fill the gaps between pages—the tensions, the alliances, the secrets too dangerous to write down. Not everything will be explained. But Inez is watching. And she remembers.
Note: Comments are read and much appreciated. Much as I like reading them on Twitter and Bluesky, I love getting them here, and promise to respond. Moreover your ideas and reactions also join the archives, where they may quietly shape what comes next.
Archivist’s Foreword
The following document is a statement by J. Fowler, chauffeur to Mr Gerald Charrington, MP, covering the journeys of 12–13 July 1955.
Unlike the diaries and letters elsewhere in this sequence, Fowler’s account is procedural rather than reflective. It records times, routes, meals, weather, and behaviour with the precision of a man accustomed to being accountable for vehicles, schedules, and other people’s movements. Emotional interpretation is minimal; judgment, where it appears, is plainly marked as such.
It should be noted that although styled as a log, this document was not drawn from an official motor book. It survives as a copied statement, taken down after the fact and retained alongside other materials relating to the Saint Clare incident.
That it exists at all is, perhaps, the more interesting fact.
The MP Visits Saint Clare – Previously posted
Statement of J. Fowler, Chauffeur
12 July 1955 – Outward Journey
Departed St Albans residence at 9:00 AM driving Mr Charrington, with Miss Williams also in the car. Sky overcast, Traffic heavy, but cleared past High Wycombe. Arrived Oxford at approximately 11:30 AM. Topped up petrol. Stopped at Lyons Corner House for tea. Miss Williams appeared late, having missed breakfast; expressed dislike of the buns.
Resumed journey at 12:00 noon.
Conditions improved past Oxford, skies clearing, weather warm. Miss Williams requested windows down; request refused on account of disturbance to Mr Charrington’s papers. She sighed and appeared out of sorts, but did not argue.
Proceeded via Gloucester and Hereford. Checked radiator water near Hereford at approximately 1:30 PM. Opened housekeeper’s hamper for luncheon. Miss Williams dissatisfied with contents, suggesting we stop at a tearoom. Mr Charrington and myself found the sandwiches and biscuits satisfactory. We still had a long drive ahead.
Progress steady thereafter. Arrived Shrewsbury at approximately 3:30 PM. Weather warm, skies bright. Entered North Wales by the trunk road; roads narrow but passable. Arrived Saint Clare School at approximately 4:45 PM.
12 July 1955 – At Saint Clare
Mr Charrington and Miss Williams proceeded inside. I remained with the motor and drove into the village. Took refreshment at the Crown public house (pint and pie). Proprietor’s boy fetched me when called for; returned to the school with the motor at approximately 5:30 PM.
Departed Saint Clare at approximately 5:45 PM with Mr Charrington and Miss Williams. Weather fine, sun still high, clear visibility. Proceeded back via Shrewsbury. Miss Williams silent for most of the journey. Mr Charrington read papers.
Stopped at petrol station near Oswestry at approximately 7:00 PM. Checked oil and tyres. Continued without incident. Arrived Charrington residence (Bryn Derwen) at approximately 8:15 PM. Motor garaged in the carriage house.
Supper taken at table. Hot meal provided by housekeeper. Mr Charrington ate well and expressed approval. I was given a place and did the same. Miss Williams declined supper and took only tea, stating she felt unwell from the travel.
13 July 1955 — Return to St Albans
Early breakfast and departed Bryn Derwen at 8:30 AM. Weather clear, skies mild. Motor running well. Miss Williams late downstairs and to the car, complaining of headache. She had missed breakfast.
Proceeded via Shrewsbury, Hereford, and Gloucester. Traffic light. Stopped once at approximately 11:00 AM to top up petrol and water. Mr Charrington read his papers while Miss Williams scribbled in her notebook or sat with her arms folded. Miss Williams silent for most of the journey, except for remarks about the heat and dust.
Luncheon taken from hamper near Oxford at approximately 12:30 PM. Ham sandwiches, apples, plain sponge. Miss Williams touched nothing but the sponge and tea.
Approached St Albans mid-afternoon. Reached residence at approximately 4:00 PM. Motor garaged.
Personal note (not part of official log):
Miss Williams sulked like a child the whole way, both directions. Arms folded, lips set tight, staring out of the window and sighing as though wronged when she was not writing. Twenty-five years of age but carrying on like a schoolgirl in a pet. Truth told, I would be glad to see her taken in hand as well. It will be a relief to drive Mr Charrington to Westminster alone tomorrow.
Signed,
J. Fowler
Afterword
With Fowler’s statement, the outward narrative of the MP’s visit concludes.
The journeys are complete. The motor is garaged. The school term resumes. On paper, all accounts are settled.
What remains unresolved is not what happened, but how these records came to sit together: the diaries, the letters, the testimony of staff, servants, and driver alike. Someone asked the questions. Someone gathered the answers. Someone decided what was worth keeping.
Those answers lie beyond this visit, and beyond Saint Clare itself.
They will be taken up elsewhere.