We were delighted to recently receive several photo albums from Jeremy Jackman, son of Mrs Kay Jackman, Elocution, Speech and Drama Teacher at Aldwickbury from 1975 to 1988. The albums contained photos of some of the fantastic productions she directed during her time at Aldwickbury.

Sadly, Kay passed away in 2022 at the age of 101 but her legacy lives on and she will be remembered fondly by many of the Aldwickbury Old Boys she taught during her 13 years at Aldwickbury.

Kay was enthusiastic about all arts, acting in plays from an early age and qualifying as a Teacher in Speech and Drama from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). She joined Aldwickbury as an assistant to the Elocution Teacher and went on to head up the department. Kay was always extremely proud of the standard of the Speech and Drama at Aldwickbury and she believed all children should gain dramatic experience to give them the confidence to undertake interviews for senior schools and jobs as well as improve their public speaking skills. Kay started the Aldwickbury open-air theatre productions which she felt gave the boys even more excitement in their performances.  

Outside of Aldwickbury, Kay was asked to examine for LAMDA and travelled around the UK and Ireland in this role. She also set up the Sherborne Branch of the Betjeman Society where she and the group would hold poetry recitals in aid of church restoration funds. Kay was awarded the Fellowship of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art while still working as an examiner.

Her son (an Aldwickbury Old Boy), Jeremy Jackson recalls "Despite suffering from dementia, on the occasion of her One Hundredth Birthday, she was still able to "Hold Court" and gave an excellent reading of Wordsworth's Daffodils."

Our thanks to Jeremy for giving his mother's albums to Aldwickbury. To view the albums with plays from the 1980's please visit the Kay Jackman Photo Album Gallery page.

“I have many, many happy memories of Elocution lessons with her (Mrs Jackman), as well as taking part in many a school play. Without a doubt, my ability (love, even) of being able to stand up in front of an audience of any size and speak confidently and convincingly started with Mrs Jackman. I suspect literally hundreds of AOBs of that era will have similar thoughts.”

M. Hutchins (AOBA Member)