Winifred Darch

Winifred Darch (7 February 1884 – 8 October 1960) was an English writer of girls' school stories in the interwar period. She was also a school mistress and teacher at a girls' high school, which influenced her writing.

Biography Darch was born in Brighton to schoolmaster and solicitor William Darch and Florence and grew up in Essex. She was the eldest of three children. Darch attended Leytonstone High School and then trained as a teacher at Cheltenham Ladies' College.

In 1906, Darch began teaching at the newly opened Loughton County High School for Girls. Her subjects included English, French, Greek history and scripture. She also served as a house mistress and oversaw a number of extracurricular activities, including putting on plays.

Darch retired from teaching in 1935 to care for her parents in Ashington, West Sussex. Her final novel The New Girl at Graychurch was published in 1939. During World War II, she joined her local Women's Voluntary Service chapter and became president of the Women's Institute.

Writing Darch's writing was distinct from that of her contemporaries. While boarding school was the standard setting for contemporary school stories, which "did not reflect the education experience of most readers", Darch's were set in the new state-funded girls' high schools that opened after the Education Act 1902. Darch also wrote only standalone novels as opposed to series. Guiding featured in several of her books.

Legacy

Darch's funeral took place at Ashington Parish Church.

Girls Gone By Publishers republished The New School and Hilary in 2008.