A GWENT high school has set up a Twitter account to publish the handwritten notes of former head teachers dating back to the First World War.

Risca Community Comprehensive school has been using the twitter name @RCCS_History to publish short messages which were written by the headmasters and headmistresses in the school’s logbooks from the past 100 years.

Current head teacher John Kendall said: “I was discussing our role in the Armistice Service which is being held in Moriah Church in November with Cliff Edwards, one of our governors.

“It struck me that it might be quite interesting at that service to read out some of the entries written in the old school logbooks we still have, which give a fascinating insight into what life was like in schools all those years ago. I got the old books down and shared some of the entries with Cliff.

“After he had gone I left the books on my desk next to my iPhone. I am sure it was this that gave me the idea to start the Twitter account. It takes about one minute to set up a Twitter account if you are used to it, and maybe another minute to take a photo from the logbook, crop and post it.

“I think it is fascinating to share these with our community and beyond.”

The hand-written logbooks recorded school attendance of staff and pupils and other pieces of information which at times could be quite informal and even personal.

One entry which has already been tweeted tells of the Risca boys enlisting in Kitchener’s army on September 4, 1914, including the headmaster’s son.

“One of my favourite entries is about a woman teacher who is given permission for a day’s absence in 1918 to meet her friend who is returning from the front line,” added Mr Kendell.

“The subsequent logs record her as being ill for the next two days. I always wonder whether the head had a wry smile on her face when she wrote that.

“It’s amazing to look at these old books, to think of the hands of my predecessors resting on the page with fountain pen ready to record what has now become important local history. I wonder if our tweets will be seen the same way 100 years from now. In a way they are the modern equivalent of the logbooks.”