The Bishop of Croydon presided over a moving ceremony at the Re-dedication of our War Memorial on Wednesday 7th November.
Governors, alumni, staff and students paid tribute to the 142 alumni who died serving their country in World War I, the three Currie brothers who were killed in an aid raid whilst students at our School, and a further 88 military alumni who died during World War II. The pouring rain and blustery wind made the occasion even more poignant whilst we remembered those that gave up their lives for us.
We are immensely grateful to former pupils Mark Gardiner and Neil Mackenzie who have been meticulously researching WWI war records over the past 11 years. Their efforts were rewarded by the discovery of an additional 36 names that were missing from our original WW1 Memorial plaque. A new plaque bears their names and has now been dedicated to the fallen.
We were pleased to be able to welcome Peter and Andrew Francis, great nephews of alumnus Second Lieutenant Alan Buller Francis, who, aged 20, was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme on 24th August 1916 and Pat and Ian Rae, who are related to alumnus Lance Serjeant Manfred Eustace Woolgar, who was killed in action in France on 30th June 2016, aged 26. Peter and Andrew Francis brought their great uncle’s sword with them, which made a wonderful centre piece at the afternoon tea that followed the ceremony.
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