by John Sadden
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| Remembering Harry Kelly (Ration Farm Military Cemetery, France) |
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| Remembering Laurence Lindsay-Young (Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea) |
One hundred years ago this month, in November 1914, the First World War was three months old. Here is a snapshot of what ten former PGS pupils were doing that month:
On the first day of November, Henry Mackay was admitted to the 3rd Cavalry Field Ambulance with bayonet wounds to the head, chest and leg. On the same day, Edward Webber was serving on board HMS Good Hope off the Chilean coast. Three days later Cedric Hackman, serving in the Kensington Battalion, landed at Le Havre. On the 13th November William Rowan-Robinson took command of the trenches near Armentieres. The following day John Sutton, having just left PGS, was thrilled to pass the Army entrance examination.
Eric Vickers also left school and joined the 8th Rifle Brigade as a private. Denis Anderson was serving in Madras, India, when war was declared, but arrived back in the UK on 19th November prepared to do his bit. Meanwhile, William Stainer and Albert Phillips were both serving on board HMS Bulwark at Sheerness, guarding the coast against a possible German invasion. And on the 27th November, William Neate enlisted as a private in the 5th Battalion Australian Infantry in Melbourne.
Henry, Edward, Cedric, William, John, Eric, Denis, William, Albert and William all appear on the school’s war memorial, and in a new Book of Remembrance that has been produced by the school community.
Pupils, Old Portmuthians, parents, former parents, staff and other members of the school community visited graves and memorials of all but a few of the 131 men whose names appear on the memorial and who are buried or commemorated all over the world. Respects were paid and photographs taken recording their visits. Here is a selection of the photographs taken that appear in the new Book or Remembrance, which will be on permanent display in the Memorial Library and also on the school website. |
| Remembering William Read Davies (Portsmouth Naval Memorial) |
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| Remembering William Sutton (Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea) |
Eric Vickers also left school and joined the 8th Rifle Brigade as a private. Denis Anderson was serving in Madras, India, when war was declared, but arrived back in the UK on 19th November prepared to do his bit. Meanwhile, William Stainer and Albert Phillips were both serving on board HMS Bulwark at Sheerness, guarding the coast against a possible German invasion. And on the 27th November, William Neate enlisted as a private in the 5th Battalion Australian Infantry in Melbourne.
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| Remembering Alan Alexander (Jerusalem Cemetery) |
Henry, Edward, Cedric, William, John, Eric, Denis, William, Albert and William all appear on the school’s war memorial, and in a new Book of Remembrance that has been produced by the school community.
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| Remembering Stanley Caws (Arras Memorial, France) |
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| Remembering William Ridout (Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth) |
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| Remembering Charles Harvey (Portsmouth Naval Memorial) |
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| Remembering Charles Bevis (Bangor Cemetery) |
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