Commemoration of the First World War

The cataloguing of the Archive is moving on well and, by the time you read this, I will be confronting our mountain of photographs, which need sorting and recording. I very much look forward to this and just hope that I do not get sidetracked too often, for too long. One of my favourite photographs is of the College Cricket XI in 1862, which gives an idea of how College sport evolved.

At this stage there was no school organisation for sport, but masters and pupils joined in together to create the Cricket Club, led at this stage by Mr. Jefferys, in the centre. The original photograph is still owned by Mr. Jefferys' family, and this copy was made in the early days, when I snapped the original using a 35mm camera. How things have improved in this digital age!

I was reminded of this today when a proof copy of a pamphlet on W.W. Robinson arrived. Robinson is sitting to the right. The pamphlet tells of how Robinson introduced cricket to Aukland, New Zealand. I recommend it for an interesting read about the beginnings of colonial society. Order it from rowan.gibbs@paradise.net.nz

Every spare moment has lately been used up on our First World War Old Epsomians. the commemoration is approaching, and one of the ways the Archive will mark this is by starting a long-term project to research our boys and their achievements. We have about 955 Old Epsomians known to have served, of whom 155 died in the War. this was from at school of 276 in September 1914. Therefore we particularly have something to remember and to research. Very often we do know the bare details of O.E.s' careers in the forces, but we need to know more - the achievements and the stories behind the bare records are our real targets. I hope to keep up-to-date the list on the website at:  http://archive.epsomcollege.org.uk/First_World_War/Known%20to%20have%20served.pdf

Do have a look and register your interest in helping the research by E-mailing me. I do know that many of our Old Epsomians were doctors, but many were not - we have traced sailors, airmen, those in the ranks and senior officers. Anyone can join in, given the ubiquity of internet resources nowadays, but just be careful to record your sources of information! I will keep this blog up-to-date with the important discoveries, as they arise.