St Edward's 150 Years - by Nicola Hunter

St Edward’s: 150 Years

Chapter 8 / Celebrations

Centenary, 1963. Clockwise from below: The static aircraft display; the Royal Marine Band; the School orchestra.

Left and above: The concert, with a remarkable stage and wonderful sound system, took place in the Quad on 4 July and was attended by the whole Schoolandmanyguests.Itstartedat8pmandthefireworkswerespectacular at the end of the evening. The music showed the commitment of Alex Tester, Gabriele Damiani, Richard Powell and the whole Music Department in preparing for such a professional concert which gave so many talented youngpeoplethechancetoshowtheirmusicaltalentonalovelyeveningwith a cloudless sky and the appearance of warm weather at last – just in time for the outdoor events. The evening ended with the Dambusters March by Eric Coates, and it certainly resounded off the walls of the Quad before an enthusiastic audience!

campaigns were a rather new idea: people still felt it really wasn’t very British actually to ask for money…’. Derek was able to tell him, as he walked to the main marquee to make his Gaudy speech, that he could announce that the total given had just reached £100,000 – a remarkable sum for those days. Warden Fisher was in his element with these progressive ideas and this was in many ways a turning point for the School. The celebrations 50 years later in 2013 have been

spectacular. This year’s events have included a Service of Commemoration on 22 March at Christ Church Cathedral, which was a wonderful event, including objects of significance to the School and representing different aspects of it, readings both sacred and secular from those in School and OSE, and some beautiful singing and accompaniment. Next was the OSE Dinner at Christ Church on 27 March, which saw the Dining Hall full of OSE and with many teachers present. It was a grand setting

By the time of the 1963 centenary photography was much more widely used and the scope of this very important event in the School’s history is well recorded. Warden Fisher presided and his father, Lord Lambeth, gave the prizes. The flypast, PE display, diving display, the impressive collection of Bishops present, the Band of the Royal Marines, exhibitions, games, prize-giving, and son et lumière in the Quad are all represented by photographs. The flypast consisted of planes actually piloted by boys at the School, escorted by a master, Peter Corlett, flying his own private Chipmunk aircraft. Warden Fisher was in the vanguard regarding fundraising at public schools. Derek Roe (E, 1950–6), who has been a School Governor since 1970, helped him with arrangements for Gaudy that Summer and comments that his fundraising drive was very influential ‘at a time when fundraising

Above and right, clockwise: CCF marching; WO2 SamMacdonald-Smith; Sgt Charlie Roberts shaking hands with Lieutenant Colonel Robin Sargeant.

Right: The OSE dinner at Christ Church, Oxford, March 2013.

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