The Bulletin
Friday 2 December 2016
Issue 99
From the Headmaster Today marks the anniversary of the fire which devastated large parts of the Old Building. During the early hours of Sunday 2 December 1962, an electrical fault – so it was believed – led to severe fire damage to many of the rooms in the historic heart of the School resulting in the collapse of the roof over Big School and significant water damage to much of the site, including books in the Chained Library. The Fifth Form boys who were housed in Hamonde House at the time lost all of their exercise books and textbooks in the fire; in addition, about one-third of the books in the Mallison Library were damaged beyond further use. Six fire engines attended the blaze which, according to the account of one student at the time, featured on the evening news that night ahead of items on India, China, U Thant (the UN Secretary General), Nikita Khrushchev (the former First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) and – perhaps most significantly of all – the draw for the European Cup! According to Sturley’s history of the School, the fire was a great personal shock for the Headmaster, Mr Hallowes, who took genuine pride in the School; however, the enduring memory was how the community pulled together and persevered despite such challenging circumstances. Indeed, it is testament to the boys that, only the following year, the award of eleven Oxbridge open scholarships and exhibitions was regarded as so significant that the School was granted an additional day’s holiday. The boys took an active role in rescuing books from the damaged buildings, while Pewley School and the County Council provided temporary accommodation and teaching space. As Sturley concluded, “The life of the School continued under some difficulty but unchecked.” In the face of such challenge and adversity, it is perhaps fitting that the School’s own history provides specific evidence that tenacity and resilience were, and still remain, core values at the very heart of our ethos.
Latest News
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Creative Disruptors: 28 Third Form boys competed in the business project final at Somerset House. In a Dragons-Den style competition, the teams’ design, innovation and presentation skills were tested. Team Precision took second place being awarded the Makerversity Champion award for their fold-up table design; however, it was Team Evivo who took the trophy and first place for their innovative and forward-thinking keyless lock. The Dragons were impressed with their working prototype as well as the simplicity of their magnetic idea. King’s Lecture: For this term's King's Lecture, the RGS was honoured to welcome Sgt Johnson Beharry VC. With both humility and humour, Johnson told a captivated audience about his childhood in Grenada, his youth in England, and then his experiences in the army which took him from Northern Ireland, to Kosovo, to Iraq. His heroic saving of 19 of his comrades from ambush while under intense fire and then his return to front-line action where he experienced further ambush resulted in the award of the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces. He is the first living recipient of the Victoria Cross in over 30 years and remains the only person from the Caribbean to have dsfhdjkfhsh
received this prestigious award. In the light of such physical and emotional trauma, Johnson spoke movingly about his personal challenges, as well as his work in raising awareness and funds for medical and educational projects. The evening raised £600 for the JBVC Foundation. Music: The joint RGS and Guildford High School choir sang beautifully in the resonant acoustic of Merton College, Oxford at Choral Evensong. In addition, Nicholas Edwards (L6) and Samuel Jones (5H) played the organ with real aplomb. The Ensembles Concert then provided another uplifting experience as a range of bands from the intimate to the grand scale performed an energetic and diverse programme of music.
Sports News
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Chess: The 1st and 2nd VIs both secured excellent victories against King’s College School, Wimbledon. The 1st VI then travelled to Birmingham for the Under 18 Rapid-Play tournament where the RGS came second; captain Harry Grieve (5H) scored a maximum six points out of six and received a best player prize. Cross-Country: The RGS entered two teams in the Judge Cup at Tiffin School: a cross-country relay with a team comprising a runner from each year group, First to Sixth Form. Our A team finished third overall in a very strong field; Samuel Martin (3R) was the fastest runner of his year in the race. Football: The 1st XI drew 2 – 2 in a tight fixture against Lingfield Notre Dame School. Hockey: Matthew Slominsky (2E) has been selected for the Middlesex U13 county hockey squad. Rugby: The RGS competed admirably against Abingdon School and Epsom College, showing astonishing pride and commitment. As well as a number of fiercely-competed narrow defeats and draws, the teams of the fortnight were the Under 16A and C team: both sides won each of their matches convincingly. Skiing: The RGS team consisting of Alexander Acomb (L6), Charlie Aldridge-Bate (2L), Toby Fitzsimmons (U6) and Marcus Hinton (4N) took part in the School Ski Racing British Finals. The boys skied well and were placed as sixth best English School and fourteenth in the UK. In addition, Charlie, Marcus and George Kemkers (3P) have been selected to ski in the English Ski Racing Championships to be held in Bormio, Italy. Shooting: Our VIII achieved excellent victories against Lancing College and St John’s School Leatherhead; Miles Horton-Baker (5V) was top scorer in both fixtures. Swimming: 34 boys from all year groups took part in the Reed’s School swimming gala, winning a number of individual events. Of particular note were Alessandro Harker (1L), Tommaso Nebuloni (1P), Joseph Perry (1E), Toby Perryman and Max Windle (2P), Matthew Alford (2L), Sam Perryman (4A), and Thomas Eastwood (L6). The Under 12s secured joint first place, while the Under 13s had to settle for second place.
Forthcoming Events
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Tuesday 6 December
Market Day Concert in Holy Trinity Church
Wednesday 7 December
Orchestral Concert in Great Hall
Thursday 8 December Wednesday 14 December
Junior Drama Production The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew in the Auditorium (for three days) School Carol Service (First to Lower Sixth Form students) in Great Hall Carol Service (Upper Sixth Form students and parents) in Holy Trinity Church
Thursday 15 December
Junior Ski Trip to Alpe d’Huez departs
Friday 16 December
Terms ends
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