SECOND WORLD WAR BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

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In May this year the Richard Hale Association set the boys, in the Junior History Club at Richard Hale School, led by their teacher Lyndsey Matthews, the task of producing a Remembrance Book by November 11th this year to honour the 57 Old Boys who gave their lives fighting for King and Country in the 2nd World War. This they have successfully achieved, in their own free time, and 12 Books have been produced.

Each Old Boy has a page dedicated to him containing a potted history of their school life, where they lived, their previous school, their occupation on leaving school, their service number, rank, battalion, medals awarded etc. Also where they died, where they are commemorated/ buried, in some cases pictures of their memorials or graves, and if they were in a school team a photo of them at school.

Councillor Peter Ruffles awarded them a grant of £500 to pay for the research work, printing and binding, and last week the boys presented him with a copy to be held in Hertford Castle. Books have also been donated locally to the County Archives, and will be available to look at in Hertford Museum and Hertford Library.

The pupils also visited Chelsea Hospital to show their Book to the Pensioners who were very impressed with the result, and went to the Imperial War Museum to donate a Book. The Museum were in their words, ‘highly delighted to receive such a professional piece of research’, which will now be catalogued by them and available online, and will be held in their reference library for anyone wishing to do research into the 2nd World War. Attached are 2 photos. One with some of the boys presenting a Remembrance Book to Peter Ruffles. Other adults in the picture are from left to right the Headmaster Mr Stephen Neate, Mr Richard Creese whose uncle is featured in the Book, and Mr Eddie Roche, the Curator of the Old Pupils’ Heritage Room. The 2nd photo features the boys, and teacher Lyndsey Matthews, taken at Chelsea Hospital with one of the Chelsea Pensioners.

Eric Riddle.

To view the book click on the link below: