|
 |
Spring Term edition of the " Junior Sapper " mentions among those passing out Junior L/Cpl. Edward Mayo, of " Queen Victoria's Military School". A recent visitor to the School was Charles Brown, who is now in the Royal Navy, serving on an anti-submarine frigate, H.M.S. Wizard, and expecting soon to be visiting the Kiel Canal and France. He finds that the collision of hammocks when the ship sways causes tempers to be " slightly frayed in the mornings". Another visitor from the Navy was Peter Keenan, serving with minesweepers and recently back from a tour of the Par East. A third sailor visitor was lan Wilkie, from whom we had some news of his brother James. In last summer's " Victorian " we mistakenly said that James Wilkie was an officer of the Merchant Navy. We were misinformed or picked something up wrongly, for lan says his brother has never been in the Merchant Navy. We hope we are repeating the information correctly this time when we say that he is in the San Francisco district, is, or was, going to a university or college with the aim of becoming a teacher, and is, or was, contemplating marriage. James Docherty writes from London, where he is in the Metropolitan Police and nearing the end of his probation period. He seems to like the life, and offers to write with information to any boy in the School who thinks of taking up a similar career. Denis Owens has been upgraded in the Civil Service, and is now an Executive Officer and with the Scottish Home and Health Department in Edinburgh.
Old Boys' Day at the School on the first Sunday in May was a day of rain and wind. The football match was played—Old Boys 6, School 4—but the beating the retreat by the School band had to be cancelled. There was a good representation of Old Boys at the morning service in the School chapel, and 51 were at the Old Boys' meeting in the Play Hall attended by the Commandant, Headmaster, and R.S.M. The Old Boys' football team—J. Ross ;R. Watson, R. Anderson ; D. MacLennan, B. Fitzpatrick, D. Owens ; A. Hamilton, G. Matthews, D. P. Johnstone, E. Leigh, K. Hill.
Below we print Mr H. R. Harrison's news of the First Hundred boys of the School. He tells of the deaths of some of the veterans. When such news has come in letters from Old Boys, we have left the announcements to the Old Boys and First Hundred columns, instead of writing separate obituaries.
NEWS OF THE "FIRST HUNDRED"
During the past year I have received news of the deaths of three of the " First Hundred ". Ronnie Swan (40), Tom Smith (47), and Willie Johnston (61). These sad losses bring our number down to 42.
Ronnie Swan who was a native of Perth died very suddenly in the Infirmary there on 31st May. He and his wife had spent a very pleasant holiday in Ayr with their daughter and her family and returned home on the Saturday. He became ill on the Sunday, was
|
moved to the Infirmary on the Monday and died there the same evening.
Ronnie joined the Black Watch in 1913 and served for nearly twelve years. Until his retirement last July he was employed as a clerical officer with the Records Office (Highland District) in Perth.
Tom Smith was one of the " Hundred " whom I failed to trace during my search for them. In October last I attended the social evening held by the London Branch of the Old Boys' Association and there I was fortunate enough to meet his brother and sister who informed me that Tom had died in March, 1961. Although under age he had joined the Monmouth Regiment in 1915 and was wounded in France in 1916 and then again in 1918, this time very seriously. Over the years he suffered severely from the effects of his injuries and underwent many operations. Until shortly before his death he was employed at the Ministry of Works in Kingsway, London.
Willie Johnston lived in Dunoon and passed away there, after a long illness, in January, 1964. He returned home on leaving school and in 1918 joined the Highland Light Infantry, later transferring to the Seaforth Highlanders, serving with them in India and elsewhere. He finally settled in Dunoon where, for 30 years he was employed as a painter. Willie was the father of a large family of ten boys and one girl of whom he was very proud and he told me many times how happy he was that he had been able to apprentice all ten boys to a trade. Most of them are now in New Zealand where they are all doing very well.
Over the years I have managed to account for 81 of the " Hundred " which leaves 19 still to be traced but I have high hopes of finding a few of them. I have knowledge of the whereabouts of some of them but lack the one clue which would enable me to pin them down. In all, I know that of the 81, 39 have died and 42 are still with us, scattered all over the world. I am in touch with those 42 and I do hear from most of them at least once a year.
Before closing this news report I would like to thank Brigadier D. A. L. MacKenzie for his reply to my query as to which old boy had the highest number of medals and to congratulate him on his record.
The good wishes of the " First Hundred" are extended to the Commandant, Headmaster, members of the staff and to all boys old and young wherever they may be.
SPECIAL FLYING AWARD
In June, 1964, I was awarded one of the flying scholarships offered to schoolboys by the R.A.F.
I began my flying training at Scone aerodrome the next March. The course began with a thirty-minute flight to get the student pilot used to the type of aircraft he would be flying in. This flight also helped to dispel my hopes that flying a plane would be similar to driving a car. When the plane reached
|
