A Sherborne School boy’s account (pre-health and safety!) of 5th November celebrations in 1858: ‘I suppose I shall never forget the first half year that I spent within the walls of the King’s School, Sherborne, and all the various incidents that occurred during that time to make me as jolly as could be expected for … Read more
One Old Shirburnian named on the new British Normandy Memorial overlooking Gold Beach is Lieutenant Theodore Ambrose Wentworth Austin (Lyon 37-41). The British Normandy Memorial was unveiled on 6 June 2021 – the 77th anniversary of Lieutenant Austin’s death during the Normandy Airborne landings on D-Day. The memorial, designed by British architect Liam O’Connor, consists … Read more
John Wilsey (g 57) Sherborne School Governor 1994-2001 Old Shirburnian Society President 1998 Nicknamed “Gregory Peck” for his dark good looks and commanding presence on Colonel John Blashford-Snell’s Blue Nile (Great Abbai) expedition of 1968, John Wilsey encountered more than his fair share of tense moments in a career during which he distinguished himself in … Read more
David Sydney Smart MA (1944-2019) died at the Yeatman Hospital on 14 September 2019. David was appointed mathematics master at Sherborne School in 1967 and was Head of Mathematics from 1972 to 1987. He was Director of Studies from 1985 until his retirement in 2004. A service of thanksgiving for David’s life will be held in … Read more
On 20 September 1944, Abbey House’s Lieutenant Jack Grayburn was killed in action at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for gallantry in action. The story of the failed Allied operation to seize nine bridges over the River Rhine was told in the 1977 … Read more
Between 10 July and 31 October 1940, six former pupils of Sherborne School lost their lives during what became known as The Battle of Britain: Aston Maurice Cooper-Key (1918-1940) (School 1932-33), Pilot Officer, Royal Air Force, died on 24 July 1940, aged 21. Geoffrey Kenneth Goût (1916-1940) (School 1929-33), Pilot Officer, Royal Air Force, died … Read more
It was with great sadness that the School community heard that Petronella Macnaghten had died on 28 August 2019. Petronella arrived at Sherborne in 1974, when her husband Robin Macnaghten was appointed Headmaster. On Robin’s retirement as Headmaster in 1988, Robert Glen wrote the following tribute to Petronella: ‘It is hard to imagine Sherborne without … Read more
As we welcome all the new boys for their first day at Sherborne School, we wonder how many new (or old boys!) could pass the test set for new boys at the School in the 1960s? How did you do? NEW BOYS’ TEST New boys should be tested on some of the following points three … Read more
As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, we look at the impact of the war years on Sherborne School. From the changes it brought to the day-to-day life of the School, with the building of air raid shelters, the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, the Home Guard and the … Read more
In 1931, Charles Bathurst 1st Viscount Bledisloe (1867-1958), an Old Shirburnian and then Governor-General of New Zealand, donated a cup for the national Rugby Union teams of Australia and New Zealand to compete for. Over 80 years later, New Zealand’s All Blacks and Australia’s Wallabies still compete for the Bledisloe Cup, which remains the biggest … Read more