Page 78 - OO_2018

Another year has sailed by far too quickly in the Archive, with over 250 enquiries from Old Oundelians, members of the public, staff and pupils having been investigated. Many of those who have reconnected with their family history have been very appreciative of the complimentary research service available to them.
There have been even more visits from local authors and researchers using the wealth of primary sources in the Archive and there have also been requests from local history groups to give talks on various aspects of School history. Thirty-five members of Peterborough Historical Society visited the School during the summer holidays and were delighted to see the original 1799 inscriptions on the wall in Cloisters and to see and hear about the historical location of the Laxton Cloisters.
In our day-to-day work in the Archive the ability to locate items is essential and therefore this year we were introduced to a new digital cataloguing system. We are slowly getting our heads around it, sorting through and cataloguing ‘boxes of stuff’ (a technical archival term!). It is early days and there are thousands of items to be added, but the system has already proved useful in our research. We are also continuing to digitise images and this year a Dryden album, containing a series of House photographs from 1955 to 1992, found its way back to the School. It had been loaned to a film producer in the 1990s and forgotten about, but now thankfully it has been safely returned, digitised and archived.
As part of the UK government’s First World War Centenary campaign, Lewisham Borough Council held a service in March for the laying of commemorative paving
Oundle School Head Sarah Kerr-Dineen giving an address for Alan Jerrard (S 1914) at Lewisham Borough Council’s service in March for the laying of commemorative paving stones for recipients of the Victoria Cross born in the borough
SCHOOL NEWS
From the Archive
School Archivist Elspeth Langsdale reports on the introduction of digital cataloguing to the Archive and on another action-packed year
stones for recipients of the Victoria Cross born in the borough. The School was represented by Head Sarah Kerr-Dineen, who gave an address for Alan Jerrard (S 1914), awarded the VC for his actions on the Italian Front in 1918. The London Gazette of 1st May 1918 recorded Alan’s bravery as follows: "Fresh enemy aeroplanes continued to rise from the aerodrome, which he attacked one after another and only retreated, still engaged with five enemy machines, when ordered to do so by his patrol leader. Although apparently wounded, this very gallant officer turned repeatedly and attacked single-handed the pursuing machines, until he was eventually overwhelmed by numbers and driven to the ground. Lt Jerrard had greatly distinguished himself on four previous occasions, within a period of 23 days, in destroying enemy machines, displaying bravery and ability of the very highest order." Having managed to escape from Austro-Hungarian captivity several months later, he returned home. Following the Armistice, he remained in the Royal Air Force, eventually
retiring as a Flight Lieutenant in 1933. He died in 1968.
At the beginning of the year we were asked by the Senior Curator of Birds, Eggs & Nests in the National History Museum to bring photographs of Sir Peter Scott (Sc 27) and M.C.W. Dilke (Sc 26) to Tring, as Sir David Attenborough would be filming Attenborough’s Wonder of Eggs, which would include a piece on a series of eggs collected by Sir Peter and the Dilke brothers whilst still at the School. It was hoped
Sir David Attenborough examining the nightingale egg that was collected on 18th May 1926 by Sir Peter Scott (Sc 27) and M.C.W. Dilke (Sc 26) when they were schoolboys at Oundle, the same month Sir David was born
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THE OLD OUNDELIAN 2017 –2018