Central School Document Library

Don Stott recalls the annual Armistice Day ceremony at school

School master Pasty Astle's brother is named on this memorial bronze.

August 2007
Don was at Derby Central School (Abbey Street) from 1935 to 1939.

I was in the same form as Arthur Redsell during my time at Derby Central School - making me 83yrs old.

I recently had contact with Arthur regarding the mystery of the two named plaque. I do not remember that shown on the website, but the iron plaque showing the names of masters and old boys killed in WWI was on the wall of the main Hall of Abbey Street. Each Armistice Day, 'Pasty' Astle, our form master, held a small ceremony and read out the names on it. When he came to the name of his brother (Kenneth) he was quite emotional.

On the photograph of the main staircase on this website the plaque is just visible halfway up on the left-hand side. I wonder where that might be now?

In case any old codgers might remember me, following is a brief resume of my post years at the old seminary.

After leaving the school in late 1939 I went as an apprentice to Rolls-Royce.

In 1941 (aged 17) I volunteered for RAF aircrew (the only way one could leave R.R.)

I sailed the briny on the QE-1 to Canada. where I finished up in Saskatchewan and completed my pilot training at Assiniboia and Weyburn.

On returning to the U.K. I ended up on 403 Squadron (R.C.A.F}.

In 1947 I returned to Rolls Royce in the Sales and Service Department - occasionally visiting Santa Monica in California on business.

After the R.R. crash in 1971 Robert Maxwell bought our subsidiary company, from which I retired in 1988.

Don Stott