It adorned the staircase here |
The names of two long-forgotten Derby
schoolmasters, first honoured and then rejected, have been restored
to the Central School hall of fame 90 years after their deaths.
Former Evening Telegraph journalist and Old Centaur John Garratt
tells the remarkable story of an act of faith by one man and an
emotional homecoming at the recent ninth annual reunion of the Old
Centaurs in Darley Park.
A 90-year-old memorial plaque which graced three Derby schools
and was then consigned to the rubbish bin is to be mounted in a
place of honour in the Central School museum in Darley Park.
Throughout its chequered history the plaque achieved a place in
the hall of fame wherever Central School made its home - first in
Hastings Street, then in Abbey Street and, finally, in Darley Hall.
Generations of schoolboys, clad in knickerbockers to flannel
trousers, passed it by on their way to lessons and, to this day,
many surviving Old Centaurs recall that 60 years ago it adorned the
magnificent staircase at Darley. |
Sadly, in 1958, after a glorious era of nearly two decades at Darley
Park, Central School ceased to exist. It re-emerged at Breadsall Hill
Top as the Henry Cavendish School, a co-educational establishment.
But the memorial plaque shared the fate of the old
school - it disappeared.
More than 10 years later, in 1969, it was found - scarred, battered
and faded - lying next to a skip at the Hill Top school, presumably
cast out with the rubbish.
The finder, Henry Cavendish master Ken MacArthur, father of
Derbyshire yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur, immediately recognised
it as a once treasured relic and handed it into the keeping of
colleague Jim Lingard, who taught at Central School from 1953 until
its closure. Ken said: "I just happened to be passing and saw the
plaque as it was about to go into the skip. |
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"My first thought was that a piece of history was being thrown away
and it went against all my instincts, so I retrieved it and handed it
over to Jim.
"I believe that, at one time, it was used to block up a hole and it was
in a pretty parlous state. It seemed a great shame that a souvenir of
the school past should end up being tossed out with the rubbish."
For nearly 40 years Jim was custodian of the plaque. Then, in
retirement, he had it renovated at his own expense and restored to its
former glory.
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Old Centaur Keith Bratby mounted it on
a magnificent frame of American oak and, at the recent ninth annual
reunion of the old boys of Central School from 1944-49, the memorial
reached its final resting place at Darley.
The plaque, commemorating two obscure teachers, was presented by
Jim Lingard to the gathering at tearoom in Darley Park, all that is
left of the old school.
There it will be given a place of honour, alongside other
memorabilia, on the site of the establishment which once witnessed
the triumphs and tragedies of generations of schoolboys. |
But the last chapter in the saga remains to be revealed. Jim is
appealing to the readers of Bygones for help in solving the mystery of
the two long-forgotten Central School masters who stood in such high
esteem before the First World War.
The inscription on the plaque reads:
"In Memoriam
Arthur Whitworth
Died August 4, 1912.
Alfred Claude Freeman
Died September 7, 1915.
Formerly masters in this school."
(Barry Muir adds that Death entries
show that Arthur Whitworth was aged 40 years and Alfred Claude
Freeman was 33 years, at times of death -- Ed.)
Said Jim: "Their names are enshrined in Central School history. Even
in those days there were scores of teachers in Derby but how many are
commemorated in such a manner?
"They must have been much loved and esteemed and I would dearly like to
know their background - who they were, what they taught and the manner
of their passing.
"Their memorial has had a place of honour in three schools and what a
tale that could tell. Surely their families must still live in Derby and
I hope that through them, and with the help of Bygones, we will be able
to discover the character and lives of two revered masters.
"I had the plaque restored. I felt in my heart that it should be
returned to its spiritual home at Darley, only five yards from where it
was originally mounted. I hope it will be a fitting tribute, not only to
them, but to all the masters who taught the boys of Central School."
Organiser of the Old Centaurs' reunions, Brian Skeldon, who worked with
Jim over many months in his efforts to restore the memorial, said:
"Every old boy carried away three abiding memories of the school - the
view across the park, the superb staircase and the memorial.
"The plaque is part of the school heritage and it is returning to the
place where it is best remembered."
School captain Arnie Parr, who welcomed Jim to the reunion as guest of
honour, said: "For the last nine years we have made the pilgrimage back
to Darley and, like us, Jim's plaque is a piece of history coming home."
Arnie also paid tribute to Jill and Ken Gee who have hosted all nine
school reunions and cherished mementoes of the old school. They had, he
said, sustained the old boys and kept the spirit of the school alive.
It was ironically the year that we all became old-age pensioners, in
1998, that the Old Centaurs bounced from the shadows, following a
Bygones article by Peter Saunders.
Now exiled in the Wirral, he was bemoaning the disappearance of his old
chums of 50 years ago. "Where have all the Old Centaurs gone?" he asked.
The response was staggering. Calls flooded in from across Derby and the
length and breadth of England. Former Rolls-Royce design engineer Ian
Hogben masterminded the first reunion and became the driving force
behind the rebirth of the Old Centaurs.
In the years that followed Brian Skeldon stepped in to organise a series
of classic 1940s' style reunions, reflecting our boyhood lives,
photographed by Tony Pitman both for Bygones and the school archives.
The old boys have prospered without benefit of subscriptions or funding
or any official organising body but with the enormous goodwill of Brian
Skeldon who considers it ungentlemanly to make financial demands on his
old chums.
Sadly the years have taken their toll on our numbers and the roll of
honour grows ever longer. But the bonds of loyalty and comradeship have
never been stronger.
Once more, we stood to close our ninth reunion with the traditional
toast to Enduring Friendships. This is the motto we have adopted over
the years. It is a natural successor to the school's more famous Latin
tag, Celer et Certus.
We may be many things in old age. We may be wise, tolerant, generous,
understanding and loyal. But Swift and Sure, we ain't.
If you know why the two masters were commemorated by Central School,
please enlighten us and the Old Centaurs. |
