THE
Old Bedfordians' Club erected a Memorial Hall to the honour of Four
Hundred and Fifty Four Old Boys who were killed in the Great War.
The building, which was placed to the west of the main School Building,
contains a Hall, Library, Storerooms and Cloakrooms. It was opened
by H.R.H. Prince Henry on July 26th, 1926. In the unavoidable absence
of the Bishop of St. Albans, the Memorial was dedicated by the Lord
Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. J. A. F. Gregg, an Old Bedfordian. The
architect, O. P. Milne, Esq., F.R.I.B.A., the head of the firm of
Messrs. S. F. Foster (the builders), and the general foreman, Mr.
R. Robinson, were presented to His Royal Highness.
The
Library occupied the lower floor of the building. Placed around
the Hall, which was on the first floor immediately facing the staircase,
was panelling on which was written the names of the Fallen. The
panels were in blue with gold lettering; five were situated on each
side of the central panel, on which was the following inscription:
"In memory of old Bedfordians who gave their lives in the War, 1914-1918."
On either side of this inscription were the names of Countries and
Battlefields in a scroll design.
This
entailed a blank wall in the upper part of the North Gable, and
there, outside, was a niche for a statue of St. George; under this
niche were two Doric columns resting on a base stone with the dates
"1914-1918" upon it. The alcove had a shell pattern canopy of fine
design; the South Gable carried the School Arms, while over the
inside of the Memorial Hall doors, in letters of gold, was the one
word "Remember."
Two
thousand three hundred and fifty Old Members of the School served
in the Great War.
