There were 120 of us at the opening of the School in September 1924, in four forms of thirty each.  The full staff consisted of Mr. L. F. Wallis the Head, Miss Child and Miss Gould, Frank Southam and Ronald Hitchcock.  Miss Edgell and Capt. Hyde were the P. E. instructors on a visiting basis.  Capt. Hyde was not very agile and taught by precept rather than by example.  He didn't last very long and we eventually got Mr. Robertson and some equipment.  I remember the vaulting horse which caused me a lot of difficulty at the start, but I was very proud of subsequently mastering it.

Mr. Hitchcock was my form master and taught Physics and Chemistry.  Mr. Southam taught Maths and Physics; and not only coached us in cricket but was a mean slow bowler.  Both the women teachers taught English, but Miss Gould also took French and Miss Childs, History.  Miss Gould wrote a one-act play in French, which was produced at the Xmas term 1924, and pre-dated the first school play.

It was at Easter 1925 that Mr. Hitchcock arranged the first school camp at Pilgrims Farm, Titsey in Surrey and I was at the first camp.  He and a friend Mr. Eley, a clergyman, erected the hut that was to become the base.  We named it Merry Hollow and I spent many a happy week-end there even after I left school.

Fred Morton (1924-29)