This article dates from a school magazine in the 1920s and complements another one which speaks of the city wall One would think that every Oxford High School boy knew the old bastion which still rears its somewhat stained shattered form on the south side of the school playground; yet, strange to say, we found… Continue reading The Old Bastion
Category: School History
The WW2 Memorial
The school’s WWII Memorial is located in the Oxford Community School (previously the Oxford School, previously to that Southfield School and now the Spires Academy). The Inscription reads: Grati Dulcem Colimus Memoriam Horum Huiusce Scholae Alumnorum Qui Pro Communi Omnium Libertate Vitam reddiderunt. MCMXXXIX – MCMXXXXV. The translation offered in the April 1966 Scvhool Magazine… Continue reading The WW2 Memorial
Cigarette Cards
Writer unknown: I was fascinated by Nigel Molden’s story of the cigarette card with the COS insignia. I would guess that it dates from the time before the word “High” was added to the title, which I would place some time in the 1920s or early 30s. It would be interesting to know something about… Continue reading Cigarette Cards
School Curiosities
Article from the school magazine Vol LIII ii, March 1961 No 171. The photos are more recent. Today’s view The buttress of the old City wall (in the playground) was at one time lived in and formed part of a row of four cottages on the site of Elm Hall. These were demolished when Wesley… Continue reading School Curiosities
History of OHS
COSA Chairman Geoffrey Hart completed two Chapters of the History of the City of Oxford (High) School before his untimely death.He began Chapter one by briefly outlining the beginnings of education for all children in Oxford. The one significant secular predecessor of our School was Nixon’s School, which survived from 1658 until it finally closed… Continue reading History of OHS
The Lawrence Exhibition at Jesus College
A note by Tony Phelps: The Lawrence Brothers’ Memorial Fund financed the establishment at Jesus College Oxford of a Scholarship or Exhibition, which was first competed for in 1939. It was created in memory of three of the Lawrence brothers. Namely: Thomas Edward Lawrence, Exhibitioner (and Scholar) of Jesus College (aka Lawrence of Arabia who… Continue reading The Lawrence Exhibition at Jesus College
WW1 Service
The numbers of Old Boys serving in the 1st World War – or the Great War as it was known then – was 580. In a school with a nominal intake of 120 pupils per annum that is a huge percentage: Royal Navy 29 Royal Marines 3 Army 491 Royal Air Force 57 Total distinctions… Continue reading WW1 Service
Arthur Wilson Cave 1888-1900
The Unfinished School History by Geoffrey Hart Chapter 2: The First 12 Years of Mr A W Cave’s headmastership Readers are invited to read résumés of the first two chapters (in Newsletters 4 and 6) of the History of the School, written by Geoffrey Hart just before he died. These cover the first years of… Continue reading Arthur Wilson Cave 1888-1900
The School Roll of Service 1914-18
The transcript below is of a talk was given by Professor Adrian Gregory, the guest speaker at the COSA Annual Luncheon of 2017. It is a comprehensive review of the participation of Old Boys and Staff in the First World War. ‘Since 2014 I have been director of a research network at the university dedicated to… Continue reading The School Roll of Service 1914-18
A school register for 1927-1965
During the life of a previous COSA website, data was collected with the view of reconstituting the school register to complete one from earlier times. This was being compiled by then Association Secretary Malcolm Williams but I’m not sure where the project has got to. It was intended that the main copy of the Register… Continue reading A school register for 1927-1965