Lewis Blunden Second Lieutenant MGS Career Lewis Blunden joined MGS in 1908 and spent 7 years at the school, leaving in 1915. He was the Captain of his House, the Captain of Football, the Captain of Cricket, and he represented the school at hockey, and he was a very promising athlete. He set the record time for the “Aylesford Run” in 1915 with a time of 33 minutes and 36 seconds. He received prizes for achieving the highest batting average. He won the Victor Ludorum Cup in the Sports Day of 1915 – he came 2nd in long jump, 1st in throwing the cricket ball, 3rd in the 100 yards,1st in the ½ mile, 2nd in the obstacle race, 1st in the ¼ mile, 2nd in the high jump, 1st in the ¼ mile handicap and being a 1914 “fives” finalist. However, asides from being a great sportsman, he was also always actively involved with the school community. He played a part in a sketch in the “big school” – he sang a song called “Paper Bag Cookery”. He also won the “Randall” medal in June 1915, and the prize for being first in the Cambridge Senior Local Examination; he passed with 1st class honours. The school left some little notes about Blunden in the Maidstonian: “L. Blunden. – Energetic and capable captain. Excellent bat. Good length fast bowler, but should vary bowling more.” and also: “L. Blunden (Centre Forward) – Has been the life and soul of the forwards; feeds his wings well, is a good shot, and has plenty of dash; has had very hard luck in not scoring on more occasions.” Background Lewis was born on the 15th of December 1896, to George, a clerk, and Florence Ellen Blunden. He used to live at Mill House, in East Malling. He went straight into officer training after leaving MGS. Military Record He left the school at the end of the summer term of 1915, and took a commission in the Cinque Ports (Territorials) Battalion, of the Royal Sussex Regiment. He quickly became popular with the men, joining in with all of the games and avoiding choosing any “sides”. Obituary He was unfortunately killed by a fragment of shell at the age of 19 while working on the front lines. You can find his grave at Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery Extension. The school remembers him fondly: “We cannot think of Blunden mournfully: we think of the chimerical oil of the armoury, or Edser’s face – one of the casualties of the concert; we think of a forward getting in a very hard shot at goal, or a figure on parade with collar half up, half down, buttons of a less than questionable brightness, and face healthily red with the exertion of beating the big drum up to the Rec. Farewell, comrade! Your work with us was done. And we shall not see you again even on those occasional visits, growing rarer as the years pass. But as we dwell on your doings, a feeling of pride takes the uppermost place in our minds. Among us you lived and developed; here you learned to exercise those powers, which, had your life been spared, would have stood you in good stead. We formed and trained you, and at last sent you forth to strive in a harsher school. So we feel towards you, but sorrow dwells in other hearts.”
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