4. SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL
NOVEMBER 8, 2015
THERE CAN BE no better account of the history of the period 1914 to 1948 in Combermere School than that provided by the late Frank Appleton Collymore MBE ( January 7, 1893 – July 19, 1980). Appleton was a famous Barbadian literary editor, author, poet, stage performer and painter. He entered Combermere School for boys in 1903 and remained there as a student until 1910 when he was invited to join the staff. He served on staff for 50 years, rising to the level of deputy headmaster. In an excerpt from the 1971-72 edition of The Combermere Magazine a portrait of Combermere is painted by Frank Collymore.’ He entered Combermere in 1903 having gained one of the 12 scholarships offered annually by the Education Board to the school. COMBERMERE SCHOOL at Constitution Hill circa.1932. (GP) He noted that Combermere was ply his trade. The boys would taunt long and a third in width providing a situated on Constitution Road in the him with the refrain “Poop, poo” stop cricket field with two and four eastern building on the compound the train! My wife wants to p.!” The boundaries. It was known as the on a hill. The original school was train passed by every evening at Second Eleven since all home erected in 1819 by Lord about 3:45 p.m. on its way to matches were played there. Combermere. Belleplaine. A narrow road and the railway In those days, school began The early period at the turn of track separated the Second Eleven at 10 a.m. with prayers by the the 20th century was a period of field from a smaller field known as headmaster. The timetable provided growth and development under the Third Eleven where the small for a 10-minute break after the first Mr Burton. It was the period which boys played. two periods, and a 45-minute lunch saw the establishment of the Cadet Part of the discipline included break after periods three and four. Corps (1904), the Scout Troop drill on Monday and Wednesday School was dismissed at 4 p.m. after (1912) and from the perspective afternoons. There was drill every completion of periods five to seven. of old scholars the Combermere week and this was conducted There were seven forms: Mutual Improvement Association by a sergeant from the Regiment Preparatory, First and Second, the (CMIA) on November 1, 1915. stationed at the Garrison until the Lower and Upper Thirds, and the The CMIA held a concert on June departure of the troops in 1905. Fourth and Fifth. Every master in 24, 1916, and again on September 30, The description of sociothose days took all the subjects in his 1916, the CMIA held an evening of economic activities around the form. Off periods were unknown. entertainment. The programme school should be of cultural interest The school entered candidates to all citizens. Frank Collymore noted included piano and violin solos, annually in December to write the comedy, and a minstrel troupe. The that six cents in those days provided junior and senior Cambridge local secretary’s report for 1916, dated quite a good meal. examinations, the latter being December 31, showed a membership For that money, one could get equivalent to the O’level system, of 100. a couple of cakes, three or four except that students had to satisfy During the period 1914-1918, the examiners in at least five subjects bananas and some sweets. The a number of old scholars went off traders included a bread cart from – English, a foreign language and to serve in the First World War. Johnson and Redman, the Brownie, a Mathematics, being compulsory. A plaque is mounted in the foyer middle-aged woman who kept a well The headmaster’s residence was of the school hall to commemorate stacked tray, Marcus the ice-cream on site. There was a library and a man and Pooper who sold snow-balls the sacrifice they made for the flogging room on site. The playing sake of freedom. and ginger beer from a ramshackled field was small and rectangular in Four years after its inauguration cart which he pushed up the hill to nature measuring about 100 yards
In the beginning 1915-48 the CMIA was still going strong. One gets the impression that it was expected by some people to fail. The 1919 report noted, for instance: The Association, despite doom prophesied by others, succeeded and was able to achieve “undertakings beyond what any ever dreamt of with a success in each case not anticipated by the promoters; and it also witnessed two purposes achieved, which have been aimed at from its infancy of the Association, viz. the establishment of two scholarships at £8 each, and the purchase of a piano. For the former purpose alone, the CMIA has justified its existence, and justifies its future, but as the report will show this is not all the Association has done, nor 100th part of what it hopes for.” Records show that membership of the CMIA in 1921, 1922 and 1923 was 151, 148 and 148 respectively. Among these were school boys as follows: 25 in 1920, 24 in 1921 and 11 in 1922. One of the main social events instituted was a dinner on June 4. This date was selected in commemoration of the foundations of the school buildings in 1819 (Lord Combermere laid the foundation at the Boy’s Central on June 4, 1819). This annual dinner was held in 1919, 1920 and 1921. In 1920, a bazaar was also held. The next record of an old boys’ dinner was noted in The Combermerian magazine 19271928.The passion for congregating at the old school is very vividly described by the writer in The Combermerian, Page 75: The evening of June 2, 1928, will
not easily be forgotten by the 30 who assembled in the hall of the old school to renew old associations, partake of a delectable repas, and revel in postprandial convivialities incidental to such gatherings. Information regarding old scholars activities is non-existent up until 1935-36. The 1935-1936 Combermerian stated on Page 50 that: “The Association began to function from January 1936.” The report further states that Old Boys’ Day was held where “a team captained by J Kidney played the school team led by Harding. Other old boys played tennis, bridge and ping pong.” Today we celebrate with week of activities in which old scholars compete against students in various disciplines. This tradition of a dinner continues to this day and has evolved into the Blue Ribbon Dinner where old scholars are honoured for their contribution to Combermere and the Barbadian society. The gathering in the hall has evolved into a reunion of immense proportions. The period 1939 to 1945 was the Second World War and again a number of old scholars went off to fight in the war effort. The names of those who died are inscribed on the afore-mentioned plaque in the school’s foyer. Altogether, the period 1915 to 1948 was an era of growth for the Old Scholars Association and indeed for the school. The headmaster G.B.R. Burton started the process. He was succeeded by G.B.Y. “Gussie” Cox (1926-1934) who was followed by Reverend A.E. Armstrong, himself an old scholar.