McClure Memorial Trust

One of the key roles of the Life Guardians is that they are responsible for administering the McClure Memorial Trust which provides scholarships for deserving pupils at Mill Hill School

As we approach the centenary of the death of Sir John McClure the Life Guardians are using the opportunity to promote the benefits of the McClure Scholarships and to increase the capital fund that generates the income to support the awards to students. In the lead up to the Centenary year celebrations, we are keen to explain our connection to one of Mill Hill’s greatest figures and the positive impact his legacy continues to have on student’s lives.

Sir John McClure is the inspiration behind the McClure Scholarship. Whilst we will be hearing further about Sir John McClure and how he shaped the modern Foundation in the forthcoming months, the Old Millhillians and the Life Guardians played key roles in his story and his arrival at Mill Hill.

Firstly, in 1890 when the School was in a period of great uncertainty and its very future was under threat, the Life Guardians (then known as Life Governors) wrote to the Court deploring the situation and demanding action. A change of Headmaster was required but a suitable replacement candidate to steady the ship had to be identified and persuaded to join. It was two Life Guardians who came to the rescue and proposed their Cambridge friend, John David McClure. Although there was an element of resistance due to his lack of experience, he was duly appointed at the age of just thirty-one.

It still wasn’t plain sailing as the School did not have sufficient funds to guarantee his employment and so the Old Millhillians were asked by the Court to raise funds to assist. An appeal immediately raised £2,500 to secure his appointment and set the course for the McClure era.

Following his death in 1922, the Old Millhillians again raised an appeal to commemorate Sir John’s enormous contribution to the School and this time raised £4,000. The funds were used to provide a pension for McClure’s widow and subsequently to establish the McClure Scholarship and the McClure Music Prize.

It is this bequest that forms the permanent endowment for the McClure Memorial Trust. The Trust is a registered charity which is managed by the Life Guardians who provide the trustees. It was established in 1954 which the objective of funding scholarships for deserving pupils between the ages of 12 and 14 who had taken a scholarship exam. The objects of the Trust were updated in 2014 to provide awards to boys and girls entering the Sixth Form with outstanding academic ability and who in the opinion of the Head will make an outstanding contribution to the life of the School.

The McClure Scholarship has helped change the life of dozens of pupils over the decades. Here are the thoughts of one of the more recent Scholars:

If you are interested in supporting the McClure Memorial Trust and making a real difference to future Scholars’ lives please consider becoming a Life Guardian or making a donation to the McClure Memorial Trust.

For further details please see the Life Guardian website: lifeguardians.org.uk or contact:

Anthony Ward (Chair of the McClure Trustees)

Julian Pollock (Chair of the Life Guardians and Trustee)

Ian Lowden (Deputy Chair of the Life Guardians and Trustee).