From the Archive

Bea worked closely with School Archivist, Nicola Waddington (both pictured below) but the choice of materials, captions and layout in the cabinet were all hers.

From the Archives

Showcasing the lives of World War Two alumni

Following the success of the exhibition of 400 year-old objects

in the Reception Foyer for the Alleyn’s 400th anniversary, the School decided to make this pupil-curated initiative a permanent feature. Duke of Edinburgh and archive volunteer, Bea was asked to curate the exhibition and chose material recently donated by Derek Smith (Roper’s 1953) relating to his family and elder brother, Ian Kirkman Smith (Roper’s 1949) and the bombing of their home at 6 Park Hill, Forest Hill during WW2. Their first floor flat suffered near total destruction; Derek’s only but vivid memory was being carried from the wreckage on the shoulders of a fireman during the rescue.

After leaving School, Derek and Ian, who sadly passed away in 2017, always stayed closely engaged with the School and the Edward Alleyn Club. Derek remains a strong supporter of Alleyn’s as well as a regular at the Edward Alleyn Clubhouse, so it was particularly lovely to welcome him back to School to see the exhibition for himself in situ: a fitting way to mark the start of a new School initiative and another wonderful example of how alumni stories enrich the lives of current pupils!