At the Meeting held in the School Museum today, attended by approximately 40 persons, there was the unveiling of the Memorial to Cyril Leonard Frank who attended Bishops from 1903 to 1910. In the photograph below are visitors from the UK who attended today's event - Tuesday 26 November 2019. In the photograph, Left to Right are: Guy Pearson, the 14th Principal of Bishops, Simon Arnold who was at Bishops between 1940 - 1951; and his son-in-law standing next to him, Simon Mercer; then Clare Mercer, Simon's daughter; then Guy Arnold his son; and Alison Arnold his daughter-in-law. Simon is on a visit to Cape Town and came to pay his old school a visit.
At the meeting, Paul Murray, the school archivist, thanked those who had donated memorabilia to the Museum after which Professor Mike Bruton spoke about another important exhibit, that of the world-renowned ichtiologist, Professor JLB Smith who matriculated at Bishops in 1914. (This exhibit will be featured in one of the forthcoming bulletins).
Tim Willard and his sister Suzanne Holmes are featured in main feature photograph, standing next to the cabinet especially commissioned by them and donated by them and their families, in honour of their grand-father Cyril Leonard Frank. The exhibit contains invaluable memorabilia in particular the original flight-jacket worn by Lt Frank, who flew for the RAF in WWI. Whilst in the sky engaged in flight combat he took a bullet in the back, which after landing was successfully extracted, and features as one of the exhibits in the encasement. The place where it penetrated the leather flight-jacket is clearly visible in the careful stitching. Cyril Frank survived to tell the story, and not only that, to become very successful in business and have a family of whom Tim and Suzanne are surviving grandchildren who generously donated not only the memorabilia but the specially-made Cabinet by Faghre Adams; in additiion to which they have kindly donated other furniture to be used from which to display memorabilia.
To come and see this extraordinary exhibit and the others, plse contact Paul Murray at
[email protected]
Museum Times in term Time are 0800 - 1400.
see the photograph gallery, of photos taken at the event, by Jeremy Ryall (OD).