18
T
he first year of the Archive Centre
has been a busy one. The publicity
surrounding the Centre's opening
resulted in a threefold increase in the
number of historical enquiries received
each month, and new items arrived on
the archivist's desk nearly every working
day.
It has been particularly fascinating to help
researchers uncover the early lives of OAs
from poets to sportsmen and even a spy.
We helped in the search for an OA who in
1942 had survived for five days on a raft
with his sister, their boat having been
torpedoed whilst fleeing the Japanese
occupation of Singapore. We also learnt
something of the wartime career of Brian
Price, former maths teacher at King's.
Previously known for building the school's
first computer, it emerged that he had
worked at Bletchley Park during World
War II.
The Archive Centre is particularly grateful
to its volunteers Chris Warren OA and
pupils Hannah Lam, Vivian Chan and
Johanna Kastner for their help on a
number of conservation projects. Without
thought of rust, dirt and spiders they
cleaned the school's lantern slide
projector and slides, de-framed team
photographs from unsuitable frames and
generally brought order from chaos. The
results of their labours were enjoyed
through a number of small exhibitions in
school and at OA events.
Pupil projects: Oliver Dunn and Tegan Williams looked at the impact of World War I
on the school, producing this attractive display.
A selection of the donations
received by the Archive
Centre during the
Michaelmas term 2012