204
THE YPRES TIMES
Mr. C. J. Parmijiter and Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Allen (the new Schoolmaster and
Schoolmistress).
General regret was expressed at the enforced absence, through illness, of
Sir William Pulteney. Indeed, to the writer, who has been present at previous
Prize Days at Ypres, the proceedings seemed to bear close resemblance to a
performance of Hamlet with the character of the Prince of Denmark omitted.
After Mr. Allen had given an interesting and lucid review of the various
activities of the school, the Bishop of London presented the prizes, which took
the form of instructive and other appropriate books.
They were donated on this occasion by
(a) Mrs. L. K. Briggs, of Broadstairs, for ordinary school work.
bThe Third Army Corps. These were awarded to children 011 the vote ot
their fellow scholars, and were won by Muriel Grasham, Priestley Dunn and
Irene Fletcher.
There were also five prizes for those pupils who had produced the best plants
from bulbs.
In the course of a charming addressnow grave, now gaythe Bishop
complimented the children upon their bright, happy and healthy appearance. The
objects of the school, he said, were to teach them the Three Rs and to inculcate
in their minds a love for Englandthe country to which they belonged. Never
in history, he declared, had Great Britain stood higher in name and préstige among
the nations of the earth than she did to-day. In the colours that comprised the
Union Jack, the red stood for Sacrifice, the blue for Honesty in Commerce, and
the white for Purity in Life.
Sir Charles Harington, President of the Ypres League, who distributed the
prizes in 1932, congratulated the children on the progress that they had made
during the past twelve months. He referred to the disappointment that the
absence of Sir William Pulteney had caused to all present, but questioned whether
the scholars fully realized what a debt they owed Sir William for his tireless
energy and enthusiasm. Referring to the fact that, on the previous day he had
visited Tyne Cot Cemetery and was paying a second visit that afternoon, he
expressed the wish that everyone in the British Isles should see that hallowed
God's Acre. In conclusion, he extended a hand of welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Allen
and wished them success in the task they had undertaken.
The Bishop of Fulham, in passing a vote of thanks to the Bishop of London,
expressed gratitude to Lady Plumer, Sir Charles Harington, Col. Higginson and
Col. Poole for gracing the ceremony with their presence. He also paid tribute
to Sir Fabian Ware and the Staff of the Imperial War Graves Commission for their
loyal and generous support.
Col. Higginson briefly replied, and the proceedings terminated with customary
cheering and the National Anthem.
The pupils on the school roll now number 116, the fathers of 98 of these
children being employees of the Imperial War Graves Commission. At the
opening, four years ago, under the control of Mr. and Mrs. Morris, the attendance
totalled only 47. The problem of accommodating this unexpected increase has
been overcome by making use of the Pilgrims' Hall and leasing a large room
near the building which constituted the original and temporary school. Too much
praise cannot be accorded Mr. and Mrs. Morris for the unqualified success they
have made of the difficult and uphill pioneer work which faced them during their
brief four years' sojourn in Ypres. They have left the school in a state of high
efficiency, whilst they have won the affection and regard of all their pupils and the
gratitude and respect of their parents. Their successors will find them good
ones to follow, but hard ones to beat."
H. B.
