Tuesday 10 February 2015 While compiling a roll of honour to remember former pupils who lost their lives in World War One, school archivist John Davies has uncovered two more casualties of the conflict. The two new names bring the total of Leeds Grammar School’s losses in the Great War to 130. The painstakingly researched list, which has taken many years to complete, features details about each man, including name, rank, date of death, place of burial and grave reference, if known. Family details, plus highlights of school days, university studies and careers are also included. John first started working on putting a definitive list together when he was head of Junior School at Leeds Grammar School, just before its relocation to Alwoodley Gates in the late 1990s. He said: “There were 126 names on the First World War roll and 109 on the Second World War roll. It took a long time to do the research because you had to write to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as they initially didn’t have a website. “My starting point was past copies of the Leodiensian magazine and, at that time, we added two more names to each roll of honour.” John became head of Moorlands School before the LGS and LGHS merger, returning to Alwoodley last year to work as one of GSAL’s two archivists alongside Neill Hargreaves. He took up his research of the archives again last January, completing the roll of honour just before the summer. During those months conversations he had with a former parent, who was doing some work on the memorial of a church in Roundhay, brought to light one of the two new names, while the other was added following John’s discovery that he had been granted War Grave status in 2013 as part of the national In From The Cold project. This was formed to research and identify all service men and women who were missing from the official Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s list of casualties from both World Wars. As part of his work John has also researched details of all OLs who served in WW1 and has found details of 777 former pupils who took part in the conflict. John is pictured (left) with fellow archivist Neill Hargreaves. To view the list, go to http://www.gsal.org.uk/alumni/gsal-roll-of-honour/ Alumni News
