Queen Mary's School for Boys, Basingstoke
| Motto | Spiritum Nolite Extinguere |
|---|---|
| Established | 1556 |
| Closed | 1970 |
| Type | Grammar school |
| Religion | Non denominational |
| Location | Vyne Road Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 5PB England  Coordinates: 51°16′26″N 1°05′20″W / 51.274°N 1.089°W |
| Local authority | Hampshire |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Fate | Became The Vyne Community School |
Queen Mary's School for Boys (QMSB) was a maintained (state funded) grammar school in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England for boys aged 11–18. The school existed between 1556 and 1970 and was latterly funded by the Hampshire County Council Education Authority.
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Foundation [edit]
Queen Mary's School for Boys, Basingstoke, owes its origin to Queen Mary in 1556, when the pre-existing Chantry Chapel of the Holy Ghost, Basingstoke, was reopened as the Holy Ghost School, with the priest able to teach ten boys of the town. The Chapel had previously been closed during the reign of King Edward VI. The Holy Ghost School survived the death of Queen Mary in 1558, remaining at the Chapel, until a purpose built structure was erected in the Worting Road, Basingstoke, in 1870.
New building [edit]
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In 1938, the school moved to Vyne Road, Basingstoke, in a newly constructed building in the functional, modernist style of brick architecture of the period. A "Junior School" block, in a subsequent style was opened in 1965. In imitation of the independent schools, Queen Mary's School for Boys had Houses; pupils were assigned to Chapel, Sandys, White or Vyne, with Inter-House sports fixtures. House colours were as follows; Chapel - maroon with light blue, Sandys - scarlet with white, White - green with white, and Vyne - amber with black. Chapel house was named after the Holy Ghost Chapel where the school had originated. Sandys house was named after the Sandys local noble family. White house was named after Gilbert White, a noted local naturalist and writer and Vyne House drew its name from a nearby eponymous Elizabethan country estate.
Traditions [edit]
An Old Boys' Association continues to flourish with an annual reunion dinner held on the final Saturday of November, attended by former pupils and masters.
Uniform [edit]
The school uniform was a black blazer, grey trousers, and white shirt for Senior Boys and a grey shirt for Junior Boys, worn with the school tie which had pale blue and navy blue diagonal broad stripes. The school badge was a white dove descending on a black background, with the letters Q.M.S.B. beneath. A subfusc suit could also be worn in place of the blazer and grey trousers, but latterly the habit had declined. Boys in the lower school, up to 4th form, wore a black peaked cap with a silver emblem of the dove descending. Sub-prefects wore blue ties with a silver dove emblems and full prefect wore a blue tie with gold dove emblems. Full prefect wore a silver tassel on their school caps.
Motto [edit]
The school motto was, Spiritum Nolite Extinguere, (Never extinguish the Spirit), which was also the title of the school song.
Activities [edit]
During the winter and spring terms, the school played rugby football, association football and hockey, as well as basketball; in summer, the sports were cricket, lawn tennis and athletics, as well as swimming in the unheated open air swimming pool. There was a Combined Cadet Force, (CCF), with a small field gun and ex-British Army Lee-Enfield Mk.3 0.303 rifles stored fairly securely on the premises, together with Bren guns. The army section also had a 2 inch mortar and 3.5 inch rocket launcher, together with six Sten guns. The RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force had access to a catapult-launched single seat training glider.
The number of boys in the school, in the last years of its separate existence, was about 650, with three forms of entrance, each of about 20–25 children per class. Pupils took "O" Levels at the age of 16, and those who stayed on into the Sixth Form, took "A" Levels at the age of 18. Latin was taught to all Junior boys; Ancient Greek was still taught in the Sixth Form, although to a very small number of pupils, as of the academic year 1967–68.
Former teachers [edit]
The last Headmaster, the late Mr W.H. Rhodes M.A. (Oxon.) (ca. 1924-2005)1[1] and the last Deputy-Headmaster, Mr. J. J. Evans M.A. (Cantab.) had both been Classics Masters. The Music Master, Mr. Peter Marchbank M.A. (Cantab.), left the school in 1969, to take up a career in conducting and radio broadcasting with the BBC in Manchester. The senior geography teacher, Mr. Eric Stokes, had had a notable wartime RAF career, having gained, amongst other decorations, the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar, and attaining the rank of Wing Commander. Ernest Warburton was head of music from 1960-4. A chemistry teacher, George Holmes O.B.E., was an A.C.F. full colonel and also held the Cadet Force Medal and the Special Constabulary Medal, with a number of clasps.
Destiny [edit]
In September 1970, as part of the programme to make most UK maintained schools comprehensive, and abolish 11+ selection, Queen Mary's School merged with the Charles Chute Secondary Modern School, a secondary modern school which had been built next door. The combined schools became known initially as Queen Mary's and Charles Chute School. The first headmaster of the combined school was Wilfred Harry Rhodes, who was the last Headmaster of Queen Mary's School for Boys. The name of the comprehensive school was later changed to The Vyne Community School, which remains to this day a coeducational maintained school for the 11–16 age group. The "Queen Mary's" name was transferred to the 16-18 Sixth Form College in Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke, Queen Mary's College.
Notable alumni [edit]
- John Arlott, a national celebrity as a BBC radio and television cricket commentator, speaking with a slow, carefully controlled voice, noted for its Hampshire accent
- Gordon Coppuck, racing car designer
- Rev John Cowdrey, historian
- John Freeman Dunn, Liberal MP from 1923 for Hemel Hempstead
- Lt-Col Dennis 'Haggis' Ford
- John Guy OBE, High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea from 1991-4
- John James (c 1673- 15 May 1746) architect.
- David Pascall CBE, Chairman from 1991-3 of the National Curriculum Council
- Dr Martin Read, Chief Executive from 1993-2007 of Logica
- Peter Thornton, instrumental in setting up commercial radio in the UK
- George Wigg, an Army Officer, later a Labour M.P., Junior Minister, and a Life Peer
- Gilbert White, (1720–1793) English parson-naturalist
References [edit]
- ^ Oxford University Gazette 14-Jul-2005
