Speech Days were a tradition from the very earliest
days of the High School. The 1911 ATOM is the earliest official reference
I have for the school, and it has a piece about Speech Day which was held
on Thursday, February 23rd, 1911 at St Michael's Hall. Its main function
was to distribute school prizes, but there was also an opportunity for
an "important person" to deliver a "thought-provoking address".
The first event recorded below had three short plays - one French, onoe Greek
and the Pyramus & Thisbe rehearsal scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream. It ended with the
Eton Boat Song (in those early days, the School Song had not yet been written) and The Marseilles.
The following is a potted history of the school's
speech days for those that I've been able to determine (‡ Indicates
that I have a copy of the programme for that event)
|
1911
23rd Feb
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Ald. Redhead (Mayor)
Presentations & Address: Dr Hadow of Armstrong College
(Thoroughness of Work)
|
|
1921
16th Nov
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Ald. Johnston (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Bishop of Durham, Dr H Hensley
Henson
|
|
1927
7th Nov
|
?
|
Chairman: ?
Presentations & Address: Lt-Col J Douglas Mitchell (Service)
Note: this is the first reference I have to the School Song
being sung
|
|
1928
22nd Nov
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Col Chapman (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Ald. Nattrass
|
|
1929
23rd Nov
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Col Chapman (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Ald. Chuter Ede MP (The School
as a Team)
|
|
1930
26th Nov
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Col Chapman (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Mr McClelland - an Old Boy
It was at this Speech Day that Col Chapman reported that, despite
the "present financial crisis" there was every prospect
that the new school at Harton would still be erected.
|
|
1933
22nd Nov
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Col Chapman (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Archdeacon Rawlinson
|
|
1934
28th Nov
|
St Michael's Hall
|
Chairman: Col Chapman (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Dr Allington, Dean of Durham
|
|
1938
19th Jan
|
School Hall
|
Chairman: Clr W L Pearson (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Lord Eustace Percy, Rector of
King's College, Newcastle
This was the first Speech Day of the new school, and was held the
school Assembly Hall.
|
|
1938
26th Nov
|
School Hall
|
Chairman: ?
Presentations & Address: Ald Chuter Ede, MP
This was a combined Speech Day and Visiting Day, with the school
open for inspection by parents for two hours before the Speech Day
assembly
|
|
1947
19th Mar ‡
|
School Hall
|
Chairman: ???
Presentations & Address: Dr FJ Duff, Chancellor of Durham
University
|
|
1950
10th Mar
|
School Hall
|
Chairman: Ald MM Barbour, OBE, JP
Presentations & Address: Mr GS Macintire, OBE, BA, LLB
|
|
1956
|
Regent Cinema
Westoe
|
Chairman: ???
Presentations & Address: ???
|
|
1957
5th Nov
|
???
|
Chairman: Clr JW Ireland (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: The Right Rev The Lord Bishop
of Durham
|
|
1962
14th Nov ‡
|
Regent Cinema
Westoe
|
Chairman: Ald Mrs ME Sutton (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Dr DG Christopherson, Vice-Chancellor
of University of Durham
|
|
1963
13th Nov ‡
|
Regent Cinema
Westoe
|
Chairman: Ald Mrs ME Sutton (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Rear Admiral JL Blackham RN
|
|
1966
2nd Nov ‡
|
ABC Cinema
|
Chairman: Clr JW Ireland (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Dr R Spence, Atomic Energy Research,
Harwell
|
|
1967
2nd Nov ‡
|
ABC Cinema
|
Chairman: Clr JW Ireland (Chairman of the Governors)
Presentations & Address: Arthur Blenkinsop MP
|
|
1968
Nov
|
ABC Cinema
|
Chairman: ???
Presentations & Address: Ian Ramsey, Bishop of Durham
|
|
November, 1968, was the last school Speech Day. The following year,
the Board of Governors decided that with the growth in size of the
school, Speech Days were no longer practical (although there was
considerable speculation that it was simply a cost-saving measure).
Instead, they introduced two Open Evenings each year. These allowed
parents to visit the school and to see school activities and demonstrations
- from life-saving in the pool, to a balloon debate by the Debating
Society - from computer demonstrations to photographic exhibitions.
The Open Evening programmes contained a review of the school's activities,
and the same information about examination results and school leavers
as used to be in the old Speech Day programmes..
|
|
1969
15/16 Jul
|
|
|
|
1970
15/16 Jul ‡
|
|
|
|
1971
14/15 Jul ‡
|
|
|
|
1972
12/13 Jul ‡
|
|
|
|
1973
10/11 Jul ‡
|
|
|
|
1974
9/10 Jul ‡
|
|
|
|
1975
8/9 Jul ‡
|
|
|
|
‡ Indicates that I have a copy of the programme for that event
|
