Schools look forwards, always as new as our youngest pupils!  But we also hold the history of families and our community.  Sometimes that privilege also shines strongly. 

An envelope arrived on my desk at the start of term.  It contained the identity tag of a former pupil, retrieved from a battlefield in France on Easter Monday 1917, and this remarkable letter: 

Dear Dr Pyle,

I enclose a book – “Queen Elizabeth” – awarded as the Storey Writing Prize to my great uncle George Rowland Paget Howson in the summer of 1900.  I hope you will be able to accept it as a donation for your archives. 

“Uncle Rowland” was the second son of Robert Howson (1852-1917), and brother of Harold (1880-1938) who also attended LRGS.  RGW Howson was Manager of the Lancaster Banking Company, founder of the Morecambe Music Festival, and friend of Sir Edward Elgar who wrote a part song (“Evening Scene”) in his memory. 

Second Lieutenant Rowland was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Arras (9^th April 1917), leading his platoon of the 1^st Battalion of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, c. 3pm, forward in the snow towards enemy lines.  The War Diary states that they were hit by withering enemy machine gun fire and suffered heavy casualties.  Objectives not taken. 

I hope you will also be able to take Rowland’s “dog tag” (enclosed) and other papers into your archives.

Yours sincerely.