FOREWORD

Beyond reading the manuscript of this Booklet I have had no part in its compilation, and I can therefore offer to Mr. Hollow and the members of his Staff my congratulations on the production of a worthy and lasting record of the Centenary of Dr. Bell's School. Yet it is more than a Centenary memento, for within the compass of a few pages there is told part of the story of the adventure of education in Fishponds during a hundred years. It is the story of the faith and enterprise of Christian men and women, and it is good that we should remember in the middle of the twentieth century that our modern educational system has its roots in the Faith of our fathers.

For one hundred years Dr. Bell's has been the handmaid of the Church. This is indeed a great record, and if it is to be more than a memory to present and future generations of scholars it will depend upon the will and enthusiasm of the present generation. The story of these pages is one of service and sacrifice, sometimes hidden behind humour and, as we may judge, a quaint intolerance of education. Without that service and sacrifice I should not have the privilege of writing this short Foreword.

What our fathers were ready to do we shall be ready to do if and when the time comes. For myself I have no hesitation in claiming that any sacrifice is not too great in order to keep Dr. Bell's a part of the life and work of St. Mary’s. The cause of education is a great one and we are only too thankful that our National Leaders and City Fathers so regard it. But we claim that it is, and must be, part of the life of the worshipping community if it is to be education for life here and hereafter.

H. R. BARNARD,
Vicar of St. Mary, Fishponds.

PREFACE

A. R. HOLLOW, Head Master.

THE LIFE OF ANDREW BELL

Andrew Bell, cleric and educationist [sic], first saw the light of day in the University city of St. Andrews, Scotland, on the 27th. March, 1753. Andrew's father was a perruquier [sic] of some standing in the city and as such, as well as at his newly fashionable tea-drinking parties, he came into considerable contact with the dons of the University. It was inevitable in such an environment that young Andrew should at an early age form educational interests. Even at the age of four his interests lay in this direction. There is an anecdote recorded that at this age when he was given a penny, he did not squander it in sweetmeats as most boys would have done, but, investing it in a book, set out for school.

This early promise culminated in 1769 when Andrew matriculated, and on entry to the University he rose to the head of the mathematics class. At the age of twenty when he had finished his University career, Andrew sought how he might, with most profit to himself, use the equipment with which he had left the University. As far as he could see no very lucrative prospect offered itself at home, so he decided to sail for Virginia. Here he was engaged as tutor to the sons of a Mr. Braxton, a tobacco planter, and gained some financial interest in his employer's business. A few years later he was entrusted by his master to conduct the boys on the 'Grand Tour' and returned to England with them. This charge he shortly resigned when he found that their extravagances made demands upon his purse which he was not prepared to meet.

Back in St. Andrews fortune once more favoured young Bell. At that time a general election was being fought in the corrupt manner peculiar to that age and, because his father refused to have his vote bought, the successful candidate, Mr. Dempster, adopted Andrew as his protdg6. About this time Andrew was considering the Ministry of the Church as a vocation and Mr. Dempster secured for him the curacy of the Episcopal Chapel of Leith. Shortly after this, Dempster persuaded Bell to proceed to India there to deliver a course of lectures on natural philosophy.

Andrew sailed in February, 1787 and, on arrival at Madras, was offered the post of Superintendent of the Military Male Orphan Asylum. This was an institution intended for the education of the orphaned sons of soldiers who had served with the Indian Army, especially those of mixed parentage. At the time of his arrival the Asylum was not completed, so in the meantime Bell accepted a series of Chaplainships and gave a number of lectures which proved very popular. It was considered the height of fashion, especially among the ladies, to attend Bell's lectures.

At last the Asylum was ready and Bell took up his appointment full of enthusiasm, only to find himself beset with difficulties. These difficulties, however, were the means of leading him to his great discovery in education. On assuming control of the Asylum, he demanded that certain subjects should be taught by methods which he himself favoured. whereupon his ushers, or teachers, condemned both subjects and methods as impossible. Bell, however, was determined that the school should be run in the way that he desired and so developed the 'Madras System'. By means of his system the elder boys were first instructed in the things that Bell determined, and then they in turn instructed the younger children in the school so that every boy became either a teacher, a scholar, or both. Under the leadership of one, Johnnie Friskin, the boys became so enthusiastic and so capable at their work that Bell at length concluded that he had perfected a means of education. In 1796 ill-health caused him to return to his own country, bringing with him the by no means modest fortune of £25,000.

The first task that he put in hand when he arrived home was to write a report on his new system, being confident that, if it became sufficiently known, the 'Madras' or 'monitor' system would be generally adopted and would revolutionise the teaching methods of all schools. In this supposition Bell was not to be disappointed for by 1798 it was adopted by places as far apart as Aldgate and Kendal.

In 1801 Bell became the Rector of Swanage in Dorset where he made use of his prerogative to introduce his own system into both the day and Sunday schools. It was during this time that he was seriously challenged in the educational field by Joseph Lancaster. The latter disputed Bell's method of training teachers. Bell insisted that the first essential was the practice of teaching, while Lancaster urged that the teacher required knowledge of the training of the mind. Although the dispute was carried on in a rather degrading manner, it certainly helped to publicise the already established Bell system, and conquests were made at Whitechapel, Gower's Walk, Lambeth and Marylebone, whilst Ireland sought guidance and Barbados actually requested that a Bell trained teacher be sent to teach in one of its schools.

In 1808 Bell published "A Sketch of a National Institution for Training up the Children of the Poor in Moral and Religious Principles and in Habits of Useful Industry." This very uninteresting document proved to be the foundation of the National Society. About the time that this work was published a Mr. Davis was sent to report on Christ's Hospital, Hereford, a school which was run on the Bell System. The following extract will show with what favour the new system was viewed:-

"An intelligent, well-disposed, unobtrusive masterable, active, diligent, correct, cheerful teachers - happy boys - marked books - reading and ciphering after your own heart."

At last the National Society was launched. This was a Society founded by the Church of England for the promotion of Christian education in this country through the work of the Diocesan Colleges for the training of teachers, of which Fishponds College is an example, and through the many National Schools which were founded about this time and which to-day we call Church Schools. It was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury and numbered among its patrons many well-known and influential persons. That the Society prospered is illustrated by the following figures - 1812, 52 schools teaching 8,620 children - 1813, 230 schools educating 40,484 children. The work of this Society continues to this day and the 138th. Annual Report published in 1949 shows how vitally interested the Society is in the future of Church Schools and the advancement of Christian education under the terms of the Education Act of 1944.

The final picture of Bell as a cantankerous old man trying to ensure that the fortune he had amassed should be used after his death in the way that he wished, is not necessary to this history of a great educational reformer. Suffice then that Andrew Bell, whose name is perpetuated in the title of Dr. Bell's School, Fishponds, died in 1832.

THE BEGINNING OF STATE EDUCATION

In the first half of the last century it was the voluntary organisations, namely the British and National Societies, which pioneered education for the masses, for State assistance was practically negligible. Twenty years had to pass before Mr. Forster's Education Act of 1870 was to make 'education for all' something more than a political slogan. In 1833 the State made its first contribution to education in the form of a grant of £20,000. This grant was to be used for the erection of school buildings. Such a grant today would build but a small part of a secondary modem, or primary school accommodating 150 pupils. Yet in 1833 that represented the total contribution by the Exchequer for the whole country. Gradually the State contribution was increased, and in 1846 grants were made towards teachers' salaries and a year later the grants were extended to include books, maps and other items of equipment. By 1865 the State was expending approximately half a million pounds on education and five years later the Education Act of 1870 made education compulsory for all. Those who have been associated with Dr. Bell's School are proud to think that for a hundred years the school has been providing education for the children of Fishponds.

THE GROWTH OF THE SCHOOL

When the school was first opened it was called Dr. Bell's National School, the word 'National' denoting that the school had been built with money provided by the National Society. The inclusion of Dr. Bell in the name paid tribute to that great pioneer of education, and indicated that the school was intended to adopt the Bell System.

In the Bell type of school there was one long schoolroom. Long desks were arranged round the room so that the children sat facing the walls. The Head Master's desk was also against the wall, usually at the end, so that he had a good view of the whole room. The children were arranged in groups of thirty, boys and girls being kept separate, each group being in charge of a monitor who received his instructions from the Head Master. Our school in Fishponds was of the Bell type. In consisted originally of a large hall attached to which was the Head Master's house. Later, additional rooms were added to the main building and, when the headmaster ceased to reside on the premises, the dwelling house was converted into classrooms, cloakroom and staffroom. The period from 1926, when Mr. S. R. Cook became Headmaster, until 1934, when the school was reorganised under the Hadow Scheme, was one when many and various amenities were added and improvements made. Before the end of 1926 electric light had been installed, permission for this to be done having been given on condition that the Headmaster raised 50% of the money required. The first of a series of concerts promoted by the school for this purpose saw this sum realised, and it was not long before the main hall was divided by a sliding screen at a cost of £35.

In January, 1928, plans had been approved for the building of two classrooms in the playground at a cost of f.610 and, no doubt owing in no small measure to the Headmaster's drive, they were completed and in use by the beginning of April. The official opening, however, did not take place until the 23rd and 24th. May, when Captain Guest, M.P., performed the opening ceremony, ably assisted by the Director of Education, the late Dr. Ludford Freeman, and numerous civic dignitaries.

In July of the same year plans were passed for the erection of a woodwork room for which Dame Monica Wills, as a tribute to the late Canon Clifford Plumpton Wilson, a former Vicar of the Parish, donated the sum of £200 to cover the cost and performed the opening ceremony in October. This woodwork room later became an ordinary classroom when the boys of 11 years of age and over were removed from Dr. Bell's and sent to Alexandra Park Senior Mixed School. Another improvement effected during this period was the surfacing of the playground making it possible for the first time for organised games to be played there.

RE-ORGANISATIONS

Under the Hadow Scheme in 1934 Dr. Bell's became a Junior Boys' School and as such catered for boys between the age ' s of 7 and 11 years. It was at this time that Mr. E. H. Cooke became Headmaster, and he had the responsibility of re-organising the school upon this new basis. There is no doubt that the teaching staff who grew up in this new type of junior school at Dr. Bell's would bear witness to the genial relations which existed under Mr. Cooke's leadership until they were scattered to the corners of the world by World War 11. In 1945 the school title was again changed and since then it has been officially known as Dr. Bell's Primary Boys' School in conformity with the Education Act of 1944.

At present the school still enjoys voluntary status, but it is inevitable that in the near future some change will be necessary in view of the 1944 Act. In the Development Plan of the Bristol Education Committee, the school building is scheduled to be modernised in such a way that it will conform to the requirements of the Act, and it will then serve as a Primary Mixed School. This will involve considerable expense in these days of high costs, and will create a very serious problem for the School Managers. If they consider it a burden not beyond their powers to bear, then the school will be able to continue, as an 'aided school', to be the handmaid of the Church and to rear her children in the full Faith of our forefathers.

The important changes in the history of education in this country can be traced in the history of Dr. Bell's School. The broadening of education by the extension of the curriculum, the abolition of fees, the introduction of higher education and the Hadow Scheme, to mention just a few, can be discerned from the school log books.

EARLY DAYS

The first recorded history of the School starts in the month of March, 1863, in the earliest known existing log book of the school. In those days the schoolmaster's life seemed to be a continuous struggle with parents who showed little concern for the education of their children when they could be better occupied working in the garden planting or collecting potatoes, picking fruit, and carrying water foir the home. Between 1863 and 1888 the number of entries regarding attendance far exceeds any others. It would appear that the schoolmaster spent much of his time visiting the homes of absentees trying to persuade unwilling parents to send their boys to school, writing imploring notes and compiling lists of absentees for the School Attendance Officer, a person whose appearance is recorded for the first time during this period.

The education at Dr. Bell's in those days savours strongly of the Bell system, for the school was run by the Master with the help of Pupil Teachers and Monitors. The latter were pre-pupil teachers who received the princely emolument of 1/- per week. In addition to the education of the boys, the Master was responsible for the further education of the Pupil Teachers and Monitors as well as training them in the art of teaching. This was no easy task! The frequent references to their inability to cope with Euclid and English Grammar and such entries as these – “Nov. 4th., Pupil Teacher found letting off cannon,” “Pupil Teacher late in starting the bell,” “Monitor did not see that all was ready in the schoolroom” - indicate the varied responsibilities of the Headmaster.

It will no doubt sound strange to the parents of these days to learn that it was a regular occupation of the pupil teachers and boys to wash the school, but this fact is quite frequently recorded in the early days. One can almost hear the parent of to-day saying, “My boy isn't sent to school to scrub floors.” But in the days of Mr. George Caldwell, Dr. Bell's must have been a jolly, rollicking, noisy sort of place where boys came at times when their parents had no immediate use for them at home. It must be remembered, too, that these were the days when parents paid for their children to go to school and for them to be warmed in the winter - another load for the master to carry. How often Mr. Caldwell and his successors complain of the difficulty of collecting the ‘school pence’ and the ‘fire money’ and what triumph can be discerned when there was a good week’s takings.

The less efficient sanitary conditions of those days are reflected in outbreaks of infectious diseases. In 1864 an outbreak of smallpox was recorded, and it is worth noting that a special log entry was made in 1872 to the effect that the pupil teacher was absent from school for the purpose of being vaccinated. This must, indeed, have been of some note, for it was less than fifty years after the death of Edward Jenner and his great discovery of the wonderful vaccine. Again in 1876, an entry is made regarding an outbreak of scarletina. A little later a further entry appears, “100 cases of scarletina in the village. 12 children now lying dead,” and a few days later it was recorded that the school was closed owing to the serious nature of the epidemic. In 1883 a serious outbreak of typhoid was recorded.

It is interesting to follow the development of the material employed in the education of the children in those days. In 1865 there is an entry to the effect that five dozen slates were received, but in 1866 the upper boys had dispensed with these and very much stress was laid upon the importance of 'paper work'.. Not that this was the end of the use of slates, for as late as 1893 Her Majesty's Inspector recommended that sponges should be obtained to clean them.

Despite many circumstances that we should now consider as disadvantages, one can sense the pride which Caldwell took in the school when we read, “One of two boys sent home with his penny to say that if the school was not good enough for one, it was not good enough for the other,” and “George Phillips left school-one of the best boys - cried much in leaving - showed he loved school.” It is clear that, in its fluctuating history, under his leadership the fortune of the school was in its ascendancy.

CHANGING FORTUNES

In 1866 Caldwell resigned and was followed by two short-lived successors. The first of these, Mr. Andrew Fabian, started as the complete ‘new broom’, as references to the lateness of the boys and the noisiness of the teachers indicate. There is little of importance to report during his regime except that he seemed to have spent much time in teaching the boys to sing and that in 1868 Her Majesty's Inspectors reported unfavourably upon the work of the school, the material being used, and the Managers' neglect of the building with special mention of the offices. By way of comparison with present-day standards it is interesting to note that the discipline was reported as “too kindly.” From October, 1868, to January, 1869, the school was closed pending the appointment of a new master. Fabian was followed by Mr. James Courtenay, whose log is a continual lament on the miserable staff of teachers, and the parents’ indifference to their children’s frequent absences. It seems remarkable that parents so indifferent should themselves complain of the inefficiency of the teaching staff. Again the school was closed from September, 1870, for lack of a master.

In January, 1871, Mr. Alfred Page assumed control of the school. It appears that when Page took over the attendance was about 30 out of a possible 100, but the note of pride is unmistakable when he writes later of the attendance – “the highest since our accession to the school.” Truly he was the monarch of his school! During his period as master we find several innovations. We read of pens and blackboards and easels; we learn that for 3d. per week instead of 2d. the boys could learn drawing; we get the first mention of drill; and reference is made for the first time to the Education Department. During Page’s time St. Mary’s Church was re-opened after reconstruction. But a man of Page’s remarkable powers felt himself restricted at Dr. Bell’s and he resigned because the salary was too small.

Page was followed by Mr. Charles Goodchild, who only remained from April to October, 1873, but it was during his mastership that preparations were made for the installation of the hot-water system.

The next successor was Mr. George Lavis, who introduced Grammar and Geography into the school curriculum. In those days these were special subjects for which a separate grant was paid if the teaching of them was satisfactory. Unfortunately, Lavis did not succeed with his new subjects, for the H.M.I. report of 1875 contains the following, “It was manifest that little had been done to tame a somewhat rough set of boys . . . My Lords have ordered a deduction from the grant, under Art. 22 (b), which they have great hesitation to limiting to one tenth, considering the grave faults of the instruction.”

Lavis was followed in January of 1876 by Mr. Robert Wright who retained charge of the school for the next seven years. He appears to have been a person of considerable ability which led to no great success if the annual H.M.I. reports for that period are a true guide. He certainly seems to have applied himself, for he writes, “reading not marked with so many provincial vulgarisms as formerly,” and in connection with singing, “great difficulty in softening the harsh dissonant tones of their voices.” He, too, bad to contend with the problem of attendance. In 1877 he writes, “Great difficulty in getting the boys together in time. Parents totally unconcerned about the matter, and appear to regard any remonstrance as an interference.” He was able, however, to look forward to one improvement and that was the removal of the infants, for the H.M.I.'s agreed that it was undesirable that they should continue to receive instruction at the school on account of the accommodation. The following scathing extracts from the contemporary reports indicate the state to, which the school had come: “The echo in the room is very unfortunate, but I am not convinced that it is not aggravated by the noisy style of teaching in which Mr. Wright and his coadjutors indulge,” “At last I am happy to be able to say a good word for this school . . . much remains to be done to bring the school up to a fair average level . . . Some part of the improvement is more apparent than real,” and “with allowance for the difficulties of Fishponds - . . If Mr. Wright’s undoubted ability were seconded by really earnest working, I am sure that the school would soon show a different tone, and a far higher standard of attainment.”

The two main events of this period were the removal of the infants from the boys’ school in 1880, when they were transferred to the new Infants’ Room opened at the College School, and a new home for Dr. Bell’s. In January of 1882 the following entry is found – “It having been decided by the Committee that the accommodation at Dr. Bell’s Schoolroom was not altogether suited to the requirements of the present number of scholars the Rev. A. B. Day placed at the disposal of the Committee more desirable premises known as the Assembly Rooms. This afternoon the scholars were given a half holiday while the school furniture and material were removed to the latter place,” and on the following day the school began work in the new building. The explanation of this entry is that temporary alternative accommodation was found elsewhere. This accommodation was provided at the Fishponds Assembly Rooms, a building which has now ceased to exist, but in those days stood on the comer of what is now Victoria Park. By about 1894 the original Dr. Bell's building had been enlarged by the addition of three extra classrooms on the north side facing the playground, and the school resumed occupation. During the twelve years' interim Dr. Bell's building had been used as the local &Is' school. One other thing to be noted was the alteration of the fees. These were raised from 2d. to 3d. per week, but where there were two or more brothers at school they were 3d. for the eldest and 2d. for each of the others.

When Wright resigned in September of 1883 he was succeeded by Mr. Arthur Rickard, who was most certainly the outstanding master of this period of the school’s history. For several years he had to contend with the problems of lateness and irregularity, but there is little doubt that he fought a winning fight. One of his first entries states – “In this Standard (Std. 1), out of over 70 boys, the average attendance is only 43.7," and "It is a difficult task to remedy this irregularity, for to 'enforce the law' means to drive the scholars into the 'dame schools'." The reason for this was that by now it had become an offence under the law for children to be absent from school. This might be avoided if the child were sent to a 'dame school' or private school, for these were not recognised by the Board of Education.

Each year, however, showed a steadily improving attendance and standard of work. As early as 1885 the school was awarded the 'Excellent' Merit Grant and this general improvement in the standard of work of the school was consistently maintained. It makes very pleasant reading to learn of the mounting attendance, the improvement of the teaching staff and the raising of the educational level which resulted from the continued efforts of Rickard. A point of interest during this period is the appearance for the first time of a woman on the staff of Dr. Bell's. This person was a Miss Marsden who was appointed in. July of 1886 and resigned her appointment in October of that year. It was also about this time that the first report is made of students from Fishponds Diocesan Training College using the school for practice purposes. In 1916 Mr. Arthur Rickard, who had been headmaster of the school since 1883, died in harness. His headmastership had lasted 33 years and the school owes much to Mr. Rickard who devoted his life to its well-being. He was succeeded by Mr. John Seaborne, who remained Head of the school until his retirement 10 years later. Mr. Seaborne may be remembered, too, for the voluntary work he did in the Bristol Diocese in connection with Church Schools and religious education after his retirement from the teaching service.

THE MIRROR OF HISTORY

An account of the school would, it is felt, be incomplete without reference to how contemporary events and conditions were, to some extent, reflected in the life of the school. Thus we learn that the school received a holiday on the 8th. December, 1864, to mark the opening of the Suspension Bridge, and on the 19th. March, 1866, there was considerable absence among the boys as a result of the opening of Fishponds Station. In 1867 we are reminded of an industry now lost to this part of the country by the entry - "annual excursion of the pitmen of the neighbourhood."

Wars and rum ours of wars have always been with us, and as 1871 saw the end of the Franco-Prussian War we find, not unexpectedly, that the boys wrote a letter about the 'late' war. The visit of Royalty was of as much interest in 1878 as it is to-day. Consequently we are not surprised to find that the school numbers were so low that it was necessary to declare a holiday on the llth. July, when the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, attended them Royal Agricultural Show at Bristol. A trade depression with its resultant unemployment in 1880 led to the following entry – “The depression in the stone cutting, building and other trades in this locality is exercising a very detrimental influence on the school. Over 60 boys attended this week without payment. Parents say it is quite impossible to send money, though I think that some set up the plea of poverty merely to evade paying the fee.”

Sport, too, has always had its following, and on the 27th. September of the same year the school was given a half holiday as most of the boys had gone to witness the funeral of the cricketer, Mr. G. F. Grace, a kinsman of the famous "W.G." Later we come to that highlight of the nineteenth century, the Queen's Jubilee, in the year 1887. In June we read that the Pupil Teachers' Examination was postponed to July on account of the celebrations, and on Monday, 20th. June, the school was given a holiday for the Jubilee. The schools of Fishponds, Stapleton and Eastville are reported to have met at Stoke for the Jubilee tea and amusements.

On 16th October, 1888, we find that the school fees for the week amounted to £2 2s. 2½ d.. and it is amusing to note that about this time the school received a gift of two hundred and twenty copies of "Answers" from the proprietors of the paper. These were to be used in the upper standards as additional reading matter. In 1891 the school ceased to collect fees and free education for all had arrived. School meals can hardly be regarded as novel, for on February 22nd. 1895, it is noted that "over 150 boys were supplied with dinners at the Parish Room to-day." This compares favourably with the number served in these days.

The 18th. June, 1897, was a day of rejoicing in this country for it was the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of Queen Victoria. Accordingly the school was closed for the day. A year later, the headmaster complained that "The Electric Tramway construction makes the school very noisy and interferes with work." A touch of humour creeps occasionally into the log book, as when on the 24th. April, 1899, the headmaster records, "Barnum and Bailey's Circus. Very few boys at school." Elderly readers may recall the Royal visit to Bristol in November, 1899. On this occasion the scholars enjoyed a three days' holiday.

The years pass on and an event of civic importance is recorded on the 8th. July, 1908, when the log entry reads, "Holiday to-morrow. Royal visit to Bristol. Opening of the King Edward Dock at Avonmouth."

Not many years ago East Bristol was an important coal producing area and the underground workings of the pits are reported to extend beyond Stapleton. Evidence of the importance of coalmining is revealed by the entry dated 26th. March, 1912, "Several more dinner tickets to-day@oal strike apparently being severely felt." On the 9th. July, 1913, Fishponds was in festive mood for a carnival was held to help defray the cost of the Hannah More Hall. Presumably this refers to the fine building now known as the St. Mary's Parish Hall.

The first Great World War broke out when the school was on holiday, but its effects on the life of the school were not long delayed for on 31st. August, 1914, it is reported that "several parents, wish their boys to leave school and earn money owing to the war." The 7th. August, 1915, found the main Fishponds Road beflagged and crowded with people to honour the late King George and Queen Mary as they passed through Fishponds on a visit to the wounded soldiers at Beaufort Hospital., On the 7th. June, 1916, the school flag was flown at half-mast to mark the death of Lord Kitchener.

It is amusing to read that on the 18th. January, 1918, as a result of a heavy snow-storm during the night, the headmaster took the boys into the playground for a snowball fight from 10.30 to 11 a.m. This 'lesson' does not appear to have been repeated. Whether this was due to the absence of snow or the excellent marksmanship of the boys will never be known. Towards the end of 1918 the headmaster complained about the poor attendance and attributed this to, food queues. The end of hostilities was not recorded in the school log, for the great influenza epidemic, which had spread from the continent to this country, had caused all schools to be closed for several weeks. A school concert was held on the 20th. December, 1918, and several old boys, home on leave from the Navy, attended and "gave the boys some good advice." Having had some experience of sailors' advice, one wonders how 'good' it really was.

In August, 1922, the school was divided into an Upper and Lower School and two months later it was decided that a school cap should be introduced. No mention is made of the designer of the badge which is still in use today. During 1923 frequent allusions to the interference with organised games by local 'out-of-works' at Hillfields Park are a reflection of the economic conditions prevailing at that time. The year 1924 was notable for two events. The first was the decoration of the school during the August holiday, and the other was the visit to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley by a school party in September. Queen Alexandra's death on 23rd. November, 1925, is mentioned and a memorial service was held four days later.

The General Strike of 1926, the Silver Jubilee, the Coronation, the closure of The school on the outbreak of World War 11, the departure of most of the male teaching staff on active service-a blow from which the school took some years to recover-air-raid alerts and evacuation are among the more recent events which have shaped the history of Dr. Bell's. The arduous years of the second World War, borne so courageously and cheerfully by Mr. Edwin Cooke, formed the closing act of his twelve years' mastership of the school.

A LIVING COMMUNITY

It would not be fitting to close this history without making mention of the loyalty the school has received from the teaching staff4 Like all schools, of course, teachers have come and gone, but it is unlikely that there are many schools where teachers have remained to serve for so long. To single out any special teachers might prove an injustice to others, but many old scholars of the school will cherish memories of teachers who gave almost the whole of their teaching lives to the welfare of the school, not only inside the classroom, but in those many extraneous duties undertaken voluntarily solely for the welfare of the boys. It must be remembered that a school depends almost entirely upon the selfless service of its teachers, and its continuity is maintained by those who serve so loyally despite changes of fortune. A story such as this goes to show( that Dr. Bell's is much more than a building: it is a living organism whose growth and history are a reflection of the fortunes and misfortunes, the joys and sorrows of the community of Fishponds which it has served so faithfully for a hundred years, and which, by God's grace, it will continue to serve with undiminished zeal.

MASTERS OF DR. BELL'S SCHOOL