@abingdon_school @abingdonschool @abingdonschool linkedin.com/school/abingdonschool FSC logo Lorem ipsum The Abingdon Foundation, Park Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1DE Edited by Julia Cooke - [email protected] 01235 521563 The National Gallery celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. OA William Boxall (1800-79) became its second director in 1866. During his tenure, he expanded the collection to include Michelangelo’s unfinished Virgin and Child with Saint John and Angels (c1497), Piero della Francesca’s St Michael (c1469), and 70 Dutch masters from Sir Robert Peel’s collection. Out of the Past Abingdon The archive website was launched last term. If you are interested in finding out more about the stories on this page or any other aspect of the School’s past, please visit: archives.abingdon.org.uk Archive website and catalogue Remembering Normandy Truth and friendship A piece of the school’s past came back into its possession last term – a cask commissioned by James Cobban, Head 1947-70, as part of our quatercentenary celebrations. Coopered by Morlands of Abingdon, filled with sherry by Fergusons of Reading, the cask was rowed up river by members of the Boat Club and the sherry shared with the Mayor and Corporation of Abingdon on the eve of the celebrations. By holding this event, Cobban was consciously echoing the Corporation’s gift to John Roysse of a ‘hogshead of wyne’ following his 1563 endowment of the school. This too had been brought up river by boat. The Latin inscription on the cask, in vino veritas necnon concordia, translates as, in wine lies truth and friendship too. Eighty years after the Normandy invasion, we remembered those Old Abingdonians who took part in the campaign. On D-Day (6 June 1944) John Viney led his squadron in an attack on the coastal battery at Maisy. Brian Healy captained a landing craft carrying a commando regiment onto Sword Beach. Gerald Cooper, who taught art at Abingdon, brought in another landing craft. John Clark, serving with the Royal Engineers, landed and was wounded that same day. Ian Holland came ashore on Sword - he was killed the next day. Denis Holme landed on Juno - he was killed on 9 August in Operation Bluecoat. His brother had been killed in May 1940. Bill Giles and Dennis Hillier served in the Royal Armoured Corps, coming ashore on 14 and 16 June respectively. They were killed two weeks later, 29 and 30 June, in Operation Epsom. An OA at the National Gallery John Viney Brian Healy John Clark Ian Holland Dennis Hillier Bill Giles Denis Holme Gerald Cooper
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