The Pupils’ Memorial

The Pupils’ Memorial was erected in memory of those boys who died at the School during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It may be found in the churchyard of All Saints’ Parish Church, which is in Church Lane in Witley village, near the junction with Petworth Road. Church Lane is on the left hand side, less than a mile from the school, immediately opposite The White Hart public house; and the memorial is in the extreme north east corner of the churchyard.

For many years the memorial was carefully tended by Bertie and Rosemary Mawer, but subsequently much of the stone surround was becoming detached, and it was also being invaded by ivy and brambles. In 2010 this was cleared, overgrown trees were cut back and the paths were also cut and tidied.  Since then, as the result of an appeal, it has been possible to reset the stone edging and also re-cut the names, this time onto granite plaques. It is hoped that pupils from the school will maintain it in the future as part of their community service work.

The restoration work cost £5,700, much of which came from the OW community – a big thank you to all who contributed. If you feel able to help out, even in a small way, please visit our Pupils’ Memorial Restoration Appeal page.

Looking at the names and ages of these young people reminds us how fragile life was in that period and how fortunate we are today, with improved diet and medical care.  It is intended to produce a register of all those remembered on the memorial, which will be kept at the school.  Below are the original inscriptions on the three faces of the Memorial; the updated version will replace this as soon as available.