The Ascham Memorial Arch Meads Eastbourne.


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ASCHAM ST VINCENTS MEMORIAL ARCH
The Ascham Memorial Arch Carlisle Road Meads	Plaque on Memorial Arch reads: ASCHAM Members of the Old Aschamian Society Gratefully record that on this ground there thrived Ascham St. Vincent's Preparatory School From 1889 to 1939 and Ascham, the College Preparatory School From 1946 to 1977	Ascham St. Vincent's Carlisle Road Meads
RESTORATION TO COMMENCE SPRING 2009 FUNDS STILL NEEDED Due to an over-run of other contracts by the masons, work on the arch will not begin until the Spring of 2009. Sufficient funds have been raised to permit a start to be made on the restoration. But there remains a shortfall and it is hoped that the necessary funds will be forthcoming before completion.
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An inspired choice of name, Roger Ascham was tutor to Lady Jane Grey in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a fellow of St. Johns College Cambridge, whose emblem is the Eagle of the Fourth Evangelist. In 1889 the Rev. William Newcombe Willis, a graduate of St. Johns Cambridge, was appointed curate at the parish church of Eastbourne. He and his wife decided to use their house in Selwyn Road as a small school called Ascham. Later larger premises were acquired in St. Ann's Road. In 1908 Ascham took over St. Vincent's in Carlisle Road. By 1914 there were 49 boys' prep schools in Eastbourne and a similar number for girls. Ascham was very successfull in preparing boys for prestigious public schools and obtaining scholarships; in 8 out of 10 consecutive years a boy gained a place as a Kings Scholar at Eton. The headmaster who had played for Eastbourne Football Club from 1889 to 1904, part of that time as captain, was very keen on sport for the school, including shooting. The Rev. Willis was extremely well supported by his wife and at certain times by some of their 7 children. It was clear his eldest son would eventually take over. He retired in 1927 after 38 years as headmaster. Eldest son becomes new Headmaster Arthur Willis joined the Royal Navy Division the day before WW1 was declared and served on the expedition to Antwerp and subsequently Gallipoli, where he was badly wounded. After a year's convalescence he was able to rejoin the Forces with a commission in the Royal Garrison Artillery. After the war he joined the newly formed Royal Tank Corp and served until he completed ten years in the Forced with the rank of Captain. He had one year at Cambridge before the war and returned to complete his M.A. degree. He was the army high jump champion and represented his country at this sport in the 1924 Olympics. Many good years continued at Ascham St. Vincent's with leavers successfully passing entrance exams to public schools of their choice and scolarships being won to Eaton, Malvern and Eastbourne colleges. In 1938 captain Willis had concerns about the threatening situation in Europe. He closed and sold the school. He returned to the Royal Tank Corp and later was promoted to Major. Eastbourne College purchased the land and buildings of Ascham St. Vincent's. It was used from 1939 by Crosby House, a boarding house of the college. On 20th June 1940 the college moved out of Eastbourne bound for Radley and the Royal Navy (H.M.S. Marlborough) took over all the college buildings. Autumn 1945 marked the return to Eastbourne and the Ascham St. Vincent's site was opened as the college prep school "Ascham" in May 1946. In 1977 the site was sold for property development and a merger with St. Andrews took place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ASCHAM 1889 - 1989 Those named on the memorial arch:
Plaque 1 Frederick De Vere Bruce Allfrey Robert Craig MacFarlane Francis Ellerton Levita Jacob Edward Pleydell-Bouverie Francis Earl Annesley Michael George Stocks William Beresford Gossett Felix Charles Hubert Hanbury-Tracy Maurice Alfred Alexander Darby Gerard Humphrey Morrison Hugh Arthur Grenville Malet	Plaque 2 Phillip Brydges Henriques John Fergusson Franks Oliver Emanuel Noel Charles Henderson George King Molineux Reginald William Phillipps Derrick Alfred Carden Hugh Antrobus Sidney Maxwell Innes Cross John Munro Milton Lionel Clement Mundey Robert Ellis Cunliffe Frank Nairne MacLaren Wilfred Jervis Davis Henry Frederick Schall	Plaque 3 Charles Kingston Butler John Eadred Tollemache Richard Nickolas Dilberoglue Harry Featherstonehaugh Edward Henry Fitz-roy Hercules Ralph Langrishe Edward Hawley Edward Barry Maule Reginard Douglas Berry Guy Kemble Twiss Richard Grain Humphreys Scarlin Lasenby
Major William Guy Harington	Plaque 4 William Guy Harington Geoffrey Miles Wilkinson David Keith Finnimore Edward Gerald Lawton Augustus Dilberoglue Frederick Hugh Geoffrey Trumble William Henry Alfred Fitz-roy Viscount Ipswitch Owen Neville Lyte John Graham Wilkinson Graham Spicer Joseph Case Derrick Osborne George Edward Davis	Captain Edward Gerald Lawton
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	The arch is dedicated to the memory of the 51 Ascham St. Vincent's pupils who fell in the Great War. Their names are inscribed on four plaques on the memorial arch and due to errosion the inscriptions are now almost lost and require restoration. A restoration fund has been set up with the intention of installing new plaques to match the existing. The fund will include assistance from English Heritage. If you would like to contribute towards the restoration of the Memorial Arch in memory of those pupils of Ascham St. Vincent's college, many of whom were local men, please donate to: "The Ascham Arch Restoration Fund" c/o David Stephens Chelmsford Lodge 12 Granville Road Eastbourne East Sussex BN20 7HE Please make cheques payable to "The Ascham Arch Restoration Fund"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Meads website acknowledges with thanks: Researcher Mr J Massey Portrait images Park Lane Press 36, Park Street London W1Y 4DE © Meads Digital Arts