50th Anniversary Legacy

Due to the COVID pandemic our plans for our 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2020 had to be postponed however on Thursday 15th July 2021 the school was finally able to celebrate this special milestone.

A small number of VIPs were invited to join the school staff for an afternoon tea outside in the Quad to the sound of military bagpipes. Piper Jim Bell (Irish Guards) played a selection of military music chosen especially for their connections to Lord Wavell before the official unveiling of 'Legacy', a bronze sculpture made especially to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Click to listen!

Legacy

Legacy was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of The Wavell School.

The land was donated by Earl Wavell specifically to have a school built on it. Education was very important to him both during his military career and in his life in general.

The portrait of him was sculpted using images provided by Owen Humphrys, Lord Wavell’s grandson. The text is from the poem “Man’s Testament” by Adam Lindsay Gordon, which is in “Other Men’s Flowers” a collection of poetry selected by Lord Wavell.

On the bookmark are the national flowers of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom/Great Britain. The rose for England, the thistle for Scotland, the daffodil for Wales and the shamrock for (Northern) Ireland.

On the back of the book are a collection of badges which all have a connection to Wavell, the school and the man, and in connection to Aldershot being the Home of the British Army.

From left to right:

1) The Royal Army Physical Training Corps

2) The Royal Army Medical Corps

3) The Royal Engineers

4) The Black Watch (Earl Wavell’s regiment)

5) The Royal Hampshire Regiment

6) The Royal Logistic Corps

7) The Gurkhas’

On the sides of the book are some dandelion clocks blowing in the wind. The dandelion clock has come to symbolise military children as they fly around the world and put down roots wherever they land. There is a Hawk jet to symbolise the links to what used to be the Royal Aircraft Establishment on Farnborough Airfield.

Around the plinth are 50 figures for each of the 50 years that are being celebrated by this sculpture. There are 14 Military figures. Each one has a uniform with the correct number of buttons and other regalia detail on them, some are current, some are historical and are taken from when Lord Wavell was a serving officer.

The other figures around the plinth are a mixture of students, teachers and parents.

Legacy joins our 40th anniversary sculpture, 'The Hug'  in the Quad and we were delighted that the sculptor of both, and former Wavell student, Ellinor Atkinson was on hand to cut the ribbon with Headteacher, Ms Rowley.

2020-21 Head boy, Will Phippen, read ‘Man’s Testament’, an extract of which is inscribed on the sculpture and this was followed by a speech from Lord Wavell's grandson Owen Humphrys.

50TH ANNIVERSARY GALLERY

Prize Giving 2021

Unfortunately due to travel restrictions our guest speaker was unable to attend in person however this did not stop him from being a part of our celebrations. John Sudworth, China correspondent for the BBC and Wavell alumni class of 1986 produced a very special video which was shown to all of our students during special 50th Anniversary Prize Giving Assemblies which were held the following day on Friday 16th July.

Congratulations to all of our Prize Winners...

You can find a full list of all Prize Winners in the Programme below

50th Anniversary Legacy and Prize Giving Programme