HISTORY of FETTES COLLEGE

The first three of these articles appeared in the 1932, 1953 and 1970 Fettes Registers and give an account as at that time and not the present. They should be read in this context. Robert Philp has kindlily written a similar History for the post 1970 period, as well as editing the earlier versions - may he be forgiven for such impertinence. For a proper history of the school, why not purchase Robert's ' Keen Wind Blows' - see OFA Index for details.

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A HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL, 1870-1932

Written for the Sixth Edition of the Register

By

LT.-COL. NORMAN MACLEOD, C.M.G., C.B.H., D.S.O., (O.F.)

President Old Fettesian Association, 1932

THE FETTES ENDOWMENT with its College on the lands of Comely Bank, Edinburgh, owes its existence to the benevolence of the late Sir William FETTES, Bart., of Comely Bank and Redcastle.

The Founder's grandfather was William Fettes of Laurencekirk in the County of Kincardine, who married Ann Fraser, by whom he had four sons and a daughter. The youngest son, William Fettes, settled in Edinburgh and prospered as a merchant there. In 1749 he married Margaret Rae, daughter of James Rae, surgeon in Edinburgh. His oldest son, our Founder, was born in Edinburgh on 25th June 1750. He was sent, at the early age of eight, to the High School, and at eighteen he commenced business as a wine and tea merchant in Smith's Land, High Street. The site of his shop is on the right-hand side of the opening of Paisley Close on the north side of the High Street. Here was the beginning of a long and prosperous career.

William Fettes' life covered a period of great economic expansion in Scotland. The City of Edinburgh shared fully in the now prosperity; in the thirty years before the outbreak of the Napoleonic wars it had grown rapidly, and its population had become as large as that of any city, except London, in the United Kingdom. The long wars which followed, though in many directions they hampered trade, necessarily brought great opportunities for able and enterprising merchants.

William Fettes entered into all the activities of a successful man of commerce of that time. From the shop in Smith's Land his business grew to great dimensions. He established profitable trade connections in Durham, Leeds and Newcastle, and became an underwriter and a contractor for military stores. He was a large shareholder in the British Linen Company, of which he became a Director in 1800. He entered the Town Council, held office as Bailie, and in 1800 was elected Lord Provost, holding the office for two years; and he was re-elected (Lord Provost) in 1805. He was also Master of the Merchants' Company 1798 and a Governor of Watson's Hospital. The records of the Court of Justiciary disclose that he, along with the Founder of Donaldson's Hospital and William Creech, Burns' Edinburgh publisher, was a member of the jury which, in 1788, convicted Deacon Brodie, the 'hero' of "The Double Life", by Henley and Stevenson. Lord Braxfield, Stevenson's 'Weir of Hermiston', was the presiding judge.

William Fettes retired from business in 1800, and thenceforward devoted himself mainly to the management of the considerable landed estates which he had acquired. The principal of these were Comely Bank, Edinburgh; Redcastle, Invernessshire; Arnsheen, Ayrshire; Denbrae, Fife; and Gogar Bank, Midlothian. But his energies were not confined to his business and the making of money. He took a deep interest in the welfare of his native city and in many public charities as well as in the improvement of his estates. He entertained largely at his town house in Charlotte Square, then one of the finest residential districts of Edinburgh. The estate of Redcastle stretched for nine miles along the shores of the Moray Firth. He did much to improve this property and the condition of the people by rebuilding the houses and farms, planting, draining and enriching the soil. At Kessock, where there is a ferry connecting the north side of the Firth with Inverness, he spent a large sum of money in building piers and purchasing a steamer to replace the old rowing boats. Unfortunately, the steamer was not a success, as the people were too poor to afford to pay the fares, but he ran it for several years at a considerable loss. It was then replaced by sailing boats large enough to accommodate carriages and horses; with these he hoped to 'console the natives for being deprived of the luxury of a steam boat'. He made what must have been about the first macadamised roads on his estate at Arnsheen in Ayrshire, copying 'Mr. McAdam the inventor of the new plan of road making', who had the property adjacent. From these activities it may be seen that he was an able, generous, and public-spirited man, anxious to improve the condition of those around him, with a farseeing mind ready to accept and apply the latest inventions of his time. Like most gentlemen of that period he was attached to the Church of Scotland, in which he took an active interest.

The dignity of a Baronetcy was conferred on William Fettes in 1804. He had married Maria Malcolm, daughter of Dr. John Malcolm, of Ayr, in March 1787. Their only issue was William Fettes, born on the 31st December 1787. This son, whose portrait by Raeburn hangs outside Chapel, was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1810. Five years later he died in Berlin. Lady Fettes died on 7th May 1836, and Sir William survived her barely three weeks. He died on 27th May 1836, and was buried near the grave of his father in the churchyard of the Canongate Church. (On Sunday, 25th June 1950, the 200th anniversary of the Founder's birth, a special service was hold at the Canongate Church and was attended by the whole School and by many parents and Governors. Afterwards wreaths were laid on the tomb by the President of the Old Fettesian Association and the Chairman of the Governors.) Here many other Scottish worthies are buried, including Adam Smith, author of "The Wealth of Nations", and Allan Ramsay the poet. His tomb is marked by the sombre stateliness of a massive mausoleum behind the church.

Sir William Fettes was devoted to his son, and after his death, having no children of his own to succeed him, he decided to leave the bulk of his fortune, gained by his industry and ability, for the purposes of assisting children with their education. Under his Will, dated 1830, and several codicils, he appointed Lady Fettes; Mrs. Bruce (his sister); Thomas Corrie, Esq., Manager of the British Linen Company's Bank; Alex. Wood, Esq., Advocate (afterwards Lord Wood); Andrew Rutherfurd, Esq. (afterwards Lord Rutherfurd), as his Trustees. Lady Fettes and Mrs. Bruce having predeceased him, the duties devolved on the remaining Trustees.

After making payment of certain legacies and annuities to relatives and poor dependents, and bequests to charitable institutions, his Will declares: 'It is my intention that the residue of my whole Estate should form an Endowment for the maintenance, education and outfit of young people whose parents have either died without leaving sufficient funds for that purpose, or who from innocent misfortune during their lives, are unable to give suitable education to their children'. He very wisely gave his Trustees most ample and unlimited powers for the making of regulations and general management of the funds.

The trust funds, which at Sir William Fettes' death amounted to over £166,000, were allowed to accumulate until 1863. The Trustees then decided that the time had arrived when they could carry out the benevolent intentions of the Founder in a becoming manner. Contracts were entered into for the erection of Fettes College according to designs prepared by David Bryce, Esq., R.S.A. The Trustees also adopted regulations for the management of the Endowment, and 'they ventured to express a confident hope that the Institution would supply a want among the Educational Establishments of Scotland and will secure for the memory of the Founder the respect and gratitude not only of the present but of future generations'. The regulations provided for 50 boys on the Foundation and 50 non-Foundationers. Thus from the outset the advantage of associating boys on the Foundation on an equal footing with the other boys was foreseen and provided for.

While on this subject it may be of interest to mention that the use of the Endowment was examined under the Educational Endowments (Scotland) Act of 1882 and, as a result, a scheme was approved in 1886 which has remained unaltered to the present day. (During this enquiry certain citizens of Edinburgh claimed that the intentions of the Founder had not been carried out and that Fettes should be either an orphanage or a day school. They briefed as their Counsel Mr. Campbell Lorimer, Q.C. He was unsuccessful in his case, but his eldest daughter married a Fettesian and their son is the present Headmaster. The scheme was modified in 1965.) By this scheme the School may admit any number of fee-paying pupils who, however, may not be a charge on the Foundation. The funds of the Endowment must be used to give free places to 12 Foundation Scholars and to as many Foundationers as the funds may allow from year to year. Foundation Scholars must be boys who have spent the three previous years at least in Scottish State-aided Schools; Foundationers are those whose parents have died or are unable 'through innocent misfortune' to give their sons the education they had intended. (This part of the scheme is in line with the recommendations made 50 years later in the Fleming Report.)

It would be hard to imagine a finer situation than that chosen for the College on the ridge overlooking the valley towards the Pentland Hills and Edinburgh (Urbs Regina Urbium) with Arthur's Seat, the Castle Rock and many buildings and steeples of the old town silhouetted against the sky. But the farseeing Trustees not only discovered the site - they found an architect, David Bryce, who made the most of his opportunity. He did not scatter his resources but produced a single building which gives at one and the same time the effect of serenity and massive strength - and a nearer view discloses a richness of detail in pillar and gargoyle, including the delicacy and adorable daintiness of the Chapel with its pinnacles, buttresses and gilded bees on its roof. The grounds and plantations surrounding the School were laid out in a way to harmonise with the buildings, thanks mainly to Mr. Campbell Swinton, one of the early Trustees, who was an enthusiastic authority on arboriculture. The beauty of the flowering trees in the spring time or in the autumn when they are clothed in rich browns; the wonderful view of Edinburgh and the Castle Rock outlined against a summer sky; or in winter, the twinkling lamps and lighted windows of the old grey city must have a lasting effect on every boy who enters the School, and create, possibly unconsciously, a spirit of love and affection for the place which will last throughout his life.

The Fettes Endowment had been fortunate in the outstanding men who have ungrudgingly devoted their time and great abilities in advancing its welfare. But Fettesians owe a special debt of gratitude to those Trustees who conceived the ideals on which the School was founded and who drew up the regulations for carrying them out. Their names were: Lord Wood (the only survivor of the original Trustees), the Hon. Justice-Clerk Inglis (afterwards Lord Glencorse, Lord President), the Hon. Bouverie Francis Primrose, Mr. David Anderson, of Moredun, and Mr. Archibald Campbell Swinton, of Kimmerghame. Of these the chief, by the prestige of his office, the pre-eminence of his intellectual powers, and his large experience of public affairs, was John Inglis. He was the greatest Advocate and Judge of his time, and one of the greatest of all time. It was in a large measure due to his interest in the Trust and to his forceful and commanding mind that the Fettes Foundation took the form it now bears. That a school modelled on the lines of the English Public Schools should find a place in the Capital was a new idea to Scotland and aroused considerable antagonism at first. But results soon justified the decision of the Trustees; the School quickly gained in honourable reputation not only in Edinburgh and Scotland, but in the older universities of England also.

The Trustees held office till 1886, when an Order in Council constituted a Body of Governors to take their place. The only defect about this Constitution was that no Governor represented the School. This was rectified in 1926, when the Governors petitioned the Court of Session for power to appoint an additional Governor who was required to be an Old Fettesian. The prayer of the Petition was granted, and Mr. Alfred A. Lawrie (1896) was duly appointed the first O.F. Governor.

On the 5th October 1870 the College was opened with 42 boys in Schoolhouse and 11 boys in Moredun House (then called Glencorse). Dr. A. W. Potts was appointed Headmaster. He came with a great reputation from Rugby, where he had been Sixth Form Master. He was educated at Shrewsbury, where he was the embodiment of all that was best in indoor and outdoor life - Head of the School amongst memorable scholars, Captain of Football and Stroke of the Boat. The Trustees very wisely decided that the Head should not be a House Master, and that House Masters should not be hotel-keepers,. Boys from all Houses therefore had all their meals in the School Dining Hall, and the catering was entrusted to a special staff under the Headmaster's supervision. The School at first was divided into three forms, which worked in three classrooms on the second floor. Two years later Carrington House (then called Dalmeny) was opened, and was followed by Glencorse in 1873. The Chapel was completed and finished at Easter 1872. Previously services were held in the Sixth Form classroom, where also the speeches on the first Founder's Day were made.

In 1874 Moredun Crescent was built, Nos. 5 and 6 being used as an extra Sickhouse (demolished in 1969 when 'West Woods' houses were built). The Swimming Baths were opened in 1878. Prior to that date the whole School used to dash down after tea on Tuesdays to the Pitt Street baths on the other side of the Water of Leith. The original baths were burnt down in 1889 and were replaced by the present buildings. Owing to an outbreak of diphtheria in the summer of 1883, the School migrated to Windermere and occupied buildings which had at one time been designed for a college. Everyone enjoyed the unusual experience. Apart from class work, it was very much of a picnic. Driving and walking expeditions were organised and many famous peaks were climbed, while boating and bathing in the lake added to the novelty of the situation. The inhabitants were very good to the boys, for whom they expressed their high regard. Unfortunately, a shadow was cast over everyone's happiness when it was learnt that Mrs. Potts and her young son had died from the disease. Mrs. Potts was a most motherly person to the small boys and her quiet influence over those invited to join the homely house life at the Lodge was a most valuable asset to the School. She was also a fine musician and did much to encourage music in the School. The following year a stained glass window was placed in the chancel of the Chapel to her memory. On the return from Windermere, Kimmerghame House was opened at Moredun Crescent.

It was not long before the School made a name for itself in scholarship and athletic prowess. Wren, the famous coach, when consulted by a father in search of a school for his son, said: 'Send him to Fettes; the education there seems to be perhaps the best that I know of'. The life at the School for many a long year was severely spartan and simple. The day started after 1876 at 7am in summer and 7.30 in winter. There was no central heating system and in winter the dormitories were icy cold. The windows were kept open and only on very rare occasions, once or twice in the winter term, were fires lighted after the floors had been washed. Round tin tubs kept below the bed supplied the daily cold bath; even when the water was frozen it was a point of honour to break the ice and indulge in such a bath as the conditions allowed. Then came the frenzied run on empty stomachs to early School against the full blast of the bitter winds. The trees had not then grown sufficiently to give any protection. The classrooms, unless one was lucky enough to get close to the fire, were draughty and cold.

Breakfast after first School consisted of porridge and skimmed milk, along with a good supply of bread, but with only one pat of butter. Occasionally there was added a thin slice of cold meat or an egg. Classes went on till Dinner at 1pm, which consisted of a joint and some sort of pudding; on Sundays always an apple dumpling. The afternoon was devoted to games. The changing-rooms were somewhat dark and there was only a supply of cold water in the basin with which to wash off the mud. School started again at 4 and continued till 6; then tea in the Houses, consisting of bread and butter. On Sundays boys were allowed to supply their own jam, which could be bought from the Matron. After tea there was 'prep' and prayers, followed by supper composed of porridge or bread and cheese (no butter) with a glass of milk. Every boy received four threepenny pieces as pocket money on Saturday, if he was lucky enough not to have something stopped off for breakages, etc. No one was supposed to get money sent from home. This allowance was generally spent in Haddow's dairy, which was open at certain hours for the sale of cream, scones or wafers and jam, also strawberries and cream in summer. No ices or sweets were allowed to be sold. Such supplies from the dairy, along with cocoa, etc., brewed over the study fires, helped to fill in the void left by the rather meagre fare. That it was really sufficient was proved by the physical development of the boys, and their success against other schools at games. It was able to produce football team averaging over 12 stone, and no doubt enabled many to abuse their digestions afterwards longer than they would otherwise have been able to do!

Dr. Potts died at the Lodge on 15th November 1889. It would be difficult to overstate the debt that the School owes to him. A tall man, possessed of an undefinably majestic presence, which, possibly at first, rather overawed a small boy, with a calm broad brow, most wonderful eyes, full of truth and steadfastness, poetry and kindness, he seemed to read one's inmost thoughts. He was gifted with the uncommon type of mind which belongs to the practical idealist, and he was a strong believer in the system of Prefects, whom he trusted with considerable responsibility and was not disappointed. It was this system, as developed at Fettes, which has kept the moral tone of the School high and has largely prevented bullying. Though he was a great scholar and an equally great teacher, he was above all a lover of character. He said on one occasion, and meant it, that he would lay down his life then and there if by so doing he could ensure that the boys would all lead pure and noble lives. His sermons in Chapel planted the seeds of true religion in many immature minds. While he accepted the symbols and conventions of orthodoxy he went beyond and above them. He lifted his hearers into a region where dogma counted for little, duty for much. On his death-bed he sent the following message to the School: 'I wish as a dying man to record that loving kindness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life: that firm faith in God is the sole firm stay in mortal life: that all other ideas but Christ are illusory: and that duty is the one and sole thing worth living for'. This message was read in Chapel by the Head Boy (A. H. Grant) a few hours after Dr. Potts' death; it is a beautiful summary of his own belief and practice. A tablet bearing these last words has since been gifted to the School by Old Fettesians of Dr. Potts' time and erected in the Chapel. Well and truly did he lay the foundations on which the character of the School has been built.

The Rev. Dr. Heard was appointed Headmaster on Dr. Potts' death. He had already been a Master at Fettes before going to Westminster School. Although a firm disciplinarian and fine scholar, he was outwardly rather austere, at any rate in the eyes of the younger boys, but he had a great gift of humour which endeared him to the boys when they came to know him better. He was trusted and honoured because he was always just and fair to everyone alike, and helped in the most kindly and considerate way all those who sought his wise counsel. He expected everyone to be on their honour with him as he was on his honour with them, a trait which made a great impression on the boyish mind. He did not appeal to boys' emotions but to their good sense and the response usually came. Under his leadership the School continued to grow in strength and influence.

In a short review of this nature it is impossible to refer to all the Assistant Masters who have helped to make the School, and Fettes has been well and ably served by her Masters. There are certain Masters, however, who from their length of service and outstanding influence require some notice in any history of the School. C. C. Cotterill was one of the original Masters and was Dr. Potts' right-hand man in forming the School. He was an enthusiastic reformer with the spirit of youth that lasted to the end of his long life. He had an extraordinary influence for good on the boyish mind. He was Housemaster of Moredun from 1870-73 and Glencorse from 1873-90, thus giving twenty of the best years of his life to the School. He was a splendid Housemaster, radiating enthusiasm both for work and play. During the early years he was the mainspring of the School Games. Fundamentally he was kind and sympathetic, and if at times he seemed severe, it was recognised that he was always just.

John Yeo, House Master of Carrington, was known for his 'heartiness' and infectious laugh. Of his forty-four years of life he spent half at Fettes. He epitomised the virtue of enduring hardness. He really liked fielding cover-point on a raw day or going a School run in a blizzard. He was a born Schoolmaster with an enthusiasm which never flagged; indeed he was a genius at expounding mathematical problems to quick and dull alike. Always sympathetic with those in trouble, he had an honest pride in success. He never forgot an Old Boy, and whenever Fettesians came back to the School they were assured of a really warm welcome from him. His boys were not merely pupils to him but his children, and probably no Master enjoyed such popularity throughout the School. The Pavilion was built and a Window placed in the Chapel in affectionate remembrance of him.

D. W. Tanqueray was appointed a Master in 1879 and holds the record for length of service, which amounts to just under fifty years. From 1884 to 1895 he was Housemaster of Kimmerghame, which he made into a successful junior house. From there he went to Moredun. Always insistent on the details of discipline, he gave his house a great tradition for orderliness. A good organiser, he did much in supervising the feeding, etc., including the 'Dairy'. His kind-heartedness and genuine interest in everyone who had been at Fettes made his house the Mecca of all O.Fs. Of no Master can it be said more truly that he devoted his whole powers to the welfare of the School.

K. P. Wilson came as a Master to Fettes in 1884 and played an important part in the life of the School for over forty years. He had a bluff, cheery manner and always went straight to the point. At Cambridge he was one of the finest athletes of his day and here he did all he could to encourage games. He was also glad to foster any originality or initiative which he saw in a boy. Many a Fettesian has had his first interest in literature and politics kindled at one of K. P.'s (as he was familiarly known) post-Chapel symposia, when he regaled his charges with cocoa and cake and descanted upon the merits of well-known writers or political parties. His likes and dislikes were strong and he loved not the Laodiceans of this earth.

Ever since the School started it has always had a high reputation for Scholarship. In this respect it may be equalled but probably is not surpassed by any other school. Of such a record everyone may well be proud. It is interesting also to note that successful as the School has been in the athletic field, the best athletes were usually found among the best scholars, proving that games have never taken the place of learning.

Yet no account of the School would be complete without some reference to 'Games' which rightly play an important part in the life of a school. Football undoubtedly occupies the major position. Originally played with twenty a side and consisting mostly of 'scrumming' it was a rough and fearsome game. There was no referee and all disputes were settled between the players, so that sometimes a considerable time was lost in arguments. 'Passing' was taboo. A player, if he got the ball, ran with it till collared, and then lay on it till hacked off. Fifteen a side began in 1875. Between 1872 and 1877 many experiments were being tried in order to discover the most effective formation of the backs. But it is believed that in 1878 Fettes was the first to adopt the system which really brought passing into vogue. We had one fullback, two halves, and three three-quarters, though curious as it sounds today, the halves were then called three-quarters and the three-quarters, halves. Fettes may lay claim to have been pioneers in a formation which has had a tremendous influence on the development of the game. In 1887 four three-quarters were played, not in anticipation of the Welsh system but as a defensive measure against Loretto's strong backs. Finally, in 1914, the two halves were differentiated by the terms 'scrum' and 'stand-off'.

House Matches have been played since 1873. For the first three years the School House played the rest. These encounters resembled a Homeric battle and most of the warriors were wounded. In the last game two sustained broken limbs. In 1878 the struggle between Glencorse and the School House lasted three days and was not then decided, while in 1911-12 the semi-final between Glencorse and Carrington had to be played three times before Glencorse won.

Cricket has never perhaps reached a standard corresponding to that so long maintained at 'Rugger', probably on account of our Scottish weather. Still, the School has produced many fine players, of whom M. R. Jardine and K. G. Macleod were probably the best, the former being afterwards Captain of Oxford, whilst the latter, besides playing two years for Cambridge, was for a long time a permanent member of the Lancashire County XI.

Rugby Fives has always been a popular game. Since 1885 matches have been played against Loretto, and Inter-House matches have been played since 1890.

Hockey has been played in the Easter Term since 1891-92, the chief match being played against Loretto. Loretto has won 15 games while Fettes has won 7, two other games ending in a draw.

Facilities have also been provided for a certain amount of Tennis and Golf, but no attempt has been made to organise these recreations as School games. On the other hand, due attention has been paid to Athletics, Swimming and Boxing.

Paper Chases were for many years a feature in the winter months. As these are now a matter of past history, some description may be of interest.

The preparatory tearing of the paper for 'scent' was carried out by the fags. The School then met at the West Gates and was divided up into a 'big' and a 'little' paper chase. Off went the hares with their bags of scent, followed shortly afterwards by the hounds. The hares generally took a line past Craigleith Quarry and Davidson's Mains and across the fields to the shores of the Forth, then back to the Queensferry Road beyond the third milestone, or the course might be varied by a southerly run across the canal towards the Pentlands. There was stiff going across the ploughed land, turnip fields and potato furrows. Many who took part will remember the drop over the high wall on to the Queensferry Road; the swimming of the canal on a cold wintry day which called for some hard running in wet clothes before warmth was again restored; the fording of the Water of Leith or the rushing torrent of the river below Cramond Bridge; the ravenous gnawing by chattering teeth of turnips or other such 'loot'. or better still, the sticky consumption of a 'jeely piece' in some outlying village; the final sprint, or footsore crawl home; the hot bath (if you were lucky) when you got in, or, if you were luckier still and one of the first six home, the pride of reading your name on the list pinned, before tea, on the Notice Board outside Hall. 'What fun it all was,' writes an O.F., 'what good sport and what a test in training and endurance and grit and agility and the quick use of your intelligence.'

The School has turned out many fine athletes, as will be seen from the list of those O.Fs. who have represented Oxford and Cambridge in the Boat Race, at Rugby Football, at Cricket and in athletic events. From 1881 to 1933 there has rarely been a Scottish Rugby Fifteen in which at least one Old Fettesian has not been included. Amongst Fettesians D. R. B-Sivright holds the record of having represented Scotland in 22 games, closely followed by W. P. Scott with 21. (This record was surpassed by G.P.S.Macpherson.)

The Officers' Training Corps was started in 1908 under the Command of Captain T. B. Franklin; to his enthusiasm and vigour the immediate efficiency of the Corps was almost entirely due. The starting of some such organisation had often been discussed. In the very first issue of The Fettesian a letter appeared recommending the forming of a Rifle Corps, 'to encourage shooting and discourage the slouching habits of certain Fettesians'. But it was probably Field-Marshal .Lord Roberts' appeal to the youth of the nation to be prepared to defend their country that brought about the formation of the Corps. Few, if any, at the time could have realised the important part it was to serve within a few years in the defence of our country. For a time the Corps was affiliated to the.Royal Scots, but it was decided that the kilt should be worn, and the hunting Macleod tartan was selected, because Norman Macleod Adam, who later laid down his life in the 1914-18 War near Arras, was the first Senior Cadet Officer. The first Shooting Eight went to Bisley in 1908 and in July 1911 a contingent of 40 cadets was present at the Public School Review hold in Windsor Great Park by King George on the occasion of his Coronation. The Pipe Band made its first appearance in 1912. The Corps was in Camp at Barry when war was declared in 1914.

It is impossible within the limited space available to do full justice to the services of Fettesians in the 1914-18 War. Probably no school surpasses Fettes in the percentage of Old Boys who served their country or the numbers who laid down their lives in its defence. At the outbreak of war there existed considerably less than 2000 Fettesians scattered throughout the world, and of that number some eight or nine hundred were over forty years of age. Yet 1094 joined up; 246, or nearly one-quarter, made the supreme sacrifice. They enlisted in every arm of the Service: on Sea, on Land and in the Air. They fought on no less than twenty-five Fronts, and representatives were to be found in the Canadian, New Zealand, Australian, South African and Newfoundland Corps as well as in the Indian Contingent. As was to be expected, the majority joined the Army and served in the trench warfare on the battlefields of France and Flanders. Naturally they flocked into Scottish Regiments; at least 68 joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 56 the H.L.I. (the Glasgow Regiment), 48 the Royal Scots, and every one of the other Scottish Regiments had at least a score (except the Scots Guards, with 7). The Honours List, which is long and honourable, contains 2 VCs., 49 DSOs, 17 CMGs and 146 Military Crosses (a distinctive award for the front-line soldier below the rank of Field Officer). There were Naval decorations, Flying Corps decorations and a host of Civil and Foreign decorations. Roughly out of every ten Fettesians who served, two were awarded decorations and four mentioned in despatches. But in such a war many of the bravest deeds - deeds done when no one was looking and without the hope of recognition - must in the nature of things go unrewarded. Reading this proud record, it is impossible not to be impressed by the number of brothers who served and, too often, died together; there were also instances of a father and son both laying down their lives. There are seven instances of two brothers being killed. Of the brothers Ross, three fell, members of a sturdy family, each of whom on his day led the Fettes forwards. Then there is the outstanding case of the four brothers Anderson, the entire family, who fell one after the other. The eldest of them, a married man of thirty-six, was the last to fall, but not before he had gained the Victoria Cross. For such glorious deeds Fettes will remain ever proud and ever grateful.

At the School both Masters and Boys had to overcome difficulties and face discomforts caused by the war. There were two meatless days a week and a shortage of coal and sugar. The small bread ration had to be augmented with potato-bread and oatcakes, while margarine replaced butter. Plots of ground, including House tennis-courts, were used for hen-runs or vegetable gardens. Sports, Founder's Day and concerts were cancelled and there was only one O.T.C. Camp. In 1916 boys went to a lumber camp at Pitlochry and again in 1917 at Inshcailloch, where they cut down some four thousand trees for pit-props. The work was strenuous but enjoyable. A deep debt of gratitude is due to the Masters, who never spared themselves in the multifarious and heavy duties.

In 1917 the Fettes War Memorial Scheme was inaugurated and for that purpose a sum of over £20,000 was raised. It was decided to place a visible Memorial in the School grounds, but to devote the larger proportion of the Fund to assisting those O.Fs. who had suffered in the war, either by direct grants or by helping them with the education of their families. The visible Memorial was designed by Mr. Burnie Rhind, and was unveiled by General Sir W. E. Macpherson, K.C.B. (O.F.), in October 1921.

The Jubilee of the School was celebrated on 9th October 1920, when the Governors gave a Dinner to over 200 Old Fettesians. The following year the Old Fettesian Association was founded and has already proved its usefulness in many ways, and should, as time goes on, be able to do more and more both to bind O.Fs. together and help the School. We must also refer to the starting of the Fettesian-Lorettonian Boys' Club near the High Street of Edinburgh in 1924. The Club is organised and run by Old Boys of the two Schools, and has done much for the poor lads of that district as well as interesting the boys at the two Schools in social work. (Moved to site at Crewe Toll (next Young's Field) in 1951, and moved again in 1966, to make room for the Telford College of Further Education.)

Shortly after the war in 1919 Dr. Heard, retired. He had talked of retiring before, but when war broke out he considered it his duty to steer the ship through those troublesome times in spite of the burden of years. No doubt this sacrifice to duty shortened his life. He was unquestionably a great scholar and classical teacher, as can be seen from the Honours gained by the School while he was Headmaster. No school during his time surpassed Fettes as a Classical school. Possibly rather remote to boys who were not in the Sixth, yet he knew every one more nearly than by name. 'There was an almost unanimous opinion among those who knew Dr. Heard best,' writes an O.F., 'that he was something more than a great Headmaster.- that he was potentially, at least, a great man. His tact, his open mindedness, his scholarly calm and courage were all notable and above all his supreme philosophical detachment which gave him his almost over-developed sense of humour.' Such is high praise, but well deserved. He did not long survive his retirement as he died in March 1921.

Mr. A. H. Ashcroft, who succeeded Dr. Heard, had been a Master at the School before serving in the war, in which he distinguished himself by being three times mentioned in despatches and being awarded the D.S.O. He was a double First at Cambridge, whilst he also gained a Rugby Blue and an International Cap, and he had already proved his powers as a Master. His freshness, enthusiasm, energy and ability to win the confidence and collaboration both from Master and Boys, soon caused a ready response from the School and brought about many needed reforms.

Central heating and electric light were introduced, spray baths instead of the tin tubs, as well as improvements in feeding and in the general widening of outlook and the organisation of games. The School may thereby have lost a little of its Spartan atmosphere, but it is certainly more efficient and in keeping with modern ideas. The List of Scholarships and Records in games proves that Fettes has continued to advance under his leadership, and everyone wishes him success in his great task.

Normand Macleod

1932

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A HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL, 1932-1953

Written for the Seventh Edition of the Register

by

THE RIGHT HON. LORD NORMAND (O.F.)

Chairman of the Governors of the Fettes Trust, 1935-45

The history of all Public Schools since 1914 has been enormously influenced by revolutionary events in the domain of foreign affairs and by the consequential political and social changes which have come about in this country as in others. Yet even as late as in 1933 it was possible to believe that the 1914-18 War was only a short interruption of the steady and gradual progress and improvement, so favourable to the development of the Public Schools, that had characterised the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The advent of peace in 1918 was seen as the beginning of a restoration and renewal of what was old or at any rate familiar and in appearance stable. In January 1933 Hitler took office as Chancellor of Germany, but ominous as was the proof of Germany's unchanged faith in the politics of blood and iron, the emphasis in this country continued to be on reconstruction and restoration with an implicit belief that things would come right. Among those institutions which appeared to be essentially unshaken were the Public Schools. It was realised that modernisation and improvement were necessary if a school was to retain its place among rivals and that the cost would be a heavy burden, but few schools embarked on radical changes.

From 1919, under the wise and discriminating guidance of Dr. Ashcroft, a policy of restoration and conservative improvements was followed by Fettes as by other Public Schools. In judging of this policy and its success, it is necessary to eschew all wisdom after the event, and to see things by their contemporary light.

In much that was undertaken then, the funds raised by the Old Fettesian Association and the benefactions of individuals played an essential part, but considerable drafts were made on the reserves accumulated in the hands of the Governors. The directions which the changes between 1920 and 1932 took were the enhancement of the status of the modern side, and the increased place of music and of dramatic art in the School's life. The institution of the Fettesian-Lorettonian Boys' Club was an important event which brought the two Schools into touch with boys who had had a less fortunate social life than themselves. On the material side the new Kimmerghame, the laying out of new playing- fields and a golf course on the land presented to the School by H. T. Young, and the Fives and Squash Racket Courts given by the Hon. Mrs. F. J. Moncreiff in memory of two of her sons had all already been completed before 1932.

Between 1932 and 1939 there was no departure from the policy followed between 1920 and 1932. The improvisation of two grass tennis courts (1937) and the larger place, with better organisation, given to Hockey after 1935 as a School game in the Spring Term show that the need for more varied recreations was not forgotten. Of more importance was the increasing prestige of the Shooting Eight, which in 1935 took seventh place in the schools' competition at Bisley. The holding of the Sports in the Summer Term from 1937 instead of at the end of the Spring Term conduced to greater interest in athletics and to an extraordinary improvement in the performances both on the running-track and in field events. In the Houses a systematic overhaul of changing-rooms and bathrooms was begun which made life more civilised without impairing the austerity which had always been characteristic of Fettes life. The removal of the varnish from the woodwork in the Dining Hall was a great improvement, which revealed the hall as the best architectural feature in College. As late as 1938 the decision was taken to build a new Hall to be used not only as a concert room and place of assembly but also as a Chapel. It was intended on completion of the new Hall to convert the existing Chapel into a school library. Till 1953 a fragmentary wall in the field by the West Lodge, which had been erected as a pattern for the walls of the proposed building, stood as a sad memorial of abandoned hopes. In September of that year came the Munich crisis, and at its height the School engaged in the feverish digging of shelter trenches. The immediate crisis passed, but in the early months of 1939 it became clear that all that had been gained was a brief postponement of war. It became necessary to consider urgently what precautions should be taken, and all thought of expenditure on new buildings was given up.

The idea of removing the School to other quarters for the duration of the war was glanced at only to be instantly rejected. It was decided to build bomb shelters, and the advice of an officer sent down from Whitehall was taken on their siting and on the discipline and drill to be followed when a raid threatened. At that time there was no clear idea of the nature of air attack which was to be apprehended. There were vague suppositions in high quarters that there would be on the outbreak of war violent attacks on the great cities and that Edinburgh would be on the list of targets. Estimates of the probable air-raid casualties in the first weeks of war were very imprecise, and as it turned out wildly exaggerated. It was well for Fettes; that it had in Dr. Ashcroft a headmaster whose courage and leadership had been proved on the battlefields of the First Great War. He had on his staff men who had passed through the same ordeal with equal distinction. Parents had every reason to be confident that all possible steps would be taken for their sons' safety and that there would be no panic if an attack came. In fact, no serious attack was made on Edinburgh and no bomb fell within half a mile of Fettes. The School had to spend many weary hours in the shelters awaiting the 'all clear' signal, and at all times discipline and cheerfulness were preserved. For the School one of the great moments of the war was the air battle between German bombers and Hurricanes in October 1939. It was the only daylight attack that was attempted in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh and it was the first air raid of the war. It was aimed not at the city of Edinburgh, but at warships in the Forth. The bombers, pursued by Hurricanes, swooped across the football pitches on which House Belows were taking place. The School's enthusiasm was unbounded and the raid awakened in many boys a flaming ardour to join the R.A.F. An air-training section was successfully begun under Mr. Beamish and it became a Flight of the A.T.C. a year later.

Some of the adverse effects of the war soon showed themselves. A certain number of boys, chiefly those whose parents lived abroad, were withdrawn in 1940; fewer new boys came, and senior boys left at an earlier age than usual in order to begin their National Service. There was a serious drop in numbers from the peak of 270 which had been reached in 1935. In 1940 Kimmerghame was closed and the boys were transferred to Glencorse. Mr. Hoare had joined the army, and Mr. Sale took over the House. The Headmaster had many difficulties in maintaining an adequate staff and a sound standard of teaching. There were difficulties of rationing and innumerable other difficulties of administration. Like Dr. Heard in the first war, he felt keenly the deaths of Fettesians whom he had taught or known. The House Masters and the wives of House Masters were sometimes without domestic help and were overburdened with the effort of domestic work and keeping a cheerful and contented House.

For all in authority the blackout was a cause of anxiety renewed every night lest a light should be visible to the police or air-raid wardens. The deserted Kimmerghame was by agreement taken over by the Royal Navy for certain secret purposes. It was not reopened till September 1946, but it is satisfactory to record that the damage done was only such as its use for the Navy's purposes made inevitable. There was a moment of special anxiety when a requisition of the entire School buildings was seriously threatened, and that at a time when accommodation elsewhere would have been almost unobtainable, but the authorities at a memorable meeting in the Lord Provost's private room in the City Chambers were eventually convinced that their proposal was neither necessary nor justifiable. They decided to build for themselves, and this danger passed. Another threat was that the School would have to give up its railings for scrap. This would have exposed the grounds to uncontrolled trespass and to the risk of much damage. The risk was averted by a veto of the military authorities on the ground that the Home Guard had earmarked the School and its grounds for a strong point in the event of invasion and that the valuable protection that the iron railings could give was necessary.

Among changes in the School life which are worthy of mention are the abandonment of church attendance in Edinburgh on every Sunday morning and the substitution for it of a service in Chapel (1939), the disappearance of toppers and tails in the following year, and the institution of harvest camps (1944 and 1945) at the appropriately named village of Ceres in Fife. In these camps Dr. and Mrs. Ashcroft, Mr. Sale and Mrs. Scott took a leading part and sacrificed to them much of their summer holiday. Those who worked in the camp have a special admiration and gratitude for their devoted labours and cheerful encouragement.

The war service of Old Fettesians is recorded in a volume compiled in 1948 by Mr. Newman. Dr. Ashcroft in a moving Foreword spoke of the pride and sorrow that he felt in the service and sacrifice of the sons of Fettes. More than a thousand Old Fettesians were on Active Service: of these more than 170 received decorations and over 130 were mentioned in despatches. Those who fell numbered 118, 'a grievous total', as Dr. Ashcroft said, 'in a war that did not take so heavy a toll of life as did the war 1914-18'. Here it is permissible to commemorate one of the Masters who was killed in the desert of North Africa. Dick Evers, as he was affectionately called, was the son of C. P. Evers, a Master at Fettes at the beginning of the century who went to Rugby, where he became a house master and for a time acting headmaster. Dick Evers came to Fettes in 1932 as Lower Sixth Form Master and his teaching contributed greatly to the successes of Fettesian candidates for scholarships at the Universities. He was not only a fine scholar, but a versatile and accomplished games player and a good musician. He will long be remembered by Old Fettesians who were at the School between 1932 and 1939.

When the war drew to its close, Dr. Ashcroft had still five years to go before he would reach the appointed age limit. He decided to retire at once. His reasons for resigning then were characteristic. He knew that several important Public Schools would be early in the field competing for now headmasters and he was determined that Fettes should have the opportunity of choosing his successor before the best candidates should be appointed elsewhere. He know, too, that this time restoration would not be enough, and he decided that the planning of the great changes that must come should be in the hands of a headmaster who would be in the saddle for many years ahead. His decision was unshakeable and the Governors reluctantly acquiesced. He had ruled Fettes for 26 years with outstanding success in peace and war. The School had under his inspiration enhanced its reputation in Scholarship and in Games. When he relinquished the headmastership he left to his successor a great tradition, financial resources which had not been irreparably impaired by the war years, and buildings and equipment which, apart from wartime arrears of maintenance, were in good order and adequate for a school of 270 boys. He and Mrs. Ashcroft had given unstinted and self-effacing service to Fettes and they were rewarded by the affection and respect of the School and Staff and of all Old Fettesians and parents who had the good fortune to know them and their work. Dr. Ashcroft's portrait, which hangs in the Dining Hall, is not one of the artist's successes, and does not give a just impression of the firmness of his character or of the inner strength which he drew from religious convictions sincerely held and practised with unassuming fidelity.

The Governors in choosing a successor had to consider the claims of several candidates with excellent qualifications, some of whom have since served with great distinction as headmasters of other schools. They came to a unanimous decision to appoint Mr. Crichton-Miller. He was the son of a Fettesian (1889-94); he had himself been at Fettes (1920-25) and had risen to be Head of the School and of Glencorse and a mainstay of the Fifteen. He had gone to Cambridge as a History Exhibitioner of Pembroke. There he had gained a Rugby Blue and he subsequently played for Scotland. After experience as an assistant master at Monmouth, Bryanston and Stowe, he was appointed headmaster of Taunton (1936), where he won a great reputation as an inspiring leader and a first-rate organiser. In 1931 he had married Miss Glanvill, who had herself been a Classical Scholar at Girton College, Cambridge, and had gained a First in the Classical Tripos and a Blue for Lacrosse. Fettes was fortunate in having in her a gracious and gifted hostess with a sympathetic understanding of youthful aspirations and ambitions. They brought with them to Fettes a girl and two boys.

Mr. Crichton-Miller had a formidable task before him, and it should be said at the outset that the hopes of those who know him best have not been disappointed. What was the position that confronted him? Fettes had always held a special position among the Scottish schools. In Classical education it had no rival; in other branches of the school curriculum, history, modern languages, mathematics and science, its standard was by no means low, but it was not on the same level as in the Classics. In games and athletics, particularly in Rugby Football, it enjoyed a great reputation on both sides of the Border. Its Old Boys had won fame at the Universities, and in the professions; and business. The School had a glorious site, imposing buildings, spacious and beautiful playing-grounds and surroundings. The Foundation had not only conferred great advantages on those who had been its beneficiaries, but had also greatly rewarded Fettes by the use they had made of the opportunities which it gave them. All these were invaluable guarantees for the future. There was, however, a more sombre side. Fettes was a small school and it was not easily capable of being enlarged. The war had brought about a grave monetary inflation and the costs of maintenance and salaries and wages were inevitably rising. If the numbers could not be increased far beyond 270, the highest total before the war, fees must be raised to such a level as would, to use the language of commerce, price Fettes out of the market. On the other hand, if it should prove possible to raise the numbers to, say, 400, might not the character of the School be radically altered with unpredictable consequences? In a small school each member is known to all the others and to every master, and a healthy esprit de corps has more force and effect than in a large school. In a small school a boy who has no special intellectual qualificatiom and little skill in games may more easily rise by his known integrity of character to a position of authority and trust, and that is good both for him and for those under his authority. These are not negligible advantages even if it has to be admitted that the smaller the numbers the greater is the danger that esprit de corps may become a tyrannous uniformity of opinion, destructive of originality and independence of mind. Mere increase of numbers could be no solution. It would not doubt make it possible to keep fees within tolerable limits, but it might very easily destroy much that Fettes specially stood for. Along with increase of numbers there must be something more, something that might be described as a further liberalising of school life. Boys who had no aptitude for Classics or Mathematics, the twin pillars of the older Public School education, must be given a wider choice among subjects reckoned of equal status with these. A larger place must also be given to Art, including Dramatic Art, Music, Debating, or Literary Societies. Here a great advance had already been made in Dr. Ashcroft's reign, but there was now an opportunity for a new impetus. In games the old exclusiveness of Rugby Football and Cricket had long been broken down, and Hockey, Association Football, Fives, Lawn Tennis, Golf, Swimming had each established for themselves a modest place in the School life. Still not one of them pretended to rank in importance with Rugby Football or even with Cricket. These subordinate activities must somehow be given a higher status, and if possible place must be found for games and activities hitherto unknown at Fettes. In short, if numbers were to go up, there had to be such a diversification and enrichment of interests that every boy could find a part to play and some satisfaction for the immature ambitions which are so important to him. To be a 'dud' in a large school where only classical learning counts in the form room and only cricket and football outside it is little better than living in a concentration camp.

The vision to discern what was needed was only the first and easiest part of the new Headmaster's business with Fettes. The material obstacles that lay ahead were daunting. Dormitories, form rooms, and enlarged chapel and dining hall had all to be thought of. The greatest obstacle was the architecture of College, which forbade any large structural addition. The playing-fields, thanks to the prophetic generosity of H. T. Young, were already sufficient for a school greatly larger than the Fettes of 1939.

The path of a Headmaster bent on radical changes can never be easy, for he cannot act on his own conviction but must carry with him the Governing Body, the Staff and Boys, and Old Boys. The Headmaster's scheme of reform went forward without any violent break with the past, and the progress of the reforms won the support of everyone that mattered. There was, however, one change that was significant. The first three Headmasters themselves took the work of the Upper Classical Sixth. Mr Crichton-Miller, though he did some Sixth Form work, took all Middle and Lower School Forms once a week. In this way he had a personal contact with every member of the School and thereby he overcame that disadvantage of remote control which additional numbers might otherwise have brought.

In 1954 there were about 420 boys in the School. Before mentioning the ways in which extra accommodation had been provided, it should be pointed out that in the early twenties, before the new Kimmerghame was built, there were as many as 260 boys. The School was never full after this large modern house had been finished, but there was bed space then for 300 or more. Thus the increase is only 33 per cent. or thereby, much less than the increase accepted by nearly all English Public Schools after the First World War. The low numbers during the second war accustomed people to the idea that 200 was about the Fettes maximum, and the rapid rise to 400 surprised them.

The extra hundred were accommodated in the following ways: College (with its two House Masters) was now divided into two Houses of approximately 60 each. About 12 rooms in College previously occupied by the Bursar and junior masters or by formrooms, were cleared to provide the extra dormitories, studies and reading room. All out-houses increased their numbers by 15 per cent. to 20 per cent. by making use of House sick-rooms (no longer used, as all casualties were immediately taken to the Sanatorium) and servants' rooms (as there were by now very few resident servants). Nos. 96 and 98 Inverleith Place, the two private houses next to the East Gate, were purchased and turned into a junior or waiting house similar in character to the original Kimmerghame. Up to 35 boys could be received there.

Changes in the use of other buildings were arranged without great difficulty. The assistant masters removed from College were settled in Malcolm House, which became a masters' hostel with six sets of rooms. The Sanatorium, a large building previously used only during epidemics, was adapted as a School hospital with permanent staff of three nurses, out-patients' department, surgery, and doctor's consulting-room. To provide accommodation for more classes, four of the larger classrooms were divided, but the Upper Sixth and the Music rooms were not affected.

The problem of contriving that the whole School should have meals together proved altogether intractable. The more essential problem of all having meals at the time time was solved in 1951 by converting the basement beneath the Dining Hall into a supplementary Dining Room seating 160. Accommodation for the Bursar and other administrative offices were also constructed in the basement. The Chapel was enlarged by adding a gallery at the south end and building a boxlike structure at the north end. To make this possible the apse had to be destroyed and the new structure projected through the space where the apse wall stood into the area enclosed by the flying buttresses. These changes enabled the whole School to unite in religious service, but at a cost which some may regard as aesthetically unfortunate. Others and probably the majority will hold that the end justifies the means, and that the Chapel was an unsatisfactory building of small merit, with buttresses that took no thrusts, a superfluous belfry and statuary which was neither realistic nor expressive of any idealism. Opportunity was taken when these changes were made to improve the interior by removing the plaster from the walls and the varnish from the roof. On the whole, the Chapel as it now stands must be unique among Christian places of worship.

Among the indisputable improvements was the removal from the Call-Over Hall of the strangely assorted photogravures of pictures mostly of questionable merit, the stripping of varnish from the woodwork in the main entrance and upper corridor, and the repainting of the upper corridor walls. It cannot be much regretted that the list of distinctions painted in gold Gothic lettering on a slate-coloured background superimposed on the reddish brown walls was obliterated.

Several works were carried out not so much to deal with numbers as to keep abreast with the times and with requirements of modern education. A very fine new gymnasium was built by the O.F. Association. It has changing-rooms, showers, etc., attached and is complete with new apparatus and equipment. The old gymnasium was turned into a modern concert hall. The four pillars which supported the roof were removed and the gallery rebuilt. The equipment is magnificent and includes an organ (originally in Chapel); a concert grand piano (originally used by Rachmaninoff and presented by a friend of the School); a full-size theatre stage which can be dismantled and reassembled as a platform with tiers for choir and orchestra; and a complete stage-lighting set with overhead control panel. There is a roller door between this hall and the new gymnasium which enables both buildings to be used together at Founders' Day and on certain other occasions. The swimming-baths were fitted with new boilers and with modern chlorination plant. In the laboratory block the two rooms which had been used for many years as workshops were recovered for their original purpose and furnished as biology laboratory and lecture room. Two large brick-built huts, left by the Navy near Kimmerghame, were converted into well-equipped workshops for teaching wood and metal work. The Navy and Air Force provided huts for the activities of the Naval and R.A.F. sections of the Cadet Corps. It was possible to lay down small parade grounds for them, and another and bigger one for the Army section. A good many years ago the Old Fettesians built a pavilion on Young's Field. This was unfortunately burnt down through the carelessness of intruders; but the Governors now replaced it with a combined pavilion and groundsman's house, where the cricket professional lives.

The most important developments on the grounds were the new running-track, the recovery (after war-time cultivation) of the golf course, and its more elaborate design, and the arrangement of the fields west of Young's as playing-grounds for the Fettesian-Lorettonian Club, which was now established in that area and brought more closely in contact with the School.

Much of the expenditure required for these alterations was met by one or other of the funds raised by the Old Fettesian Association, which kept in touch with the School's current needs. Its Annual General Meeting was now held at Fettes in October, and Branch Secretaries are appointed since 1946 for various areas of Great Britain and also abroad. The London Branch is particularly active and it holds dinners several times a year, to which it often invites either the Headmaster or some senior member of the Staff, who can give an account of the progress of the School and explain how the plans in hand are developing. As other improvements at Fettes proceed, the advantage of preserving close liaison between the School and the Old Fettesian Association in all its branches is too obvious to need commentary.

The curriculum was affected by two separate factors. First there was the change-over from the Scottish Leaving Certificate to the Oxford and Cambridge School and Higher Certificates (later transformed into the General Certificate of Education). This important change occurred in 1939, but the full consequences were not felt till much later. Second, in accordance with the general trend in all Public Schools, a greater choice of subjects and increased specialisation were introduced. The emphasis on specialisation was in part forced by the English Universities. The main results were that subjects taught now included Biology, Spanish and Economics, and candidates were presented for examination in a number of other subjects which were previously taught only as 'background studies', e.g. Geography, Music and Art. The examination emphasis shifted from the 16-year-old Fifth Form stage to the Higher (or Advanced) Level standard which represented about two years' work in the Sixth Form and is something which many senior men strive after with great diligence. It must be confessed that this stage was something of a handicap to Masters who are engaged on University Scholarship work, as they had now to give so much attention to boys who are rather below the standard of an open scholarship. Forms were re-grouped in a way which abolishes the old distinction between Classical and Modern sides; but this change, which seems revolutionary to Old Fettesians; is less important than it sounds. It merely meant that Middle and Lower School boys were put in forms according to their ability for general work which includes English, Mathematics;, French, etc., but 'setted' for the specialist subjects such as Greek, German and Science. This arrangement is now usual in Public Schools.

The list of Scholarships shows that the School successfully maintained its good scholastic record. The year 1953 was indeed a year of special success. It must be remembered, however, that the smaller number of Foundationers and Scholars which the Endowment can now support has the effect of depriving the School of some who would in older days have become strong candidates for University Scholarships. The competition, particularly at Oxford and Cambridge, is keener than it was, because public funds are now available to supplement the emoluments of Scholarships. Previously many possible candidates were deterred from competing owing to the fact that their parents could not afford the expenses of an University career for their sons even with the assistance of a Scholarship or Exhibition.

A striking change was brought about by giving a wider choice of voluntary games and by the remarkable popularity of some of them, notably Basketball, Squash Rackets and Golf. The Athletics team, which trained in the summer, had some successes, and so also did the Swimming team. Sailing and Riding were established pastimes. In the orthodox recreations, Rugby Football, Cricket and Hockey, Fettes had some wonderful results in the early 1950s. Rival schools attributed this to increased numbers, and our victories may fairly be attributed to strength in the lower half of the team rather than to outstanding players, of whom there were few, but coaching by Masters was very good and greatly helped. Certainly the new voluntary recreations did not affect the standard of play in the traditional games. The First Fifteen was not beaten in Scotland between 1949 and 1953, and the Cricket Eleven was unbeaten twice in the three seasons 1950-1953. There was a big change in the arrangement for School runs, the 'Third miler', 'Sea circle' and 'Quarry circle', once so familiar, are now engulfed in built-up areas and had become too depressing. For some time members of the School did continue to run outside the grounds, but that had by now ceased. Boys who go on runs either follow a course around the plantations right up to the Ferry Road and back by Young's Field and the soccer field, or go to the new cinder running-track where they carry out their exercise in conditions which are somewhat monotonous, though distances are easy to measure.

There had also been a big increase in all activities, apart from games, outside the form room. Music has always been a strong line at Fettes; drama was now almost as good. Dancing, including Highland dancing, was widely taught and popular. There were strong societies connected with art, workshops, photography, model railways and so on.

Dress proved to be a tricky problem. Tails and toppers went out with the war, and while it continued there were no dress regulations. After it there could be no return to top hats, particularly as clothes rationing remained for several years. Some uniform seemed desirable. The boys now had regulation lumber jackets; which they had to wear in the School with grey flannels or kilts; and they all had grey flannel suits for use on Sundays and when going up town. The old games blazer was abandoned in favour of a plain chocolate pattern when the striped material became difficult to obtain.

One change in school life at Fettes must not pass unnoticed. Church attendance in town, given up during the war, had not been reinstated and the official connection with St. Stephen's and St. John's has now been severed. On ordinary Sundays the School now attended congregational practice in Chapel at 10 a.m. and there was Divinity for everybody at I 1. The main Service of the day was at 6.30 p.m. On 'Big Sundays', however, the congregational singing practice and Divinity were cancelled. Those who were not going up town attended Edinburgh churches, but not always the same ones. The Church of England boys as a rule went to St. John's, or the Cathedral, while the Church of Scotland boys went to St. Cuthbert's, or St. George's West. It should be added that Communion Services for both Churches were now more frequent and were regularly held in the School Chapel by the two officially appointed Chaplains who were full members of the Staff.

It is clear that by these innovations Fettes gained the possibility of continued life in the world of to-day. Fees inevitably rose, but they did not rise to a level which parents were unable to bear. The education, intellectual and physical, was as generous in its variety and in its quality as any in the world. The ancient virtues were held in the same honour as they always have been at Fettes. Yet the future remains inscrutable and uncertain. There are at work forces, economic, social and political, which may bring indiscriminate ruin to the Public Schools. It is best to face such a possibility with eyes open, but with an unshaken mind, and to strive by loyal support of Fettes and by honourable service in the world beyond Fettes to win for the School a more secure future in an age when security is hard to find.

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A HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL, 1953-1970

Written for the Centenary Edition of the Register

by

THE RIGHT HON. LORD GRANT (O.F.)

Chairman of the Governors of the Fettes Trust, 1964 -72

Amateur historians (such as I am) have differing and sometimes peccant approaches to the question of how history should be written. I propose to deal with the history of the last seventeen years in a general fashion rather than on a detailed basis, concentrating more on major changes and the wider aspects of the life of the School rather than chronicling, like a diarist, the multifarious events that go to make up the history of each school year.

In 1953 Donald Crichton-Miller had been headmaster for eight years. Basically, the number of boys in the School, which had been around 250 pre-war and sunk below 200 during the war, was now about 450, and the curriculum had been substantially widened to meet modern conditions and demands. (The consumer, in the shape of the parent, may not always be right, but it is economic - and, possibly, educational - suicide to assume that he is not.) In addition, with the broadening of the school curriculum there was combined the more enlightened modern view (which still prevails) that education, in its wider and proper sense, can be far better achieved by encouraging boys in their out-of-school hours to pursue those worth-while activities in which they have a real interest rather than to lay down for them a programme of 'interests' in which they have no interest at all. This attitude is reflected in the number of activities and societies of varied kinds which still flourish in the school.

When Donald Crichton-Miller went to Stowe as headmaster in 1958 he had completed with skill and efficiency the major part of the expansion programme which he had undertaken in 1945. The boys were there, the curriculum was there, and the right masters to teach the right subjects were there. There remained the problem of accommodation. Even with the ingenious use of existing space and the provision of temporary buildings, difficulties were substantial. No. 98 Inverleith Place had been acquired for use as a waiting-house in 1953, the new Music and Art School had been opened in 1955 and the new Science Laboratories in 1957. Nevertheless the accommodation was still, in many respects, inadequate, and, when Ian McIntosh took over as headmaster in 1958, it was becoming increasingly clear that the time was rapidly approaching (if it had not already arrived) when a substantial building programme would be needed. The problem, however, was the familiar one of finance -- for the Fettes Trust has limited funds but very substantial commitments.

It was against this background that it was decided to explore the possibility of a fund-raising campaign. A preliminary survey carried out by a highly experienced professional firm showed an extremely favourable response, and the Centenary Development Campaign was launched in 1964. The generosity of Old Fettesians , parents and friends of the School (spurred on, as it was, by the dedicated efforts of many bands of willing helpers) was such that not only the initial but also the revised target was comfortably exceeded. The major disappointment was that the final building costs substantially exceeded the original estimates. Fortunately, however, the Fettes Trust was able to bridge the financial gaps and the major results of the Campaign may now be seen by any visitor to the School. The new Dining Hall was opened in 1966. In the following year Arniston was opened as well as the new, and much-needed, Library in the old Dining Hall. There is also the Modern Language Laboratory, which was most generously given by Mr. G. A. Collins as his contribution to the Campaign Fund in 1965. I note in passing, though this is unconnected with the Development Campaign, that in 1967 new Sanatorium accommodation was organised in the north end of College and the old Sanatorium ceased to be used as such. (From the summer of 1967 till the spring of 1968 it was used for the accommodation of 'refugees' from Glencorse after the disastrous fire there.)

During the last ten years the Fettes Trust has had to sell a substantial amount of land and the School, like a Roman Legion in hostile country, has had to retire more and more within its perimeter fence. To the south, the land in front of Kimmerghame and Carrmgton, between Carrington Road and Comely Bank, was sold to the Corporation in 1963 for the building of new police headquarters and for use as police playing fields. In 1965 the corresponding area of ground south of Moredun was compulsorily acquired, after a hard-fought inquiry, for the building of a secondary school. The perimeter fence along Carrington Road is now our southern boundary. To the north-west there is now a Technical College between Young's Field and Crewe Road: and Moredun Crescent was taken over by the Hospital Board and the University in 1968. Fortunately the Fettes Trust was able to obtain a price for Moredun Crescent which went a very long way towards meeting the cost of six new masters' houses which were built between the West Lodge and the Below fields. On the bright side also it has to be remembered that, but for the proceeds of sales of land, substantial improvements which have been and are being made to the School could not have been undertaken. That is particularly true of the new modern science block being built east of the new Dining Hall and which is due to be completed by the autumn of 1970.

Changes in staff are recorded in detail elsewhere and accordingly I mention only a few. H. F. Macdonald - known affectionately to so many generations of Old Fettesians as 'Freddie' - retired in 1962. He had spent his whole working life in the service of the School since he came down from Oriel in 1925. Freddie had been Second Master since 1952 and was the vital and essential bridging link between pre-war and post-war Fettes. He was succeeded as Second Master by Tom Goldie-Scot, whose success in the post was no surprise to those who had seen the magnificent job he had done as housemaster of Glencorse. 1969 saw a further change with the succession of Dick Cole-Hamilton, who gave up the housemastership of Kimmerghame after fourteen successful years there.

I want also to mention some of those who served the School well and faithfully over many years. First and foremost there is Dr. Ashcroft who died in 1963. In the first few years of his headmastership he had to deal with the problems of the period following the first world war: in his last six years he had to cope with the far greater problems caused by the second world war. He always had too much to do, but he always seemed to do it with remarkable efficiency and success. There are many Old Fettesians (and I am one of them) who will always owe to him as a teacher and mentor a debt which can never be repaid.

J. S. Edwards died in 1957 and J. F. Rhoades in 1961; W. J. Lodge died in 1964. Rhoades had retired in 1938 after thirty-three years at Fettes, twenty-one of them as a housemaster, first of College and then of Moredun. Edwards (who had been a master since 1902 and a housemaster from 1910 to 1939) and Lodge were still at Fettes when the second war broke out and they stayed on, till 1946 and 1948 respectively, helping out nobly with the problems that faced the School during and just after the war. All three were men of character, of different temperaments perhaps, but each contributing in his own way to the life and success of the School. Also in 1961 Dr. Flett died. He was for many years - from the early 1920s - the School doctor, and he had ever a remarkable affection for the School. He showed that affection in tangible terms by a substantial bequest to the School, the income from which is used for the Flett Scholarships and Awards to boys wishing to come to Fettes. Those have been of inestimable value to many boys, particularly because in these days of high costs the number of Foundation places which the Governors are able to offer (even on the basis that parents may have to pay part of the fees) is substantially less than it was fifty years ago.

It is also right to record the deaths of three faithful servants of the School. The first is George Perry ('Caesar') who retired from the post of head porter in 1958 after serving the School with efficiency and loyalty for fifty-three years and who died in 1967. Old Fettesians who were at School in his time remember him with affection and regard. G. E. Cooper who was steward from 1936 to 1961 died in 1962. He had to deal with the many catering problems of the war and immediate post-war years together with the additional problem in the post-war years of catering for an increasing number of boys in conditions which, to say the least of it, were far from easy. His success was a measure of his ability. Third is Alexander Lindsay, the Clerk of Works, who retired in 1962 after thirty-seven years service and died in 1969. He had served the School nobly and efficiently and he was partly responsible for the fact that the accommodation problems caused by the post-war expansion were solved as effectively as they were.

Finally, I record the deaths of four Chairmen of Governors, Lord Normand, Lord Hill Watson, Sir Ernest Wedderburn and Sir Hugh Watson. Lord Normand was a Governor from 1923 to 1945 and he was the first Old Fettesian to be a member of the Governing body. He was Chairman from 1935 to 1945 and died in 1962. Lord Hill Watson, also an Old Fettesian, was elected a Governor in 1941 and was Chairman from 1954 till his death in 1957. Sir Ernest Wedderburn was elected in 1938, was Chairman from 1945 to 1954 and died in 1958. Sir Hugh Watson was elected in 1954 and was Chairman from 1957 until he retired in 1965. He died in 1966. Fettes owes a deep debt to all four of them for the untiring and unselfish service which they gave to the School.

Turning to more cheerful matters, I think there are a few unconnected items which deserve to be chronicled before I conclude. For the reasons I gave at the outset I have not recorded the successes achieved on the games field. I think, however, that there are achievements in one particular field of endeavour which, because they break relatively new ground from the traditional Fettes point of view, deserve specific mention. That field is the golf course and the simple facts to be mentioned are that the Old Fettesian Golf team, having reached the final of the Halford Hewitt trophy in 1960 and 1963, went one better in 1964 and won the cup. These would appear to be the flat dividends from the re-planning of the golf course on Young's Field in 1952. The last matter is a brief reference to distinguished visitors. We were delighted to have a visit from Cardinal Heard in 1960 and again, on the occasion of the conferring upon him of an honorary Doctorate of Laws by Edinburgh University, in 1968. We were also honoured by a visit in July 1955 from Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh who seemed to be most interested in and pleased with what they saw.

The warmth of our welcome, however, does not depend on how distinguished our visitors are. There is always a warm welcome for Old Fettesians and friends of the School, no matter how distinguished they may or may not be. I believe that when they do visit the School they will find that, no matter what changes there have been (and there have been many for the better), Fettes still stands on as high a level of achievement as it ever did. Provided that interference based on political and doctrinaire ideas is kept to a minimum, we can, even in these days, face the future with confidence.

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A HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL, 1970 - 2000

Written for the Millennium Register on the Web

by

Robert H. Philp

Staff, 1959 - 96

Author of 'A Keen Wind Blows'

The Centenary
The Centenary of the School was celebrated in 1970 in considerable style. The last of the buildings planned in the Centenary Development Campaign, the new Science School to the east of the Dining-Hall, was completed by the summer and opened by the Queen Mother in September. The Centenary was further marked by a Ball in the Assembly Rooms, the floodlighting of the School building and four special publications, A Hundred Years of Fettes, The Fettes College Register 1870-1970, The Fettesian Centenary Supplement, and Our Founder Sir William Fettes. A dramatic production, The Fettes Masque, celebrated the school's first hundred years in music and a series of vivid sketches and tableaux to enthusiastic audiences.

The first girl
The year 1970 was also marked by the arrival of a girl. Fettes had been a boys' school for the first hundred years of its existence, but though its ethos had been so distinctively masculine, there had always been doubt that Sir William Fettes had really wanted his school to be single-sex. His will had mentioned 'young people'. When Amanda Mackenzie-Stuart, daughter of a Fettes Governor, arrived in September, there were no protests and plenty of satisfaction as girl numbers crept steadily upwards from such a modest beginning, with no detriment to the academic tone. In the same year, a visit from Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools concluded with a glowing report.

McIntosh's achievement
In the following year Dr Ian McIntosh retired, after serving as Headmaster for 13 years. Where his predecessor had presided over a spectacular increase in numbers, McIntosh had to his credit a successful Development Appeal and the most comprehensive building programme since the school was founded. The Dining Hall, Science School and Arniston House stand as testimony to his success in the task he had taken on. The academic strength of the school had also been well maintained.

Arrival of Chenevix-Trench
He was succeeded in the autumn of 1971 by Anthony Chenevix-Trench, formerly a housemaster at Shrewsbury, a don at Christ Church, Oxford and Headmaster of Bradfield and Eton. As a Headmaster, Chenevix's Trench's style was infinitely more informal than that of any of his predecessors, and he was determined to make himself accessible to the members of the school. His regime was a highly personal one, and the discipline of the school was largely mediated through him. He saw every case as an individual one, and sought to avoid too many blanket regulations on dress or discipline in the hope that Fettesians would develop their own sense of self-discipline and loyalty to himself and the School. This had an immediate effect in lessening tensions within the school. Members of the Upper Sixth were now given leave to spend every Saturday evening in the city.

Growth in numbers
Trench's self-deprecating charm in dealing with visitors and prospective parents (supported by the qualities of his admirable wife Elizabeth) made him a successful recruiter of pupils. His obvious personal interest in the boy or girl presenting for interview was always apparent, and applications for places at the school moved steadily upwards. This growth was accelerated by three specific developments, the opening of the Junior School, the increase in the number of girls and the introduction of day pupils.

Start of the Junior School and day boys
The Junior School was very much Trench's own initiative. He suggested the idea to the Governors in his first term, and by the end of 1972 they had taken the decision to go ahead. It was to take up to 80 boys, and bridge the gap between primary school and Fettes' traditional entry at 13. The Junior School opened in September 1973, with John Arkell as its first Headmaster. Having no space for boarders, it started as a day school, and its existence immediately put pressure on the Senior School to admit day pupils. By 1976, this principle was fully accepted, and made economic sense as nation-wide the boarding market began a slow but apparently inexorable decline.

Growth in girl numbers
Applications from girls meanwhile rose rapidly, until by 1974 there were around 60-70 applicants for 17 places each year. The influx of girls had an obvious effect on the more macho aspects of the school's masculine ethos, in the direction of more gentle conventions and a breaking down of the barriers between school years. With so few girls in the school overall, however, they were able to benefit from the lack of regulations governing their dress and deportment, and enjoyed a relaxed lifestyle provided they avoided anything outrageous. The Housemasters of, first, Glencorse, and then Carrington 'kept an eye on' them until 1975, when the appointment of the first in a series of 'minders', Marie Simmons, introduced more structure into their lives.

Numbers peak
By 1978 (as Francis Jamieson retired as Chairman of Governors, to be succeeded by Lord Grieve) total numbers in the school had risen from 428 in 1972 to 525, with 84 in the Junior School. Several houses had to resort to bunk beds to fit everyone in, - though in the precarious economic conditions of the mid-1970s this still did not spell real freedom from financial worries. Nor did it help that applications were hit when from 1977 one or two incidents of abuse or over-use of 'up-town leave' generated bad publicity. The growth in the number of day pupils inevitably made boarders less content with the restrictions of boarding life.

Last days of Trench
Further, Trench's health was declining, as problems of protein deficiency dating back to his wartime spell as a Japanese prisoner of war on the Burma Railway took their toll. After an alarming spell in hospital in early 1978, he announced his retirement in July 1979. To the distress of the whole community, however, he died two weeks before the end of his last term. His personal impact on the lives of individual members of the school had been profound, and the passage of many Fettesians through the choppy waters of adolescence had been eased by his sympathy and advice.

Arrival of Cameron Cochrane. Full co-education
He was succeeded in the summer of 1979 by Cameron Cochrane, Headmaster of Arnold School, Blackpool. It was not an easy time to take over the helm, with demand for boarding in decline. Sensing the need for urgent action to secure numbers and encouraged by most of the Governors, Cochrane rapidly worked out a plan to admit girls not just into the Sixth Form, but at every level in the school. In September 1981 the Junior School became co-educational, and the Senior School welcomed girls in the 13-16 age range from September 1983. The need for boarding accommodation for them demanded unpalatable decisions, and two boys' boarding houses were converted to girl use, - Arniston in 1983 and School House in the following year. Jean Weekes, wife of the Chaplain, took over Arniston as the first Housemistress, and Margot Rawson took the helm at School House, where the first girls co-existed for one year with the last group of School House boys under Peter Coshan. Day girls meanwhile had a new house created for them, Dalmeny, on the west ground floor of College.

Meanwhile in 1982 the first two women Governors, Mary Corsar and Kay Kemball, were appointed.

Initial moves by Cochrane
In the Junior School, where some boys had for years been effectively boarders, lodging with members of staff, the decision was taken in 1982 to make proper allowance for this trend and build a boarding wing.

Cochrane had meanwhile created two new posts in 1980 designed to improve the smooth running of the school machine, with the appointment of Neville Clark as Proctor and Michael McIntosh-Reid as Director of Studies. The curriculum was becoming steadily more complex, as the School sought to utilise its position as an English-style school in Scotland by providing the option of English or Scottish qualifications, with their respective strengths. This two-track curriculum was now given a better defined structure, in a pattern that was soon imitated by other 'mixed-economy' Scottish schools. Sixth formers wanting to retain a wide range of subjects to keep their options open could opt for Scottish Highers, while those intent on specialising could set their sights on A Level. Another key appointment in 1981 was that of Mike O'Callaghan as Steward. Taking over from the faithful Fred Broughton and destined to serve for 20 years, he managed to combine rigid financial controls with varied and imaginative menus.

Facilities
The school’s facilities were meanwhile not looking competitive enough in the P.R. battles of the late 1980s, and Cochrane was especially intent on updating the boarding accommodation, whose primitive atmosphere still evoked the Victorian era. The ‘Fettes 2000’ Appeal launched in 1983 had provided funds for several developments. The Concert Hall was modernised, the Art Department expanded to take in a Ceramics Room, a Sixth Form Common Room created and computer facilities extended to the College building. The problem of boarding conditions remained, however, and there was a pressing need to identify new sources of funding. By 1988, Cochrane and the Governors had reconciled themselves to the sale of land, and responded to an offer from McCarthy and Stone for 13 acres of the area around and including the running track. This was to provide the crucial financial platform for a full updating of boarding facilities.

Various achievements
Meanwhile the school’s examination results improved steadily from a low point in 1981, and art, music and drama flowered. School plays sustained a remarkable standard, and Fettes drama expanded on to the Fringe of the Edinburgh Festival from 1980.
The school undertook a series of expeditions to such far-flung places as Siberia, Mongolia, Ecuador, Kenya, Arctic Norway and Zanskar, involving mountaineering, rafting, canoeing and geographical and botanical fieldwork.

Academic and disciplinary changes
In 1986, Lord Grieve retired as Chairman of Governors, to be succeeded by Professor Ian Stewart.
In 1987 the curriculum was re-structured to provide wider subject choice and provide further refinement of the relationship between A Level and Higher. The role of Heads of Department was becoming steadily more important.
The disciplinary structure had been given an extra layer with the appointment of the first Deputy Head in 1984, and Neil Henderson brought weight and authority to this new post. Corporal punishment became a thing of the past, and co-education encouraged a trend towards the elimination of barriers between different school years. Girls now had a prescribed uniform and an increasingly well-defined lifestyle.

Departure of Cochrane
In 1987 Cameron Cochrane was offered the opportunity to head a new international boarding school in Holland, and he left in 1988 to become the first Principal of Prinz Willem-Alexander College. His nine-year headship had seen the move to full co-education which in many ways re-invigorated the school, and the decision to provide for a transformation of living conditions by the sale of land.

Arrival of Malcolm Thyne
He was succeeded as Headmaster in the summer of 1988 by Malcolm Thyne, who, after teaching at the Edinburgh Academy and Oundle (where he was a Housemaster) had been Headmaster of St Bees in Cumbria, where he had raised numbers by a third. As he took charge and set out as priorities discipline, academic performance and the raising of application levels, his hard work was gradually rewarded as parents responded to the positive indicators that could be seen. He was supported by his new Chairman of Governors, Lord Weir, who had succeeded Professior Stewart in 1989. The upward momentum of academic performance continued and the atmosphere within the school was warm and relaxed within clear but reasonable behavioural parameters. By 1992-3, numbers within the school had bottomed out and began a steady rise.

Early moves
One of Thyne’s first moves had been to integrate the Junior School with the Senior School. It was now called Inverleith House, and Andrew Alexander, Head of Mathematics, was appointed to run it. The hurdle of Common Entrance no longer stood in the way of transfer to the Senior School. Its numbers rose from 65 in 1991 to 100 three years later.
Boarding accommodation in the Senior School was transformed as between 1988 and 1991 the proceeds of the sale of the running track area were spent on a full-scale re-construction of Moredun, Glencorse and Carrington. The boys could enjoy study bedrooms and mothers could be shown round smart, comfortable boarding houses with first class sanitation. This helped to fuel demand for places at the school. Further improvements to the facilities followed. In 1991 a new technology suite opened and computers were installed in three separate computer rooms. In 1993 an all-weather games area (‘the Sutcliffe pitch’, named after Ian Sutcliffe, former and much-loved games master) was constructed beside the West Drive, and in 1996 Kimmerghame House was refurbished and the School Library given a face-lift. The biggest development was at Inverleith House, where a new boarding wing, assembly hall and class-rooms were completed in 1995 to cope with rising demand.

125th anniversary; co-education; aesthetic and academic life
The school’s 125th anniversary in 1995 was celebrated by an expedition to New Zealand, led by Andrew Murray, to climb Mount Fettes. The same year marked 25 years of girls at Fettes, and the peak was suitably scaled by a boy-girl pairing. Co-education was by now part of the fabric, and in 1992 Julia Close had been appointed the first girl Head of School, followed in 1994 by Camilla Stack. Girls’ lacrosse and hockey teams were by now a considerable force within Scotland, and a joint tour to Japan and Australia was mounted in 1997. Co-education also helped to inject flair into drama, music and art, and the nineties saw an exciting series of plays (several taken on to the Festival Fringe), concerts and art exhibitions. This rich aesthetic life was no distraction from work, however, and the academic progress of the eighties was sustained in the nineties. League tables were by now de rigueur, and they served to accentuate the academic standing of the school. By 1998 the School’s A Level performance registered 90% passes at A or B grade, and the century concluded with Fettes ranked at the top of Scottish Schools for A Level and GCSE results combined. The streamlining of the academic structure and the appointment of a series of gifted Heads of Department imparted to the school’s work a dynamic that won it warm accolades from the SOED Inspectors who arrived to assess the school in 1995. Pastoral care received warm praise, and the Inspectors were particularly struck by the quality of staff-pupil and pupil-pupil relationships.

Retirement of Malcolm Thyne
In 1996, Lord MacLean took over from Lord Weir as Chairman of Governors, and in 1998 Malcolm Thyne retired. His achievement in setting out the behavioural and academic agenda for a confident advance into a new millennium had been remarkable. He passed on to his successor a confident, happy school which set itself the highest standards in all areas of endeavour.

Michael Spens
He was succeeded by Michael Spens, who, like Thyne (but unlike all his other predecessors) was a Science graduate. After spending most of his teaching life at Radley, he had most recently served as Headmaster of Caldicott in Buckinghamshire. Under him the advances of the 1990s continued unchecked, with academic and sporting standards continuing to rise, and demand for places at the school buoyant. As the millennium drew to an end, Sir William’s school was seen by many to be matching the best aspirations of its Founder.

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