NORWICH SCHOOL MARKS REMEMBRANCE DAY

November 11, 2022

This morning the whole school community came together in the cathedral to mark a very special Remembrance Day. The names of ON’s who lost their lives in the war were read by the house captains, and the address was delivered by Development Director and ON Jonathan Pearson who reflected on a fateful night during the Second World War which shaped the future of Norwich School.



‘We are accustomed to the idea that Remembrance relates to brave soldiers overseas, but without in any way downplaying that, I want to address you today on something far closer to home.


My name is Jonathan Pearson, and I am the school’s Development Director. I am also an ON, celebrating 35 years since leaving Norwich School. The remarkable and true story I relate today has great personal resonance to those of us in the ON community. This is because it occurred in this very building and in the school playground, while the young protagonists were regular Norwich School pupils led by their Headmaster.


My narrative takes place 80 years ago during the German bombing raids on Britain in WWII, known as the Baedeker raids. Until the summer of 1942, the Cathedral Close had escaped quite lightly from bombing raids, whereas other parts of Norwich, such as St Stephens and St Benedicts, had sustained major damage. However, all was about to change on the night of Saturday 27th June 1942.


At around 2am, the firewatcher positioned on the Cathedral sounded the alarm, as German bombers approached, dropping their deadly cargo of incendiary bombs. Within seconds, it is estimated that 850 incendiary bombs rained down on The Close, a terrifying noise that would readily have been heard from the cold floor of the school’s Crypt under our Chapel where around 30 boys and their Headmaster were sheltering overnight. During the Second World War the Crypt was a much-frequented air raid shelter.


The Headmaster, a grandly named Theodore Acland, quickly rounded up the School House Fire Party, comprising school pupils serving as fire wardens. They scrambled out of the pitch black of the Crypt, jumpers pulled over pyjamas, to a scene of utter carnage in the Upper Close: acrid yellow smoke; sirens ringing out; the chocking smell of burning. Try to picture in your mind how absolutely terrifying this sight must have been to our school pupils who were still only your age. Young pupil Derek Griffiths commented:


“Everywhere was full of smoke and there were an awful lot of fires, including an enormous one in the playground. We did not know where to begin. We’d been instructed how to deal with one incendiary bomb, but nobody had ever told us how to deal with a hundred of them at the same time”.


It soon became clear a major fire had started in the corner of the school Quad nearest the Maid’s Head, which they struggled to dampen down with buckets of sand. Over the coming hours, working furiously under the leadership of Mr Acland, the science room on the playground, the bike shed, the coal store, the gymnasium (now the Blake Studio) and the area at the back of the New Buildings were all saved.


However, unbeknown to anyone, a fire lay smouldering in the attic of the old Lodge. This Lodge was a fine Jacobean school building located between the New Buildings and the Blake Studio. This is now the Dyers’ Lodge site. By all reports, it was a delightful, elegant 17th century building of fine proportions. The school had just spent much of its precious financial resources on a major refurbishment. The old Lodge comprised four classrooms on the ground floor, with a debating room and panelled masters’ common room on the first floor, complete with collections of irreplaceable books, artworks and a precious school archive.


By the time the fire was discovered, the building was already doomed, as intense heat and smoke thwarted all attempts to save it. Stunned schoolboy Derek Griffiths recalled:


“It went up like a tinderbox, engulfed in a mass of fire within about 20 minutes and became a burning ruin in no time”.


Another pupil Derek Hawkins recounted the instinctive and daring actions of fellow pupils on seeing the building alight:


“I just remember going through the main entrance, picking up anything considered of value. We just grabbed whatever artefacts we could, as quickly as we could, retiring to a respectable distance to watch it finally engulfed in flames”.


Not for the first time have the names Griffiths and Hawkins taken such prominent roles in school life here.

Just reflect for a moment on the collective grief felt at such a loss; the old Lodge being one of only two classrooms blocks in the school at that time. Imagine your shock if you arrived at school tomorrow to find 40% of all the school classrooms had been destroyed in under half an hour.


Further drama was also being played out elsewhere in The Close that night. School pupils were busy assisting with fire duties at No 68 The Close and adjacent houses. Even more critically, pupils led a major operation attending fires in the roof of the Cathedral, particularly the north transept roof, where a container of 36 incendiary devices had wedged itself between the roof timbers and the vaulting, sending out scalding hot streams of molten lead from the melting roof. It sounds horrendous. Crocodiles of valiant school pupils carried endless buckets of water to the highest reaches of the Cathedral to extinguish the flames.


As an aside, back in 1986 I was fortunate enough to climb to the very top of the Cathedral spire with the Norwich School Local History Group under our leader Dr Paul Cattermole. At ground floor level, the Cathedral feels comfortingly solid, but this is not so the higher up one climbs. Sixteen-year-old pupil Alistair Grant commented on his actions in 1942, with understated fearlessness:


“I have always had a dread of heights and loathed the thought of having to walk along the top gallery, barely three feet wide, with its one slender iron rail between me and the floor 60 feet below. But, I remember staggering in the morning twilight carrying two buckets of water, aware, with sudden astonishment, that I was not in the very least frightened”.


Such an adrenaline rush eventually gave way to weariness as the fires were brought under control and as dawn broke. The threat of existential disaster for both the Cathedral and the School had receded, despite being unable to save the old Lodge on the playground. It would be another 11 years before Dyers’ Lodge rose from its charred ruins, such was the impact of that night’s events on the school’s precarious finances and its morale.


Back to 1942 - a refreshing cup of tea and a hefty dollop of school porridge were soon served up and, quite astonishingly, Saturday morning school continued as normal! The Dean generously made four rooms available for teaching in his Deanery and Senior French Master, Mr JH Brown, himself a veteran of the trenches in World War I, also known as ‘Bruiser Brown’, expressed to the young firefighters the school’s pride in a good night’s work.


At our Trafalgar Day service last month, Ann Kalu and George Schofield gave their examples of leadership models for our consideration. I would like to add one of my own, that of Theodore Acland, Headmaster on that tumultuous night - the man who supervised the rousing of the pupils from the Crypt and co-ordinated their courageous efforts. He had led the school since 1930, witnessing citywide bomb devastation including the complete destruction of his beloved Lodge; he had shouldered the endless worry of maintaining the rhythms of school life in wartime; he had endured frequent disturbed nights and concerns for pupil safety and wellbeing, slept in air raid shelters and led the firewatch duties of the schoolboys in his care. Even in peacetime his health had been frail; the herculean efforts of that night took a further heavy toll. The Norvicensian magazine relates the reluctant and sad acceptance by Governors of Mr Acland’s resignation in November 1942, aged just 52 – his spirit utterly broken. In a moment, as the names of the 52 ONs who fell in WWI and the 51 from WWII are read out, I ask that you have Theodore Acland and his courageous party of Norwich School firefighters in your remembrance and prayers today, as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of such momentous events.


On that night in June 1942, the selfless bravery of pupils and staff at Norwich School was exemplary. After all, they were just ordinary members of the school community, just like you and me. They had saved two of the city’s finest institutions, Norwich Cathedral and Norwich School, in order that we may peaceably enjoy them today. Do reflect on the debt of gratitude every one of us owes to them as part of our acts of remembrance here today.'


May 23, 2025
The children in Lower 1 and Upper 1 took to the stage at The Blake Studio to perform their rendition of the magical and enchanting musical production, Wiz Wham Alakazam to parents, grandparents and residents of The Great Hospital. In this enchanting production, the young wizards of Sun Castle faced a day like no other. One moment the sun was shining brightly over the castle, and the next it mysteriously became dimmer. The resident wizards were thrown into chaos as the Chief Wizard led the spell-casters on an adventure to bring back the light. With plenty of magic spells, and just a sprinkle of disorder, the story unfolded with excitement, charm, and laughter. From the very first scene, the children lit up the stage with confident line delivery and infectious enthusiasm. Each child played their part, whether it was casting spells, performing gymnastic and dance routines, or helping find the important but oldest Spell Book. The Ice Creatures made a dramatic entrance – eerie and impressive – with expressive performances that added just the right touch of tension. Musical numbers such as "Teamwork", "Ice Creatures", and the "Wizards of the Sun" showcased the children’s growing talent in both singing and acting. All the songs were performed with energy, clarity, and joy. The production was a celebration of creativity and teamwork, with every young performer contributing to the magic. Wiz Wham Alakazam was a joyful, spellbinding success — packed with music, movement, mystery and the unforgettable charm of Sun Castle’s youngest stars. Mrs Barclay commented "The children have worked so hard to learn their lines and songs and I am very proud of their performances. It has been a delight working with this group of passionate and talented children." 
By Eleanor Lewis May 23, 2025
This year's Children's Yoga Community Service group had great fun creating a yoga class for nursery and reception-aged children based on Julia Donaldson's book 'Superworm'. L6 pupils Uliana Bielova, Thomas Chester and Lizzie Taylor were later joined by Chloe Holmes and visited White House Farm Primary School, Magdalen Gates Primary School, our own Lower School reception class as well as four Once Upon a Time nurseries. They were greeted with lots of enthusiasm from the children and teachers/carers alike. The yoga lessons were fun, interactive and had everyone smiling!  The pupils themselves learned a variety of skills from lesson planning and working with children to public speaking and how to do yoga! They worked well as a team and got a lot out of the experience, as Lizzie Taylor explains: '‘I absolutely loved teaching kids yoga! Children are like natural bursts of serotonin, I always came back to school feeling happy.’
By Eleanor Lewis May 23, 2025
Congratulations to Lower Sixth pupils Nicholas and Kwame on their outstanding international sporting achievements this term, proudly representing Great Britain and England in Rowing and Rugby respectively. Nicholas has enjoyed a remarkable year, consistently delivering impressive performances at various GB U19 Rowing Trials. At the Spring Trial Regatta in April, he secured an excellent second place in the Pairs event, earning selection for the GB U19 Rowing Team. Competing at the Munich International Regatta, Nicholas helped the team win silver in the coxless four and double gold in the eight, triumphing over strong international competition. He will now progress to Crew Formation in July, where final selections will be made for the U19 World and European Championships. Kwame, a key member of the Boys’ 1st XV since Upper Fifth, was invited to the England U17 training camp held at Hartpury earlier this term. In a match against a university side, he made a strong impression by scoring in a victory for the national team. Kwame also continues to play a vital role in the Leicester Tigers U18 Academy side.  We are incredibly proud of both Nicholas and Kwame for these exceptional accomplishments and look forward to following their continued success in the year ahead.
By Eleanor Lewis May 22, 2025
We heard on the grapeVINE (!) that our own Head of Music for the Lower School, Mr Vine, is starting his very own chamber orchestra, so we caught up with him to find out more... How did the idea of a Norfolk Chamber Orchestra come about? For me, the perfect ensemble is a small group creating Chamber music. I love its intimacy, feel, vibe and with the right musicians you can ignite something truly special. I decided a couple of years ago that Suffolk needed a really cool string ensemble, so I set up Suffolk Chamber Orchestra and we have just given our debut concert in Aldeburgh at the Jubilee Hall, where once the great Benjamin Britten stood and performed. And I thought, why just have one orchestra! So, I also created the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra. Both groups are string ensembles, and both feature incredible local players (some ex-London professionals who now live here and some outstanding local musicians that I've taken 4 years to find) How long have you been playing music/singing? What is your musical history? My musical background started at the age of 4, I asked for a violin and that has stayed with me for my whole life. I have been very fortunate to have been able to play with every major orchestra in London and across the UK including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sinfonia of London, BBC National Orchestra of Wales to name but a few. I then got into recording and session work and have worked, toured and recorded with a lot of high-profile artists such as Madonna, Oasis, Paul Weller, David Gray, Kylie, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Take That, Robbie Williams and more. I've also enjoyed working closely with underground artists such as Pressure Drop, Fabio and Grooverider, Tipper and Goldie. What kind of music does the orchestra perform? Is there any way we can listen to it? At the moment the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra is just getting started and our debut concert will be on the 21st June at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich which is a really beautiful venue. Part of our plan is to champion beautiful Norfolk venues, and this is a great one to start with. It will a concert inspired by the coming of night called 'Nachtmusik' and will feature music by Mozart, Borodin, Dvorak and a UK Premiere by Eric Whitacre of 'Sleep' arranged for String ensemble. The concert will start at 7pm and will be for 1 hour and under 12's get in free! The link for tickets is here > Norfolk Chamber Orchestra - Norwich Octagon NACHT MUSIK at Octagon Chapel event tickets from TicketSource How often do you rehearse? How does this work with your work schedule at the school? Because of how brilliant the players are, we will rehearse on the day of the concert, unless we're doing something very contemporary or new. I am the leader and director which means I have to know everything that everyone is playing as there is no conductor - another great thing about having a chamber orchestra! Everyone is together, it's a collaborative feeling. A lot of our concerts will be at weekends, so it balances nicely with my work schedule at Norwich School. Who do you think has been your greatest musical influence? Why? I feel very lucky to have met some incredible musicians throughout my life. It's not necessarily the ones who are the best musically, but I love the ones who have the best stories! I spent some time with Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend from The Who and also Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from Led Zepplin. In terms in inspiring figures, they are up there - and you can imagine the stories! Also remember having a very long night with Tom and Ed ( Chemical Brothers ) at the Cobden Club in London. They wanted to talk about the intricacies of Baroque music and Bach's influence on everything! I then went back to their studio, and they played me the demo of Galvanise! Crazy!
By Eleanor Lewis May 22, 2025
The U13 and U15 Boys tennis teams began their seasons with a fixture against Hethersett Academy at the Lower Close on Thursday 22 May. The U15s got the proceedings started with their singles matches and there were notable wins for Rufus Snelling at 1 against an opponent he had never beaten and Himash Amarawickrama at 4. Raffy Pantazis and Lucas Berney were just edged out in their singles matches so the game was in the balance going into the doubles. Things looked a little ominous as Rufus and Raffy were easily beaten but thankfully Lucas and his partner, Milo Delahunty levelled up the match with a convincing 6-2 win in their doubles match. So it came down to a shoot out tiebreak as it has against these opponents for the last two years! Lucas partnered Rufus and it was nip and tuck the whole way with some great doubles being played by both sides but at 8 all Hethersett just showed a little more composure and won the next two points and with it the match by 4 matches to 3. The U13s game was a little more straightforward with wins in the singles for Josh Bond, Will Jenkins and Sam King. Josh also won his doubles with his partner Arthur Lamb but it was left to the final pairing of Will and Aarush Arkala to secure the match with a dramatic comeback in their doubles. After trailing 2-5 they then won 4 games on the run to secure a thrilling victory. Final score a 5-1 win for Norwich School.
By Eleanor Lewis May 21, 2025
Wednesday 21 May quite literally began with a bang! Upper 2 took part in the eagerly awaited Catapult Day, a hands-on exploration that linked directly to the engineering and design elements of our curriculum—with plenty of opportunities to apply mathematical skills along the way. The day began with students measuring the size and mass of a variety of projectiles—from the humble golf ball to the impressively weighty shot put—developing their understanding of data collection, force, and motion. Then came the real excitement: launching those projectiles! Starting by hand, pupils then progressed to an impressive arsenal of historical siege machines, including the Mangonel, Perrier, and Trebuchet. They also had the chance to try their hand at a composite bow and a crossbow, adding a dash of medieval flair to their practical investigations. The day concluded with a suitably dramatic finale, as the younger pupils joined just in time to watch Jacob ignite the cannon—because, let’s face it, nothing quite wraps up a school day like a controlled explosion and the smell of gunpowder in the air! Ali: 'Very fun and I learnt a lot. My highlight was when me and my team pulled the rope down on the perrier to launch the tennis ball!' Tallulah, Darcy, Olivia: 'It was very exciting because we learnt stuff we had never learnt before and we got to try things we've never experienced before! Just don't ask Mr Love about breaking the perrier...!' Oscar: ‘It was very fun and you got to have a go on cross bows, and a bow and arrow.’ Lucas: ‘It was really fun, we got into groups and fired catapults’ Muhammad Ameen: ‘I really liked the canon because when your put fire in it, it went boom.’
By Eleanor Lewis May 21, 2025
The Trinity term began with 10 J15 and J16 rowers representing the Eastern region at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta. All crews reached the A Finals, with J. Howard and J. Hawkes winning a Silver medal in the J16 Pairs. Sunday 4 May saw the Senior Boys and Girls crews raced at Wallingford Regatta in some tricky cross winds. One of the Girls Coxed Fours was less than 1 second off a place in the Repechage. A valuable day of racing to the start of the Regatta season. The following weekend the Senior Boys and J15 Boys and Girls crews raced at Nottingham City. The four Senior boys that had raced a Quad the previous weekend, switched to a Coxed Four and had a great race against Emmanuel College, leading until the last 250m. The J15 crews were all racing as Development Crews (open to all ages), but again had some good racing beating from Club and Cambridge College crews. The First Eight put a tough morning race behind them to win the Open Eights event in the afternoon.  Daniel White and Nicholas Conway attended the GB U19 Spring Trial Regatta at the start of term. A 17th place was achieved by Daniel and a phenomonal 2nd place for Nicholas. This result gained Nicholas selection to race for GB U19 at Munich International Regatta. Some exciting racing saw Nicholas win Silver in the Coxlesss Four and Gold in the Eights. This week sees all year groups racing at the National Schools Regatta in Nottingham. The J14s Boys and Girls and J15 Boys race on Friday and the Seniors and J15 Girls race on Saturday, with the Boys 1st Eight racing again on Sunday. We wish them all a successful regatta.
By Eleanor Lewis May 21, 2025
The school was buzzing with excitement as students came together for a lively Informal Dance Celebration! Children from across all year groups took to the stage to showcase their incredible talent, energy, and creativity.  The event featured a vibrant mix of dance styles, with something for everyone to enjoy. From the high-energy beats of Hip Hop to the grace and poise of Ballet, and the spirited routines of Cheerleading, each performance lit up the room and had the audience clapping along. It was a joyful celebration of movement, music, and student spirit — a chance for everyone to shine and support one another in a fun, informal setting. A big well done to all the dancers for their hard work and enthusiasm!
By Eleanor Lewis May 21, 2025
The Cricket program has enjoyed an outstanding start to the term, with the fine weather and sunshine providing the perfect backdrop for a series of impressive individual and team performances. Both our U13 and U15 girls’ teams qualified for the Indoor Regional Finals after strong victories in the County rounds, and their hard work during the Winter was rewarded. Our 1st XI girls have begun their season in remarkable fashion, progressing to the third round of the School Magazine Cup. A standout highlight came in their win over Oakham, where India Fox and Alice Brand shared a phenomenal 215-run opening partnership. We also celebrated a historic milestone as Bella Borges became the first girl to score a century for the school. On the boys’ side, the 1st XI remain unbeaten this term and have advanced to the third round of the National Cup, where they will face Oundle. The U15A boys are now County Cup champions, having already recorded impressive victories against Warwick School and Stamford in the National Cup. Across all teams, we’ve seen several hat-tricks and other exceptional individual displays that reflect the depth of talent developing across the program.  We look forward to building on this early momentum as the term progresses.
By Eleanor Lewis May 20, 2025
Our talented drama club pupils recently took the stage to perform a creative adaptation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, captivating the audience with their storytelling skills and dramatic flair. The performance featured a mix of well-known and lesser-known tales, brought to life with imaginative costumes, expressive acting, and a touch of humour. From the dark twists of classic stories to unexpected surprises, pupils kept everyone engaged from start to finish. It was a fantastic showcase of teamwork, talent, and theatrical magic — a performance to be proud of!
More Posts