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VE Day - 75th Anniversary

To mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, Alan Johnson (OR 1940-1949) shares his first-hand account of school life during World War II.

As one of the oldest Old Redingensians, Alan Johnson, recently shared his memories of being at Reading School during the war as he sent a heartwarming letter to the Headmaster:

“I was immensely proud to learn of Reading School's efforts to combat the Coronavirus. One never really leaves Reading School. Over the years I have often asked myself whether I was living up to the standards set by the school.

There were some similarities to the present disruption. The school field was somewhat impaired by the building of air raid shelters near the cricket pavilion. Groundskeepers were sent off to fight the war and, as a result, the dandelion population on the school field increased. We were all set to work on our knees digging out dandelions. When the air raid siren sounded, we all proceeded, at the double, into the air raid shelters. Sergeant -Major Rawlins of the "Corps" was to be seen on the school field with a machine gun waiting for any German plane that dared to attack the school."

Let the entire Reading School community remember the courage and sacrifice of all Old Redingensians who lost their lives in WWII and indeed everyone who served.  Join in a moment of remembrance and reflection on Friday 8th May at 11am to pause for a Two Minute Silence.  Let us have the courage to continue to serve others in the weeks and months ahead. 

Our Senior Cadets from CCF (narrator Matthew G, who worked with Anson Y, Himesh P and Kirill K to produce the video and they were supported by Mr T Tuggey)  have created the attached slide show video:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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