WELLINGTON COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 171, 14 April 1919, Page 9

WELLINGTON COLLEGE

OLD BOYS' ASSOCIATION

The annual report of the committee of the Wellington College Old Hoys' Association, to be presented at the annual meeting of the association this evening, states that tho association's activities, worn confined to meetings of the committee held mainly for the purpose of furthering the scheme of collections for tho old boys' memorial. It will bo the duty of the n<<\v committee to consider the resumption of old toys' days at the college, us well as the lilting celebration of the iubilee of the school, to which memorable event we have not yet done justice. The war memorial fund' account shows u balance of JC1605 7s. 3d., of which the sum of .CISOO has been Placed on fixed deposit. Since the year ciusi'il further subscriptions have been received to the amount of JI-185, including jcrlti! from the college boys' fund. The sum of .£I9OO is now on fixed deposit at 11 per cent. The usual donations of £5 os. for tho ground fund, .£2 2s. for n riflo shooting prize ,aml «B2 2s. for the old boys' prize were voted to the college.

One thousand s. : x hundred and fiftytwo old- bovs entered camp, and the maicritv sailed from New Zealand. Our ucunded total 338, our killed (included oiw missing l 22-1. "Fully one-third of our gallant brethren hitvo been wounded or have given their lives. It is difficult to! say adequately what wo owo them. They gave their health, their future, and their lives to keep our liberty inviolate. It remains for us as an association to perpetuate their memory worthily, and not only theirs, but the memory, too, of all who did their share in the completion of : the, great task. Many of the names of those who have fallen appear in the lists of Army honcurs. Hut that is iiot enough. We as n i association, members of a. great school, must see that all our children, and not a few, aro remembered. Old bovs who served in the forces have gained honours and distinctions of which we fre rightly proud. Five have gained the CM... one,the Legion of honour,-two the Croiz de Chevalier, twelve the D.5.0.. two the bar to the D.5.0., ono two bars to D.5.0.. one the Y.C., one the Order of the Crown of Italy, ono I lie Chevalier of the Order of Leopold, fifty-four have been mentioned in dispatches, eight have gained the D.C.M., five tho Meritorious Service Medal, twenty-six the Military Medal, two tho Bar to the Military Modal, one the Italian War Medal, one the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, one the Order of tho, British Empire, fiftv-six the Military' Cross, three the Bar to the M.C., seven the Croix de Guerre, one the Croix do Guerre with palm leaves. "Heading over the above record brings us 'to what has been our main object for the past years—the old boys' war memorial. It is with feelings of regret that we have to acknowledge that after three years we have collected not even half the required sum. To confess our failure and our inability to raise the balance of jioOOO would be an everlasting reproach upon our association and,upon the school to which-we are proud to belong. Must it be said in future years Lh.it Wellington College has no memory vorthy of her gallant children because those for whom blood 'and 'ears were shed did not realise tho measure of the sacrifice made for them? It should be the pride of every old boy of lhe school to give willingly to the memorial fund."