ROYAL HOSPITAL SCHOOL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20586, 8 December 1928, Page 3

ROYAL HOSPITAL SCHOOL.

MR G. §. READE’S GIFT. DUKE OF YORK LAYS FOUNDATION STONE. SITE BY THE FiIVER STOUR* (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 2. Owing to the beneficence of Mr G. S. Reade, of Auckland, the Admiralty is about to erect a fine group of buildings in the country w' ere in due course the boys of the Naval School at Greenwich will be transferred. The Duke of York laid the foundation stone last Friday. It is interesting to recall that Greenwich Hospital was 1 bunded by Charter of William and Mary, dated October 25, 1694, for the relief and support of seamen of the Royal Navy, their. widows and dependents. In pursuance of one of tho objects of the Charter— - " the maintenance and education of the children of seamen happening to be slain or disabled” —the old 'school now at Greenwich was first established in 1712, and provided for\ fen boys. In 1803 the total number of children had increased to 200. During the last century the school grew to its presbnt full complement of about 1000 boys. At the present time the school is recruited from amouj the sons of seamen and marines by selection of the Admiralty. Since 1874 -h e school has provided about 10,000 boys for the senior service, and it has come .to be regarded as the cradle of the navy.” , Although the site of Greenwich Hospital was originally a rural one on the banks of the Thames, it is now in the heart of East London. Old establishments are not easily replaced in this country, but no doubt the Admiralty has long known that the health and training of young boys would be better’ served by a school in the country. The generous gift of Mr Reade has now made it possible to transfer this “cradle of the navy ” to more healthy surroundings. THE HOLBROOK SITE. Mr Reade's estate is situated along the estuary of the River Stour. At tho mouth of the estuary is the harbour of Harwich and the Harwich Naval Station.The 800 acres how given to the Admiralty by Mr Reade Is overlooking tho estuary, tli site o£ tha new buildings is about QtKHt above sea level, and eight miles from Ipswich. It is delightful country, anu the Holbrook site is about' six miles from the railway station, so that tho boys will be trained in strictly rural surroundings. Already a good deal of work has been done on the site. Roads have been laid down, and a small village of huts has boon erected. Concrete foundations of some of tho main buildings have been sunk, and other preparations arc being made for the four years of work. When this is accomplished there will be a kind of village settlement, for the boys, in their new home, will live in separate hostels. Beside tho central .block of buildings there will be about 50 houses for boys, officers, masters, and staff. Again, there will be a gymnasium, baths, and other buildings for training, and the grounds will bo laid out with gardens, tennis lawns, ana football and cricket grounds. A model of. the whole scheme was on view on the day of the foundation stone laying ceremony. The Admiralty had invited a number of guests to travel by special train to Bentley Station. From there they were taken jn motor vehicles along the country roads to Holbrook. Every village was gay with flags and festoons, and all the children of the villages carrying flags were lined up to welcome the Duke of York as ho drove by. . THE CEREMONY. When the Admiralty has a special ceremony it is carried out with scrupulous attention to detail. Ou the grounds were two marquees, with flooring and carpeting complete, and lighted by electricity. In the one tho people gathered for the ceremony. In the other several hundred guests were entertained at lunch, i Tho Puke of York, who was attended by Rear-Admiral Basil Brooke, bis Controller, traveller by train from Liverpool, street to Manningtree, about five miles from the Holbrook estate, arriving there shortly before half-past 12 o’clock. He was met by Mr Bridgeman, First Lord of th Admiralty, and the director of Greenwich Hospital (Mr A. W, Smallwood), and drove to the site. On tho way he was greeted at Cattawade Bridge, on the boundary of Essex and Suffolk, by Sir Courtenay Warner, tho Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk. A large number o people gathered on the Holbrook estate to await the arrival*of the Duke of York, and gave him a cordial welcome. Boys from the school at Greenwich formed a guard of honour.

Sea Lords and Civil Lords, Admirals and local officials were presented to the Duke. The 2J-ton stone was suspended by chains above its final resting-place. On one face was the inscription: “ This stone was laid by bis Roval Highness the Duke of York, K.G., K.T., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.0., on the 20th day of October. 1028. It was taken from the quarries in the Isle of Portland, from which stone was raised on warrant of Sir Christopher Wren for building the Royal Hospital at Greenwich in the years 1700-1701.” The Duke of York laid the stone with thj customary formalities, the ceremony being, partly religious. Prayers were offered by the Chaplain of the Fleet and the Bishop of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Before tho stone was finally lowered into position the Duke placed in a cavity below it a casket containing copies of The Times and the East Anglican Daily Times, and a set of coins from u farthing to a gold sovereign. A NOBLE GIFT. No speeches were made at the ceremony, nor was it intended they Should be made after.the luncheon, Mr Bridgeman, however, said that he could not allow the occasion to pass without paying a tribute to Mr G. S, Reade. The moving of the Greenwich Hospital School, he said, to the new site was solely due to the beneficence of Mr Reade, who had presented them with 800 acres of laud, and intended also to make a bequest. He bad made the gift without any ulterior motive, and simply out of his love of the nation and bis admiration of the navy. Ho asked for no reward—except the feeling that his • gift would be appreciated, and that the ■ school would be organised ancl conducted in such a w .y as to make the navy, if possible, still more efficient. The Admiralty, as trustees of Greenwich Hospital, thanked him warmly for this noble gilt, and they would do their best to see that every penny which he had given was properly spent in the improvement Of the accommodation for the boys intended, for the navy. He must thank the Duke of York for his great kindness ir coming there. He was much occupied with public duties, and everybody connected with the Admiralty and Greenwich Hospital was most grateful to him. The cost of building will be met out of the charitable funds of Greenwich Hospital.