The King's School in Macclesfield Former Pupil & Staff Association

The archive at King’s holds a huge variety of items, including uniform dating back to the 1940s.

Here we have a sports cap, belonging to a pupil called James G. Bennison in the late 1940s. James was a member of the Cricket 1st XI and Rugby 1st XV, and obviously had many chances to wear the cap as it is very well-used! Have any of our alumni got any old uniform tucked away?

The archive at King’s holds a huge variety of items, including uniform dating back to the 1940s.

Here we have a sports cap, belonging to a pupil called James G. Bennison in the late 1940s. James was a member of the Cricket 1st XI and Rugby 1st XV, and obviously had many chances to wear the cap as it is very well-used! Have any of our alumni got any old uniform tucked away?

This Throwback Thursday, during the exam period, we look back at how the school exams used to be monitored. Between the 1830s and the early 1900s, an external examiner marked the end of year exams and submitted an Examiner’s Report, giving their view on how the pupils had performed in their end of year exams. This was published in the school’s Annual Report and we see here the Report for 1845, which credits individual pupils for their work on Plato, Aristophanes, Virgil and Algebra and mentions their ‘pleasure at the establishment of the new School Library’.

The anniversary of VE day last week has also brought to our minds the many lives that were lost in World War I. One of these lives we remember is a former pupil, Bernard Gibbs, who was killed in the First World War aged 22, shortly after he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry. Bernard’s medals were recently presented to the school by Alan Bachelor and David Hill, and you can read more about Bernard’s life and his war time experience in the latest issue of King’s Speech magazine.

As we approach the 81st anniversary of VE day, we remember with respect the lives lost in World War II. The memorials hanging in the William Jackson Hall serve as a daily reminder of the profound effect the World Wars had on the King’s community, whilst our archive holds documents which show how the local community had to pull together to contribute to the war effort.

This letter, dated 19 August 1940, from the Ministry of Health, notified King’s that the school had been earmarked as a 'shadow' hospital, and would be used to treat casualties should the capacity of existing hospitals in the area be exceeded. Thankfully this request never needed to be actioned.

☀Join our Annual Alumni Summer Lunch
A two-course meal, with plenty of laughter and shared memories between former pupils and staff.

DATE: Tuesday 23rd June 12pm until 2.30pm
VENUE: The Merlin, Alderley Edge

To book your place and choose from the lunch menu, please visit King's Connect:
https://connect.kingsmac.co.uk/events/view/alumni-summer-lunch-1

We love hearing success stories from our former pupils!

Reece Grady (2023 leaver) has just become the double British Champion in 800m and 1500m Freestyles, with times for both events below the Commonwealth Games standards, swimming 7:56 and 15:14 respectively. He was also the second fastest English swimmer in the 400m Freestyle in 3:49.

Pictured at the recent GB Aquatics Championships, it was particularly special to see Reece celebrating with three of his younger siblings from King's. Huge Congratulations, Reece, and best of luck for Commonwealth Games squad selection, from all of us at King's!

Reece currently studies Aerospace Engineering at Arizona State University in America.

It was fantastic to welcome Adrian Mulryan (Class of 1995) for a 'Maxonians Live' event this week. Flying in from New York, Adrian spoke to pupils about his time at King's, his inspirational teachers and his experiences of working for some of the biggest brands in technology and marketing. If you would like to participate in one of our 'Maxonians Live' events, please contact [email protected]

Here are just some of the large array of colourful ties in our archive - some are in pristine condition, and some have definitely been well worn! Do these stir any memories for our Alumni? We would love to hear your stories.