Download copies of ‘The Raven’ and ‘The Gilberdian’ 1951-1967

A few months back we published scans of ‘The Gilberdian’ from 1961-63 and 1965, courtesy of former head boy Mike Springett.

When we visited the Gilberd recently one of our priorities was to scan all the surviving copies of 'The Gilberdian' (and it’s forerunner 'The Raven') so that we could make this record of school history easily available to everyone.

James Mitchell, the Deputy Head of the Gilberd, had copies in the archive dating back to 1951. It just so happened that the two issues missing from the run held by the Gilberd were ones that Mike Springett had already shared with us. This meant we could complete a full set of issues from 1951-1967. 

You can now access PDF copies of all of these magazines HERE.

Sadly the first ten issues of ‘The Raven’ published between 1941-1950 are not held by the Gilberd. The chances of recovering these issues now are pretty slim, but if anyone does have any leads please email us at eddiesphotos@icloud.com 

As we did with the 1961-63 and 1965 issues we've gone through the magazines and pulled out some highlights. There is a treasure trove of information in these issues and what follows is just a taste of the content inside.

The 1952 issue of 'The Raven' announces the retirement of the then headmaster, Mr Enoch…

Mr Sprason took over at Easter in 1953…

We were interested to read in the 1953 issue of 'The Raven' that Mr Rouse had been serving in the Royal Navy for eighteen months and re-joined the staff in January that year.

The Queen’s Coronation was reflected on in the 1953 issue. Headmaster Mr Sprason noted ‘the memory of this tremendously successful organisation, the colourful spectacle, the grandeur of the uniforms and dresses, the precision of the marching, the wildly enthusiastic crowds will not readily fade from our minds, but, when it has become dimmed with the passage of time, we shall still remember, with pride, the quiet dignity and courage of the Queen herself.’

Also in this issue Colin Dibell recalls the Coronation celebrations in Colchester…

And in the same issue Ian McGregor describes his trip to Wembley to see Harwich and Parkeston play in the F.A. Amateur Cup Final…

The 1958 issue of ‘The Raven’ proudly displays the new Gilberd School badge on the front cover. Inside, art teacher Roy Butcher describes how he came up with the design…

The Queen’s visit to Colchester is reverently described by Pat Nodwell in the 1958 issue...

The School Building Project is the subject of Mr Sprason’s introduction to the 1959 issue. The magazine is now newly titled as ‘The Gilberdian’…

This photo competition appeared in the 1964 issue - please note, new entries are no longer being accepted…

The 1966 issue details the arrival of new members of staff, including a Mr. E. F. Ross who would teach French and German…

We noted in a previous article that the Film Club were appealing for more female members in 1965. That appeal clearly fell on deaf ears, as the 1966 issue highlighted that 'the bulk of the Film Club are from the Lower School and are, unfortunately, all boys'. Rather desperately they go on to plead that they 'would like to see some girls attending'. Sadly, the campaign for female members of the Film Club ends in certain and spectacular failure on the next line when readers are assured that 'suitable films will be shown to accommodate the tastes of girls'.

Also in the 1966 issue there is a great article about the construction of the Observatory… 

We think the 1967 issue of ‘The Gilberdian’ was the final one. It marks the departure of the long-serving and highly respected headmaster, Mr Sprason…

In this issue you can also find out how the Engineering Club built this Go-Kart…

And finally, the 1967 issue includes this wonderful poem by Penny Thompson about leaving the Gilberd. We suspect it will resonate with many…

Our thanks to James Mitchell at the Gilberd for his help in making all these magazines available to past pupils. We hope you enjoy exploring the content within.