A HISTORY teacher has written a book telling the stories of a grammar school's old boys who serving in the First World War
John Davies led a school trip to the battlefields of France in the 1980s and recognised the name of a former pupil on one of the graves.
It led him to dig deeper into the archives at Leeds Grammar School (LGS) and 30 years later the Rawdon historian and parish council chairman has written a book.
A High Ideal: Leeds Grammar School and the Great War is published to coincide with the centenary of the war. It records the contributions of 776 old boys and staff members involved in the conflict, and explores how the school was affected during and after the war.
"With the centenary of World War One there was an obligation on the school to recognise those former pupils who served, and those who lost their lives. It became a labour of love to record their stories as the period is a particular fascination of mine, and I hope this book will help to keep their memory alive in school," Mr Davies said.
The writer studied history at Liverpool University and taught history and religious studies at LGS from 1976 until 1992 before becoming headmaster at LGS Junior School. In 2006 he moved to Moorlands School as headmaster and later retired.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here