Caritas 48

ISSUE 48 

MAGNIFICENT 

MYRESIDE 

A new era begins 

Also featuring 

• Success in Tokyo 

• Watsonian Bookshelf 

• S3 Projects at 60

CONTENTS 

Welcome 1 

President’s Update 2 

In Principal Position 3 

The Caritas Lecture 4 

The Pavilion at Myreside 6 

A Century of Remembering 8 

Fadwa Affara Interview 10 

Watsonians in the News 12 

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Success 14 

S3 Projects at 60 in 2022 16 

Dates for your Diary 17 

The Watsonian Bookshelf 18 

Class Reunions 20 

George Watson’s Ladies’ College 21 

Dates for your Diary 32 

Watsonian Battlefields Tour 33 

From the Archives 34 

Mary Miller Interview 36 

East Meets West 38 

Watsonian Sections & Branches 40 

And finally 44 

COVER: 

The refurbished Myreside Pavilion 

Read the full story on pages 6 -7 

CARITAS EDITORIAL TEAM: 

Yasmin Duncan Margaret Peat 

Karen Goodman Laura Tyzack 

Andrew Grant Carol Wood 

Design: HERO-Creative.com 

W 

Privacy Policy: In line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 

which came into force in May 2018, you can view our Privacy Policy by visiting 

www.gwc.org.uk/privacy-policy. You can change your communication 

preferences at any time by contacting the Development Office. 

WatsoniansLinked 

WatsoniansLinked

elcome 

Welcome to the latest edition of Caritas, which 

is filled with news, updates and ways that you can 

get involved with life on campus and through the 

Worldwide Watsonian Community. 

None of us could have foreseen yet another year 

of disruption to work, education and our hopes for 

holidays, weddings and other social gatherings with 

family and friends. 

For life on campus, that meant that many of the 

events that define key milestones in a Watson’s 

education such as S3 Projects; sporting fixtures, 

musical concerts and drama productions; and the 

celebrations that mark the continuing journey from 

Junior School to Senior School; and for S6, the 

celebration of the end of one journey and the start 

of another, were again not as it has been for the 

decades before. 

Change too for the plans of the Worldwide Watsonian 

Community with many of our regional branches not 

able to meet and the Watsonian Sections also having 

a very mixed year with sporting fixtures cancelled and 

the Community Choir coming together online. With 

this comes hopes for a busy and exciting year ahead 

when we plan to celebrate the 150th anniversary 

of the founding of George Watson’s Ladies’ College 

(GWLC) in June 2022 - 12 months later than planned 

- as well as having events throughout 2022 to mark 

the 60th anniversary of S3 Projects. You can read 

more about both celebrations and how you can get 

involved on page 16 and in the special centre section 

celebrating GWLC. 

Following the fire at Myreside Pavilion in February 

2020, the Watsonian Council asked the School 

to consider reimagining its future and following 

feedback from the Watsonian Community we were 

given the ambitious target to raise £600,000 so that 

not only would The Pavilion be reinstated as home to 

school and Watsonian sport, but it would be a lively 

hub for current staff, pupils and parents; Watsonians; 

and our community partners and neighbours. Thanks 

to the overwhelming generosity of the Watsonian 

Family, the Watsonian Club and the Watsonian 

Sections we reached the target ahead of schedule. 

You can read more about The Pavilion Project on 

page 6. The Development Team have now moved to 

the Pavilion, so please drop by to see us and have a 

coffee and cake in the new Café. 

I hope you enjoy reading about life on campus and 

stories about fellow Watsonians. We are always 

looking for stories to share on #WatsoniansLinked 

and in our online and printed publications, so if you 

have a story to share then please get in touch via 

development@gwc.org.uk. 

Ex Corde Caritas 

Watsonian Council 

Watsonian President 

Vice President 

Principal 

Director of Development 

Elected member 

Gillian Sandilands 

Ben Di Rollo 

Melvyn Roffe 

Karen Goodman 

Johnny Bacigalupo 



Secretariat 

Heads of Sixth Year 

Tracy Black 

John Robertson 

Laura Tyzack 

Lewis Harrison 

Maya Lancaster 

George Watson’s College, Colinton Road, Edinburgh EH10 5EG 

Tel: 0131 446 6008 | email: development@gwc.org.uk 

www.gwc.org.uk/WatsoniansLinked 

George Watson’s College is administered by the 

Edinburgh Merchant Company Education Board, 

a charity registered in Scotland SC009747. 

21

President’s Update 

Online platforms have allowed us all to communicate 

in different ways, but are not a substitute for the faceto-face 

contact we crave and need. It has, however, 

provided us all with a meaningful way of sharing and 

communicating and WatsoniansLinked will continue 

to be a key channel for the School to communicate 

with Watsonians. 

As I reflect on my first 10 months in Office, it 

coincides with us being given back some of our 

freedoms and with that, recognition of some of the 

things we may have previously taken for granted. 

I took up Office, in February 2021, from Johnny 

Bacigalupo (Class of 1995), in what was the first virtual 

President’s hand over. At that same time, Ben Di Rollo 

(Class of 2002) took up Office as Vice President. In the 

period to date, we have been extremely resourceful in 

how we have undertaken our activities. 

The Sections’ meetings moved online, providing an 

opportunity for us to bring everyone together to share 

both their frustrations of match days cancelled and, on 

a more positive note, activities restarting as restrictions 

eased. Our online global meetings have continued, 

allowing volunteers from across the world to participate. 

These have provided an interesting perspective on 

the impact of life in each of the countries in which our 

Global Watsonian Community is represented. 

During my tenure as Vice President I started and I 

continue to Chair a committee of George Square Girls. 

We have ambitious plans for celebrating the 150 years 

since the founding of George Watson’s Ladies’ College 

in 1871. Never daunted by challenge and adversity this 

intrepid group have continued with their planning and 

research. With the support of the Archive Officer, the 

Development Office, the Honorary Heritage Officer, staff 

and pupils we have undertaken an enormous amount 

of research into the history of the School, uncovered 

previously untold stories about the lives of former 

pupils, and current pupils have interviewed former 

George Square Girls and documented oral histories. 

We are also working on the design of a tapestry which 

will record, pictorially in stitch, the rich heritage of 

the Ladies’ College and its amalgamation into George 

Watson’s College. Our programme of social events has 

been rescheduled to 2022, and we stride forth with 

great optimism. 

I wanted to end by sharing a wise insight from one 

of our Sixth year pupils. 

‘Not being able to come into school highlighted that 

school is not just a learning environment. Just as 

important is the sense of community and belonging 

that school provides, which cannot be truly 

replicated remotely.’ 

For me, this highlights that we do not always recognise 

or fully appreciate what we have until it is denied to us. 

Gillian Sandilands (née Begg) (Class of 1978) 

President of the Watsonian Club 

2

In Principal 

Position 

The Watsonian 

Council 

Volunteer 

Opportunities 

Since the incorporation of the Watsonian Club as a 

company limited by guarantee in 2019, The Watsonian 

Council, as the board of directors of the company, 

has acquired an important new role in overseeing 

the Watsonian Branches and Sections. The Watsonian 

Benevolent Fund, originally established in 1917, 

although remaining a distinct charity, also comes within 

the Watsonian Club structure. 

We are delighted to announce that 

our Principal, Melvyn Roffe, has been 

elected Chair of the Headmasters’ and 

Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) for 

the 2022/23 Session. 

HMC represents the Heads of 296 leading independent 

schools in the UK, Ireland, and around the world, 

which between them are responsible for educating 

over 240,000 young people. The organisation has an 

important voice in the development of education 

policy and good practice, and also provides training 

and professional development for Heads and staff 

of its member schools. 

Mr Roffe said: ‘I feel deeply honoured to have been 

chosen by my colleagues to chair the HMC during the 

2022/23 school session and I am looking forward to 

the task with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. 

Mr Roffe’s appointment will be the third time in over 

150 years that this prestigious position will have 

been held by the Head of a Scottish school. He will be 

following in the footsteps of former GWC Principal, 

Sir Roger Young, who was Chairman of HMC in 1976. 

Members of the Council also provide support, guidance 

and advice to the staff of the Development Office who 

are responsible for promoting and co-ordinating the 

range of Watsonian activities that take place at home 

and abroad. 

We are currently looking to recruit two new volunteers, 

one to join the Watsonian Council and one to become a 

Trustee of the Watsonian Benevolent Fund. 

The Watsonian Council meets four times a year. 

Meetings have been held online and it is likely that the 

majority of meetings will continue to be online in future. 

The Benevolent Fund holds at least two meetings and 

Trustees responsible for making grants meet on an 

ad-hoc basis throughout the year. 

We are looking to recruit new members who have an 

accounting background and would be able to act as 

Honorary Treasurers to both the Watsonian Club and 

Benevolent Fund. 

If you are interested in the work of the Council, 

or the Benevolent Fund, and have the expertise 

and skills we are looking for, then we would love to 

hear from you. Please note your interest by emailing 

development@gwc.org.uk 

APPLY NOW 

3

The 

Caritas Lecture 2 

After a hiatus of a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, September 2021 once again saw us host the Caritas 

Lecture. In keeping with tradition, our lecturer was of the highest calibre, and we were delighted to welcome 

Professor Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome, the distinguished forensic anthropologist who is currently Pro 

Vice-Chancellor for Public Engagement at the University of Lancaster and who was shortly to be President of 

St John’s College, Oxford. 

Professor Black’s lecture titled, 

Forensic Anthropology in the Real 

World was somewhat ironically 

delivered not quite in the real world, 

but rather in the virtual online world 

we have all become accustomed to. 

Professor Black joined us from her 

study in Lancaster and her audience 

was not only in Edinburgh but, for 

the first time in the Lecture’s history, 

stretched around the globe. 

However, this was appropriate as 

Professor Black’s experience is truly 

global as is her reputation as one of 

the people who established forensic 

anthropology as an internationally 

recognised and respected discipline. 

Professor Black began by explaining 

how her journey to her current 

career began. Born and brought up 

in the Highlands, she first developed 

an interest in anatomy at the age of 

twelve doing her Saturday job in a 

butchers’ shop. She did not initially 

consider an academic path, but her 

biology teacher at Inverness Royal 

Academy insisted that she should 

apply to university and so she found 

herself studying as an Anatomy 

undergraduate at the University of 

Aberdeen. She described the feeling 

of fascination and wonder which 

enabled her first to understand the 

biology and anatomy of animals in 

the butchers’ shop and which then 

helped her when faced with the task 

of dissecting human cadavers as 

an undergraduate. 

Not only did she succeed in her 

undergraduate studies, she also 

completed her PhD at Aberdeen 

before working as a lecturer in 

anatomy at St Thomas’ Hospital, 

London. It was here that Professor 

Black became increasingly involved 

4

021 

in forensic anatomy, and before 

long she began to work on highprofile 

cases for the Foreign Office 

and the United Nations. She was 

dispatched to various locations 

including Sierra Leone and Grenada 

and eventually served as the 

leading forensic anthropologist for 

the investigation of war crimes in 

Kosovo in 1999. Professor Black 

also contributed to the identification 

of victims from the Boxing Day 

tsunami in Asia in 2004, as well as 

travelling to Iraq to investigate war 

crimes there. 

Professor Black described with 

great sensitivity and compassion 

the process of understanding the 

circumstances of a human death. 

Using some well-known and less 

well-known examples she painted 

the picture of the painstaking, 

meticulous and detailed work 

that has so often enabled her and 

her team to bring comfort to the 

bereaved, to provide answers to 

intractable mysteries and to 

provide prosecutors with the 

evidence to bring some of the 

world’s worst criminals to justice. 

It seemed unlikely that such 

work would have many lighter 

moments, but clearly it did, 

although Professor Black was at 

pains to emphasise that respect 

for the dignity of the deceased 

was never compromised in any 

circumstances. 

Most of the time, Professor Black’s 

skills and experience are applied 

in circumstances of deaths which 

have taken place a relatively short 

time ago, however, she also gave 

a fascinating account of her work 

in identifying whether an ancient 

coffin in the Wardlaw Mausoleum 

contained the skeleton of Simon 

Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat. His fate 

following the defeat of the 1745 

Jacobite Rebellion had become 

the subject of great international 

interest due to the TV series 

Outlander. Disappointingly to fans 

of the series, she proved that the 

human remains in the coffin marked 

with his name were not in fact those 

of Lord Lovat. 

Professor Black is one of our most 

prominent scientists working at the 

intersection of science, medicine, 

law and international relations. 

She has been instrumental in 

developing the discipline of forensic 

anthropology in new and important 

directions, for example in the 

identification of perpetrators of 

child sexual abuse from indecent 

images of children. 

The Caritas Lecture audience of 

pupils, parents, staff and members 

of the public locally and around 

the world were grateful to spend 

an hour or so learning so much 

of such importance from a truly 

outstanding lecturer and an 

exceptional human being. 

You can see the 2021 Caritas Lecture 

here: 

www.gwc.org.uk/caritaslecture2021 

Melvyn Roffe 

Principal 

Photo by David Gross 

5

Your Investment: 

Your Commitment: 

Your Achievement 

Welcome to The Pavilion at Myreside 

We are delighted to announce that The Pavilion at Myreside will be open for business 

in January 2022. We hope that those living locally will drop in regularly to use the 

lovely new facilities and those further afield, please drop by on your 

travels to Edinburgh. 

6 

It is hard to believe that as this 

publication goes to print, it is 

almost two years since fire ripped 

through the iconic and much 

loved Myreside Pavilion. Shortly 

after 9.23am, on 5 February 

2020, six fire crews and a height 

appliance started their battle to 

save the building. 

Hours later, and once the flames 

had abated and the smouldering, 

century old wooden beams had 

cooled, the devastating impact of 

the fire was clear. And, that’s when 

the School reached out to the 

Watsonian family. We needed to 

find a shared vision for the future. 

A vision that, once decided upon, 

would only be possible with the 

commitment of many. 

The decision was made that, 

together, we create a hub for every 

member of our community. A space 

for former staff and former pupils 

to drop in to meet friends, visit the 

Development Office and participate 

in volunteering opportunities; a 

space for parents to relax around 

pupil pick-up times and at pupil 

sporting events; a space for current 

staff to meet visitors and each 

other; and a space that welcomes 

our community partners and 

neighbours. All this while retaining 

its important role as home to 

school and Watsonian sport. 

To achieve our shared vision for 

the future we set out, with just six 

months to go, to raise £600,000 

by 30 June 2021. It seemed like an 

almost impossible mountain we 

had to climb. It was going to be a 

monumental undertaking – could we 

dare to believe that this was a match 

that the Watsonian Family could win.

This complex reinstatement 

project would see colleagues in our 

Facilities Team working closely with 

the team of architects, surveyors 

and builders appointed by the 

School’s insurance company. 

Let the Game Begin 

The First Quarter saw us reaching 

out to a small number of individual 

donors and by 31 March, gifts and 

pledges had reached £191,721. 

Now for the Second Quarter and the 

Easter appeal to Watsonians, which 

raised a further £40,780. 

It was now time to get our current 

parents, staff and pupils involved, 

with Myreside Maynia. 

The challenge was to raise £100,000, 

the funds required for the lift and 

ramp accesses. Funds that would, 

for the first time in the Pavilion’s 

long history, make the facility fully 

accessible to all. Over 300 donations 

were received during May and 

another £99,902 was added to 

the fundraising goal. 

With one month to go, we were 

just over half way and unsure 

what to do next. It was then that 

a very generous donor came 

forward and offered to match 

fund every donation we received 

in June. The impossible suddenly 

seemed possible. 

The Final Quarter - The Match 

Funding Challenge - for one final 

push, we reached out to every 

Watsonian, even those who had 

already donated! Thanks to the 

overwhelming response we received, 

on 28 June 2021 we officially passed 

our fundraising goal. 

Thanks to the belief and generosity 

of over 650 Watsonians, their 

friends and families, The Pavilion 

at Myreside was officially re-opened 

on 26 November 2021 by: 

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 

Frank Ross (Class of 1976) 

7

8 

A Century of Remembering –

The George Watson’s College War Memorial 

The George Watson’s College War Memorial was unveiled one hundred years 

ago this year, on 16 December 1921. It originally stood in front of the main 

steps of George Watson’s Boys’ College in Archibald Place. 

Even before the First World 

War had ended, the Watsonian 

Community had been collecting 

money to help the children and 

dependents of those killed or 

injured in the hostilities. The 

Watsonian War Memorial Fund 

was established to provide for 

the design and construction of 

the memorial, to assist those 

in need, and to publish the 

Watsonian War Record which 

would commemorate all those 

Watsonains who had served in 

the conflict. 

The end of the war was 

marked at George Square by a 

celebration of peace, but while 

the overriding mood was one 

of relief and joy, there was also 

humility. Charlotte Ainslie, 

the Headmistress of George 

Watson’s Ladies’ College, said 

in 1919. 

‘We fought for Truth and Right, 

and the protection of the weak 

against brutal aggression. 

But let us spare a little pity too, 

for our vanquished enemies: 

it is a bitter thing to be beaten, 

and not all of them we think, 

are guilty of the worst crimes 

that have stained their 

country’s shield.’ 

In 1932, when the Boys’ College 

moved to Colinton Road, the 

war memorial was also moved. 

The names of those killed in the 

Second World War and in the 

Korean War were subsequently 

added to the memorial. 

Today, the memorial is part 

of the joint heritage of the 

schools which amalgamated 

on this site to form the coeducational 

George Watson’s 

College in 1974/75. It was 

therefore fitting that on the 

centenary of her death in 2017, 

the name of Daisy Coles was 

added to the memorial. In 

November 2021, we also 

added the names Irene 

Bathgate and Ruby Grierson. 

The George Watson’s College 

War Memorial stands in 

perpetual tribute to those who 

once shared our heritage and 

traditions, our uniform, and 

our hopes and ambitions. 

It remains a poignant reminder 

of what was required of them, 

and which has never been 

required of us. 

In total, some 810 Watsonians 

made the supreme sacrifice 

of their lives in the wars of the 

twentieth century. And, that 

is why we have Project 810. 

To recognise the duty we all 

have to do what we can in our 

own way and in our own time 

to bring about a fairer, more 

sustainable and kinder world; 

a world where no life is ever 

again sacrificed in war. 

9

A NEW WORLD OF 

OPPORTUNITIES 

Fadwa Affara (Class of 1961) came 

to George Watson’s Ladies’ College 

from Aden, a former British colony 

located in contemporary Yemen. 

From there she went on to qualify 

as a nurse and shape nursing 

education standards in over 80 

countries. Fadwa spoke to Caritas 

about her extraordinary career, 

working with the World Health 

Organisation and leading a project 

to provide nurses with face masks 

during the pandemic. 

Born in 1943 in Aden, Fadwa was 

educated in a convent primary 

school. However, secondary 

schooling for girls in Aden was 

scarce so her family decided to send 

her to Edinburgh to attend George 

Watson’s Ladies’ College (GWLC). 

After leaving GWLC, Fadwa 

enrolled on two concurrent courses 

at The University of Edinburgh. 

She explains: 

‘At that time nursing wasn’t 

accepted as a university level 

programme. I did an MA and at 

the same time I did nursing 

education as required by the 

General Nursing Council.’ 

In more recent times, especially 

during the COVID-19 pandemic, 

nurses have been front and centre 

in the response and the profession 

is well recognised and respected. 

But Fadwa recalls a time when it was 

not considered an academic level 

discipline: ‘nursing was ‘on the job’ 

training, where you went into the 

school for two to three weeks and 

then you went on to the wards and 

were working and learning at the 

same time. There wasn’t any inkling, 

at that time, that there needed to be 

a scientific basis to it.’ 

After qualifying, Fadwa went on to 

work in Edinburgh and followed 

the traditional pathway of nursing 

and then midwifery, before taking 

up her first international post in a 

French hospital, in Nazareth, where 

she taught nursing and french. A few 

years after returning and working 

in intensive care in Glasgow, Fadwa 

noticed that attitudes to nursing 

were beginning to change. 

She said: ‘I noticed The University 

of Edinburgh was offering a Masters 

of Nursing Education and I was in 

one of the first groups who did this. 

I then went on to Dundee where I 

got a lectureship. I was involved in 

a brand new BSc Nursing degree, 

which I found both stimulating and 

very interesting.’ 

With growing recognition of the 

nursing profession, a Masters 

degree and lectureship under her 

(nurses) belt, Fadwa was offered a 

life changing opportunity with the 

World Health Organisation. 

‘I did my first consultancy in Cairo, 

Egypt where I was evaluating an 

organisation. This led to me being 

invited to go to Bahrain, where a 

new College of Health Sciences - 

at the forefront of competency 

based education in the 1980s - 

had just opened. I was asked to 

go as Head of Nursing and I spent 

seven years there developing a 

new approach to education, and 

opening up new programmes in 

community and general nursing, 

and midwifery. 

With hands-on experience of nursing 

practices around the world, Fadwa 

went on to become a driving force in 

the development and regulation of 

the profession. 

‘My next challenge was being invited 

by the International Council of 

Nurses to lead a project looking at 

professional regulation worldwide. 

Their report had unearthed some 

disturbing facts that showed a 

lack of regulation and the need to 

bring more order to the way the 

profession was regulated in different 

countries. I spent the next four 

years working with 80 countries, 

doing workshops with them and 

helping them to develop and reform 

laws, before being offered a post 

as a consultant at the International 

Council of Nurses. That’s where I 

spent the next 14 years.’ 

Fadwa’s work caught the attention 

of none other than the Thai Royal 

Family and she was awarded the 

Princess Srinagarindra Award for 

Nursing Regulation and Quality 

Improvement and People’s Safety. 

Speaking about it, she said: ‘I was 

very honoured to be recognised 

in this way, for what I saw as my 

everyday job.’ 

10

Even after retirement Fadwa’s 

commitment to the nursing 

profession continues. She has 

been working to establish the 

local production and sustainable 

supply chains of masks to nurses in 

countries where the cost of PPE is 

simply too high. 

Explaining the work of COVID-19 

Africa Action Network for Nurses and 

Nurse Midwives and Protect Nurses 

Save Lives, she said: ‘Now we have 

12 countries involved, and up to 

this point have made 750,000 masks 

and distributed them to people who 

are in need.’ 

Fadwa’s journey has taken her all 

over the world, although that didn’t 

stop her reflecting on a corner of 

the world much closer to home: 

‘My time at Watson’s gave me 

an experience where I not only 

had an opportunity to achieve 

academically, but where I was also 

offered the chance to succeed in 

sports, the Drama Club, debating 

and many other things.’ 

Fadwa wrapped up her conversation 

with Caritas, with some advice 

for young people thinking 

about a career in nursing and 

health policy. 

‘Nursing has moved so far. Nurses 

are taking the lead, not only in 

developing practice, but they have a 

lot more recognition to deliver care, 

to diagnose and prescribe, which 

was, in the past, only in the remit 

of physicians. With nursing there 

are so many different disciplines on 

offer, whether you go into practice 

or administration, academia or 

research. To me it was a profession 

that gave me many opportunities, 

some unexpected.’ 

UK Supreme Court 

11

Watson 

Congratulations! 

In August 2020, Jeff Roberts (Class of 

2001) became member 2424 of The Bob 

Graham 24 Hour Club, for those that have 

completed a 66 mile, 27,000ft circuit over 

42 of the highest peaks in the Lake District 

within 24 hours. First completed in 1932 

by Bob Graham, hotelier of Keswick, at the 

age of 42, the 42 Peak Round has become 

a ‘bucket-list item’ for the supremely fit. 

Each summer around 100 ultra-distance 

fell runners will attempt the 27,000ft ascent 

within the allotted 24 hours. Well done Jeff! 

We send our congratulations to Rachel 

Jones (Class of 1982) on receiving the 

Queen’s Award for Enterprise in April 

2020 for her company SnapDragon 

Monitoring. SnapDragon was one of only 

eight Scottish companies to win a 2020 

award. It was presented by The Lord 

Provost of Edinburgh, Frank Ross (Class 

of 1976). 

SnapDragon is a software company 

that has developed an online brand 

protection solution for SMEs marketed 

as Swoop. Counterfeit goods sold online 

can harm the reputation and profits of 

businesses and can be unsafe for users. 

Rachel started SnapDragon after her 

own invention was counterfeited. 

Swoop surveys online marketplaces 

identifying counterfeit products leading 

to offending links being removed. The 

company combines the use of machine 

learning and human intervention to 

reduce false positives and improve 

the accuracy of the algorithms which 

identify infringement. The system has 

a 96% success rate with takedowns, 

protecting clients’ reputations and 

increasing sales by removing fake 

products from the market. 

Andrew Wildgoose (Class of 2005) was 

awarded the British Empire Medal in the 

2020 New Year’s Honours in recognition of 

his charitable fundraising efforts during the 

pandemic. Andrew runs Goose’s Quizzes, 

an Edinburgh based company who run 

more than 45 weekly pub quizzes across 

the central belt. As the crisis deepened, the 

company adapted their popular quizzes 

to be delivered across online streaming 

platforms while raising money for charity. 

Another Watsonian who featured in the 

2020 New Year’s Honours list was Paul 

van Heyningen (Class of 1993) who was 

awarded an OBE for services to energy 

policy. Paul is a Deputy Director in the 

Department for Business, Energy and 

Industrial Strategy (BEIS) where he works 

with his team to ensure the electricity 

network is ready for the transition to electric 

vehicles and other low carbon technologies 

as we move towards net zero emissions. 

12

ians 

in the 

News 

Jake Mackenzie (Class of 1956) 

was honoured in the US House of 

Representatives upon his retirement as 

Vice Mayor of Rohnert Park City Council, 

California. Congressman Mike Thompson 

paid tribute to Jake’s 24 years of deep 

dedication to the Council, which included 

five terms as Mayor. We send Jake our best 

wishes for a happy retirement after his 

many years of exceptional public service. 

Catriona Stewart (Class of 1976) was 

recognised in the New Year Honours List 

with an OBE for her work in advocating 

the rights and needs of autistic women. 

Catriona was previously an expert advisor to 

the National Autism Project and the review 

of Scotland’s Mental Health Act. Catriona 

also co-founded Scottish Women’s Autism 

Network (SWAN) in 2012 after finishing her 

PhD on the experiences of anxiety for girls 

with Asperger’s Syndrome. 

In August 2021, Davy Zyw (Class of 2005) 

and team mates including his brothers 

Tommy Zyw (Class of 2005) and Sorely 

Richardson (Class of 2011), undertook a 

gruelling 500 mile cycling challenge ‘Ride 

for MND’ with the My Name’5 Doddie 

Foundation which took them around the 

famous North Coast 500 in just four days. 

The team, which Davy captained, raised a 

phenomenal £125,000. In recognition of 

his amazing efforts Davy was awarded a 

Points of Light award from No. 10 Downing 

Street and Fundraiser of the Year award 

from Cycling Weekly. 

13

Kerr leads way as trio 

of former pupils compete 

at the Tokyo Olympics 

Let’s start with an amazing fact: of the 55 Scottish 

athletes selected to compete as part of the GB Team, 

three were Watsonians. 

Former pupils Josh Kerr (Class of 2015), James Heatly 

(Class of 2015) and Grace Reid (Class of 2014) 

represented Great Britain at the recent Tokyo Olympics 

and judging by the overwhelming response to our 

social media stories, the wider Watsonian Community 

loved watching them compete. 

All the Watsonian athletes had an amazing time in 

Japan, but perhaps none more so than Kerr, 23, 

who flew home proudly clasping his bronze medal. 

Amazingly, it had been 33 years since a British man had 

last been on the Olympic podium in the 1500m. Kerr 

showed guile and class to join legendary names such 

as Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram and Peter Elliott 

in the history books. 

In the final, run at lightning pace, Kerr moved into 

the top five at the bell, before storming past Kenya’s 

Abel Kipsang down the home straight and almost 

overhauling Timothy Cheruiyot, another Kenyan, 

for second. As it was, Cheruiyot held on for silver 

(3:29.01) while Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen clocked 

an Olympic record time (3:28.32) to take gold. Kerr’s 

time of 3:29.05 knocked two and a half seconds off 

his previous personal best and was just 0.24 seconds 

outside Mo Farah’s British record time. 

After the final he said: ‘I’m blown away, this has been a 

hard championships for me, the first run wasn’t great, 

it was one of those days and you can have those. Sadly, 

mine was in the first round of the Olympics. 

14

‘I had to go back, think about it, recalibrate and come 

back to these next rounds fighting every single step 

of the way. I feel like you saw that in the semi-final 

and then in the final and I’m really happy with that 

performance. I have this weird confidence in myself. 

Some may call it cockiness, some may call it general 

confidence. When you put the effort in and you’re 

surrounded by a team like I am, you can’t not feel 

confidence every step of the way.’ 

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, in the diving pool, 

24-year-old James Heatly and 25-year-old Grace 

Reid were in action. 

Heatly was in great early form to progress comfortably 

through the prelims and then the semi-finals in the 

men’s 3m event. He went on to finish ninth in the final, 

a positive result which leaves him plenty to build on 

going forward. James was following in the footsteps of 

his late grandad Sir Peter Heatly, who competed at the 

1948 and 1952 Olympic Games. 

‘For me, the goal was to make the team and then try to 

progress through the rounds, and that’s what I did. I’m 

really proud and happy about that, but it’s frustrating 

because there’s definitely a lot more in the tank,’ Heatly 

said after his event which saw British team mate 

Jack Laugher earn a bronze medal. 

‘The pros outweigh the cons. Sometimes you win, 

sometimes you learn, and today I’ll definitely learn. 

It was a shame to have to leave the Heatly Clan back 

home, but I definitely feel like he [grandad Sir Peter] 

was there with me poolside.’ 

Grace Reid and partner Katherine Torrance were Team 

GB’s first divers in action at the Games, finishing sixth in 

the women’s 3m synchronised event. Reid was also in 

the women’s 3m event, but just missed out on a top 18 

spot in the prelims. 

After that outing Reid said: ‘It’s massively frustrating, 

I’m disappointed and obviously it’s not the result I was 

hoping for. I made a costly mistake on my second dive, 

I fought all the way to the end and gave everything, 

but it just wasn’t enough. The depth within my event 

is so strong, which is amazing. You can’t really afford 

to make a mistake like that when those girls are diving 

to that level. The experience has been so special. It’s a 

wonder that these Games went ahead and were so safe. 

To be a part of this will go down in the history books 

and to be a part of Team GB was such an honour.’ 

Gary Heatly (Class of 2000) 

It was great to see America-based 

Kerr back in Edinburgh recently 

when he visited the school. 

15

Diamond Days in 2022 

Celebrating 60 years of S3 Projects 

‘My most standout Projects memory was falling 

in a bog right up to my waist. Mr Vandersteen ran 

across the moor like something out of Baywatch 

and pulled me out! I was very grateful for that and 

have been very wary of marsh land ever since!’ 

Whether you attended George 

Watson’s Boys’ College, George 

Watson’s Ladies’ College or 

George Watson’s College, outdoor 

adventures have been an important 

part of a Watson’s education. For 

some, those adventures came 

with membership of the 9th Braid 

(George Watson’s) Scout Group, for 

others, through their involvement 

with the School’s Combined Cadet 

Force, Duke of Edinburgh Award 

sceme, and, since 1962, through S3 

(Third Year) Projects. This was the 

year that outdoor education became 

an official part of the curriculum 

for every pupil at Watson’s. 

No matter the circumstances that 

led to each individual participating 

in an outdoor experience, all came 

with challenges to be overcome, 

new friendships to be made and 

new risks to be assessed and taken. 

For many pupils, their S3 Project 

trip has remained the most 

memorable moment in their 

Watson’s journey, often recounted 

as a life-changing experience. 

And, it is for that very reason that 

throughout 2022 we will be hosting 

a year of events that celebrate the 

past 60 years of S3 Projects, but 

also looking to the future. Events 

that celebrate camaraderie and 

challenge, life-long friendships, 

lessons learned and benefits gained, 

sites seen and hopefully revisited. 

‘Our classroom for the whole two 

weeks was the stunning beauty of 

the Cairngorm. No Cathedral could 

lead us to anything more uplifting.’ 

‘The thing I remember most about the food 

is the Fray Bentos Pies which Miss Gilles 

realised with horror used Argentinian meat! 

The Falklands War was underway and I seem 

to remember we had fish and chips instead 

of the pies!’ 

Your S3 Projects at 60 Committee 

Norman Murray, Chair (Class of 1967) 

Liz Smith (Class of 1978) 

Maxi Maclaren (Class of 1963) 

Dave Pyper 

Richard Travers 

Laura Tyzack 

16

Dates for your Diary 

We will be planning a year long series of residential and day trips, as well as digital and campus events that 

celebrate and highlight the health and wellbeing benefits of outdoor activity and volunteering. We hope that 

there will be something in the Calendar of Events for everyone. 

Backpacks, Blisters and 

Bunk Beds - Three-Day 

Residential Trips 

Friday 10 - Sunday 12 June 2022 

Projects at 60 Reunion Weekend at 

Aviemore Youth Hostel 

Friday 9 - Sunday 11 September 2022 

Projects at 60 Reunion Weekend at 

Cairngorm Lodge Youth Hostel 

These two special residential events 

will give you the opportunity to relive 

some of the best (and worst!) bits of 

your S3 Project experience. Arriving 

on Friday evening - and once bunks 

have been bagged - guests will enjoy 

a hearty three-course dinner and 

have the chance to share memories 

(and photos) from their own Project 

experience. Saturday will commence 

with a full Scottish breakfast, before 

heading off on a choice of local 

activities, which could include: 

walking tours, a foraging experience, 

Munro bagging, a visit to a local 

distillery or reindeer herd. 

However you decide to fill your day 

- in true S3 Project tradition - you 

will be provided with a packed lunch 

to sustain you through your chosen 

activity. Following a fight for showers, 

Saturday will be rounded off with 

another three-course dinner and S3 

Project Quiz (optional). The reunion 

weekend concludes on Sunday when, 

following a final Scottish breakfast, 

you can venture out again for local 

walks and activities before farewells 

after lunch. 

The cost of both trips is £95 per 

person inclusive of all meals and 

two nights accommodation. 

Activities can be selected nearer 

the time and will be at an additional 

cost, where applicable. 

Places are limited and will be allocated 

on a first come first served basis. 

To make an individual or group 

booking please visit 

www.gwc.org.uk/projectsat60 

Are You Up for 

the Challenge? 

In May 2012, to mark the 50th 

Anniversary of Projects and as part 

of an amazing effort, a Watsonian 

reached the summit of every Munro 

in Scotland. 

In 2022 we want to challenge 

Watsonians again, but this time we 

want you to take up a challenge no 

matter where you are in the World. 

• Challenge One - with your help 

can we once again bag every 

Munro in Scotland? 

• Challenge Two - no matter where 

you are in the World, we want you 

to set your own challenge and 

achieve a new personal goal. In the 

spirit of S3 Projects, in 2022 can you 

set out on an outdoor adventure, 

or support an environmental 

or conservation charity. No 

matter what you do to challenge 

yourself and relive your S3 Project 

experience, we want you to share 

your 2022 story with us. 

You can find out more about the 

challenges and how to sign up for 

a summit you would like to reach 

at www.gwc.org.uk/projectsat60 

Diamond Days 

The residential trips and challenges 

will hopefully whet your appetite 

for the many other events we have 

planned throughout 2022. 

• You can join us on one of our 

specially arranged ‘Diamond 

Days’ where we will venture out 

together on day trips to the Borders, 

Perthshire and even a day in 

the Pentlands. 

• Our wild spaces also need us to 

give back by doing something 

positive that protects them for the 

future, so we will also be organising 

‘Diamond Days’ that encourage work 

party participation such as beach 

cleans, litter picking and 

tree planting. 

• A specially curated exhibition 

Sixty Memories for Sixty Years 

will be staged at Colinton Road 

in May 2022. 

• Engage with talks and lectures 

throughout the anniversary 

year as we invite high-profile 

speakers to join us for this 

special celebration. 

Photographic 

Competition 

We will be launching a photographic 

competition in February 2022. 

Entries will be accepted until the 

end of September 2022. The twelve 

best images - determined by a 

panel of judges - will be used for a 

commemorative S3 Projects at 60 

calendar. Income from sales will be 

split between The John Muir Trust 

and the George Watson’s College 

Enrichment Fund. More details will be 

posted on the Projectsat60 webpage. 

Further details on how to get 

involved will be released over 

the coming months. 

To find out more about upcoming 

events and how to enter the 

photographic competition, visit 

www.gwc.org.uk/projectsat60 

17

18 

The Watsonian Boo

kshelf 

This new Caritas feature has been 

borne out of the desire to create a 

special section in the new Library 

at Myreside where books authored 

by Watsonians can be curated and 

enjoyed by those who visit The 

Pavilion. The first book to be placed 

on our Watsonian Bookshelf has 

been written by Susan Tomes (Class 

of 1972) who shared with Caritas 

the story of how it came to be. 

My sixth book, The Piano – a History 

in 100 Pieces – was published by 

Yale University Press in July 2021. 

During our lockdowns all my ‘live’ 

concerts had been cancelled, 

leaving only this book’s publication 

date as an event in my diary, so I 

looked forward to it with more 

than my usual intensity. When the 

date finally arrived, the pleasure 

was doubled because I was invited 

to launch the book with a concert 

at my favourite hall, Wigmore Hall 

in London. 

My previous books have been 

concerned with performance. I 

hadn’t focused specifically on 

repertoire – for a long time I felt 

that there were lots of people 

who had done that, were doing 

that and could do it better than I 

could. After all, I’m not a historian 

or a musicologist. But gradually 

I began to see that I had other 

qualifications. My experience of 

playing, rehearsing, performing and 

recording these pieces has given 

me a wealth of knowledge about 

them – not academic knowledge, 

but what one might call ‘embodied 

knowledge’, accumulated during 

years of grappling with piano 

parts and sharing them with 

concert audiences. 

My original plan was to pick a 

favourite area of piano repertoire 

and explore it in great detail. But I 

worried that such a book would be 

of limited appeal. I wanted to write 

something of wider interest. How to 

do that without spreading myself 

so thinly that my remarks about any 

particular piece seemed glib and 

inadequate? Then someone gave 

me a present of Neil MacGregor’s 

History of the World in 100 Objects, 

which has delighted many readers. 

As I browsed through it I wondered 

if the same approach could be taken 

to piano music. 

Putting the idea into practice was 

tricky. What criteria should I use to 

pick the pieces – my own favourites, 

or tried and trusted masterpieces? 

Where should I begin? Should I stick 

to ‘important’ pieces, or was 

it OK to include little gems, oddities, 

provocations? My first attempt, 

based on my favourites, produced 

a frankly lopsided list with about 30 

pieces by Mozart, 20 by Schubert, 

20 by Schumann, 20 by Debussy 

and Ravel, and so on. This wouldn’t 

do. I had to take a step back and be 

more objective. 

I spent a lot of time shoving around 

pieces of paper with the names of 

pieces on them, making mosaics on 

the floor before I found a pattern 

which seemed to tell a meaningful 

story. I decided to start at the 

point where the harpsichord was 

supplanted by the piano. That 

moment in history felt important 

because as the piano developed, 

its greater tonal variety inspired 

a different type of music. To keep 

my choices to 100, I found that 

I sometimes had to cheat a bit 

and include ‘sets’, such as Chopin 

Preludes or Debussy Preludes, 

rather than artificially pick out just 

one. I didn’t feel too bad about 

this – after all, a symphony can 

easily last for an hour, but everyone 

would agree it is just ‘one piece’. So 

why not allow a 40-minute set of 

preludes to count as one choice? 

Although I tried to be objective, 

my 100 pieces inevitably reflect my 

character and interests. Solo pieces 

occupy the lion’s share, but my 

love of chamber music led me to 

include many collaborative pieces 

which I believe are the best of their 

composers’ work. My love for jazz 

made me include some of that too. 

I’m sure that being a woman also 

influenced my approach. Above 

all, the fact that I’m a pianist has 

stamped itself upon my choices. 

I know how a lot of this stuff feels 

under the hands, how it finds a 

home in the imagination. I have 

experience of what it’s like to try to 

give it shape and bring it to life in 

front of listeners, and it was a great 

pleasure to describe it. 

Footnote: I was a pupil at GWLC 

from Nursery at St Alban’s Road to 

Senior School at George Square. 

Watson’s was a happy experience 

for me, though I can’t say that my 

progress in music had much to 

do with school. My music lessons 

happened outside of school and felt 

like a separate world. I did, however, 

enjoy playing violin in the school 

orchestra, and I still remember 

the pleasure I got from playing 

the orchestral score of Purcell’s 

Dido and Aeneas on the piano to 

help the solo singers learn their 

parts for a performance conducted 

by Miss Traves. In terms of writing, 

I received great encouragement 

from my English teachers – notably 

Miss Clark-Wilson in Junior School 

and Miss Carnon and Miss Fortescue 

in Senior School. At the time I felt 

they were faintly disappointed by 

my focus on music, so I hope they 

would be pleased to know that I 

eventually found a way to bring 

music and literature together. 

If you would like to have your 

book sit alongside Susan’s on the 

Watsonian Bookshelf then please 

get in touch with the Development 

Office (development@gwc.org.uk) 

and look out for more books as we 

feature them on #WatsoniansLinked 

over the coming months. 

19

Reunions... 

Back for 2022 

After an interval of two 

years we are hopeful 

that class reunions will 

return in 2022. 

We will be inviting all of the Class of 1940s, 1952, 1962, 

1972, 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012 to join us for The Big 

Reunion Lunch in the marquee on the school lawn at 

Colinton Road on Saturday 25 June 2022. 

Arriving at midday for a welcome drink, and a chance 

to catch up with your classmates and former teachers, 

will be followed by a two course buffet lunch with wine 

enjoyed in your year group. After lunch you can embark 

on a guided tour of the School and if you attended 

George Square you will be invited to enjoy our special 

exhibition in the Entrance Hall celebrating 150 years 

since the founding of the Ladies’ College. 

Tickets for this event are £25 per person and are 

available at www.gwc.org.uk/reunions 

Lunch will finish at 2.30pm and we encourage year 

groups to make their own arrangements to continue 

reminiscing either at The Pavilion at Myreside, or 

another local venue. If you have any questions about 

the event then please email Laura Tyzack in the 

Development Office at development@gwc.org.uk 

For those whose reunions were cancelled in 2020 and 

2021 we are planning special ‘mid-term’ reunions to 

celebrate your 15th, 25th, 35th, 45th or 55th year since 

leaving Watson’s. We will be in touch about these in 

the years ahead but if you are planning to arrange any 

reunions in the meantime then please do get in touch 

with the Development Office who can help with sending 

out communications to your year group, ensuring that 

no one is missed. 

20

The 

Chronicles of George Square 

at 150 

Welcome from The Principal 

In 1871, George Watson’s Ladies’ 

College began its mission to educate 

the girls and young women of 

Edinburgh and beyond. It is no 

exaggeration to claim, and indeed 

it is well illustrated in the stories 

we share here, that in the century 

and more of its independent 

existence, no institution in Scotland 

did more to prepare young women 

for the variety of family, professional 

and public roles that they would 

go on to fulfil - often with great 

distinction - in a period of huge 

and often turbulent change at 

home and abroad. 

Over the last two years, we have 

engaged more than ever before 

with the GWLC community and what 

has been abundantly clear from 

the recollections which have been 

shared is that GWLC was a school that 

engendered great affection amongst 

its pupils and that many shared 

experiences continue to 

burn vividly in the hearts and 

minds of Women Watsonians 

across the globe. 

For those of us without direct 

experience of either George Square 

or St Alban’s Road, the anniversary 

celebrations have been an 

opportunity to reflect on the 

many notable achievements of 

GWLC and of its former pupils and 

staff and the contribution of its 

heritage to the success of today’s 

co-educational school. 

Indeed, when writing in the final 

edition of The George Square 

Chronicle, published in December 

1974, Hilda Fleming - the last in the 

line of exceptional educators who 

served as Head of George Watson’s 

Ladies’ College - recalled the motto 

of Mary, Queen of Scots ‘In my end 

of my beginning’. She continued ‘We 

send our School to Colinton Road... 

confident that they take with them, 

and will maintain, our traditions and 

that they have much to contribute to 

the future happiness and success 

of George Watson’s College’. 

As we mark its 150th anniversary, 

we understand now more than ever 

the distinctive and powerful heritage 

of George Watson’s Ladies’ College. 

We celebrate not only the past of the 

School, but what that heritage means 

in the present and how it will continue 

to shape the education of all our pupils 

in times to come. 

Melvyn Roffe 

Principal

EX CORDE CARITAS 

Festal Hymn and lasting Legacy 

Emma Bryden 

When appointed Head of George 

Watson’s Ladies’ College in 1902, 

having previously attended as 

a student from 1873-1880, 

Charlotte Ainslie became the 

first female Head of an Edinburgh 

Merchant Company school, 

holding the position until her 

retirement in 1926. 

During her headship, Charlotte 

Ainslie was a member of the Scottish 

Education Reform Committee and a 

Convener of the Women’s Education 

Sub-committee. Her positions of 

Vice-President of the Edinburgh 

Women’s Citizens’ Association 

and President of the Secondary 

Education Association of Scotland 

saw her regarded as the leading 

Scottish expert on the education 

of girls of secondary age. Indeed, 

over the course of her teaching 

career she inspired thousands of 

female students to strive towards 

achieving their full academic 

potential. That she lived at a time 

when the education of women 

was often of secondary importance 

to those in charge of education 

across the UK, makes her academic 

and educational accolades the 

more inspiring. 

The legacy of Charlotte Ainslie 

continues to this day through her 

published articles on education 

but equally through the continued 

performance of the Festal Hymn of 

George Watson’s Ladies’ College, 

Ex Corde Caritas. It was not until her 

retirement that she admitted that 

she had in fact written the words 

to the six-verse hymn. Until this 

clarification it was only known that 

the hymn had been written and 

composed by three former members 

of the school and so it remains that 

she lived true to her words, found in 

the fourth verse, ‘God of our life, no 

gifts we crave of fleeting wealth or 

idle fame’. 

The music for the school hymn, 

originally composed by Miss Winnie 

Fry and Miss Molly Grierson, is a 

rarity amongst the body of surviving 

school songs. At the time of writing, 

only four of the 320 songs in my 

collection had been written and 

composed by women and, as far as 

I am aware, it is the only example 

where all participants were alumnae 

of the school. The pupil’s familiarity 

with the school and the affecting 

melodic line, married with the 

heartfelt text of Charlotte Ainslie 

have rightly earned the hymn a 

place in the heart of those who have 

performed it. 

The melody, originally composed by 

Miss Fry and Miss Grierson, was later 

elevated by an arrangement of the 

hymn undertaken by the prominent 

organist Dr W B Ross, Head of Music 

at the Ladies College (1908-37) 

and Founder and President of the 

Edinburgh Society of Organists. 

The descant composed by Dr Ross 

to be sung in verse two and verse 

four bares a similarity to his wellknown 

descant for Crimond which, 

although written in 1914, was first 

aired publicly at the wedding of 

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince 

Philip in 1947. 

Hymn singing became an important 

part of morning assemblies 

from 1902, under the direction 

of Miss Ainslie, and took place 

in the School's Central Hall. The 

school hymn, having been sung 

since 1918 at major events such 

as Commemoration Day, was 

additionally programmed alongside 

the Crimond setting of Psalm 23 

with Ross’ descant as part of the 

Annual Closing Concert and Prize 

Giving at The Usher Hall. 

For a hymn to retain its relevance 

more than one hundred years 

after it was written speaks of the 

timelessness and integrity of its 

composer’s message and the skill 

of its compositional arrangement. 

Independent school hymns and 

songs form an essential part of the 

fabric of a school identity, uniting 

its community across generations 

through the act of its singing. The 

hymns final word, Charity, exists 

also in its title as Caritas and 

underpins the many acts of charity 

displayed by Charlotte Ainslie, 

and the staff and pupils of the 

school towards members of their 

community and others in need 

during the war. 

The hymn was performed at the 

Ladies’ College closing concert in 

1974 where it was accompanied by 

the school orchestra. The surviving 

recording of this performance 

illustrates Ross’ masterful use of 

orchestration in shaping the 

varied combinations of vocal parts, 

including the descant, to create a 

truly rousing hymn. 

The grandeur of the orchestration 

rivals that of Elgars’ Jerusalem 

22

whilst the text, so skillfully crafted 

by Charlotte Ainslie, is equal to great 

hymns of the same time such as 

Dear lord and father of Mankind. 

The corpus of commonly known 

hymns is the lesser for not having 

within it God of our youth but the 

legacy of Charlotte Ainslie, her passion 

for education, and her humility, 

are preserved through its continued 

performance at George Watson’s 

College where it continues to inspire 

future generations of pupils to 

support and serve others. 

Emma Bryden is Head of Academic 

Music at Stowe School and a Doctoral 

Researcher at the Royal Birmingham 

Conservatoire. Emma's thesis 

‘The School Song: Creating identity 

through shared musical experience 

in UK independent day and boarding 

schools’ explores the role of school 

songs in shaping independent school 

music education and pedagogical 

praxis from 1840 to the present day. 

23

In Conversation 

The Lost Recordings of the Voices of George Watson’s Ladies’ College 

The 150th anniversary provided an opportunity to enrich the School’s archives and collections by gathering 

oral history stories from former pupils of George Watson’s Ladies’ College (GWLC). This project, developed 

with The University of Edinburgh, provided an opportunity for current and former pupils to come together 

to share their personal experience of a Watson’s education. 

Caritas joined Gillean Somerville- 

Arjat (Class of 1964) and Madison 

Jennings (Class of 2021) as they 

compared their experiences, 30 

years apart, of recording the Voices 

of George Square. 

With Madison going on to study 

History, the oral history project 

presented a perfect opportunity 

for her to find out how important 

it is that we gather information 

from people first hand. Speaking 

to Caritas, she said that the project 

has revealed ‘how little things 

seem to change over history, but 

how much actually does when you 

look at things in small detail’. 

Madison’s contributions in 2021 

will now be added to an oral 

history project, that only recently 

came to light, that was started in 

the early 1990s by former pupil 

Gillean. Bringing together the 

content captured from these two 

projects now means that there 

is an oral history record of GWLC 

spanning over one hundred years. 

A history that captures the life 

and times of George Square Girls 

from the First World War and 

through to the 1920s and 1930s - 

something that The University of 

Edinburgh’s European Ethnological 

Organisation is very excited about. 

Explaining how her project started, 

Gillean said: ‘It all started when I 

found out that there was a grant, I 

think the Merchant Company or the 

School was offering, if you had a 

project that needed some funding. 

‘I decided that I would set out my 

idea of interviewing former pupils 

of the School. By that time, the 

School was no longer in existence 

and I thought people's memories 

of their time at the Ladies’ College 

could be lost forever.’ 

Of course, the interviewing 

methods for Gillean’s project were 

very different than they are today. 

Face-to-face meetings with tape 

recorders have been replaced by 

online interviews - new technology 

that many of us have mastered 

during Covid. 

Reflecting on the process, Madison 

said: ‘The one very positive thing 

that came with online meetings 

was our ability to interview 

people no matter how far away 

they live. 

‘We interviewed someone in 

Australia, they would never have 

been able to come for a face-toface 

interview. It totally broadened 

our reach. 

‘Any problem with the technology 

could potentially ruin everything, 

so that was a bit nerve wracking. 

I felt like there was more that 

could go wrong online.’ 

Comparing experiences, Gillean 

explained how it was very much 

an on foot operation - visiting the 

interviewees in person. 

‘I just trotted off with the grant, 

bought a little recording machine 

and tapes and then set off, mostly 

going to see people wherever 

worked best for them.’ 

Reflections of events from our 

past can often be susceptible 

to failure of memory, or rose 

tinted glasses. Both Gillean and 

Madison shared their thoughts 

about discovering the truth and 

what that meant in their oral 

history interviews. 

As Gillean pointed out, truth 

is often subjective and what 

you get when you ask people 

questions about their experiences 

is ‘a perspective’. She said: 

24

‘... somebody else who went 

through at the same time as I did 

might have had a very different 

experience and from that, a very 

different memory of events.’ 

Madison felt confident that a lot of 

the George Square Girls had been 

candid about their experiences, 

but for others she felt that they 

may have held back on things that 

they didn’t feel were significant to 

them. She said sometimes it was a 

challenge to try and coax out those 

pearls of wisdom. 

Remembering decades old events 

clearly is, of course, challenging; 

but conducting these interviews 

teaches the need to balance talking 

and listening. Only then can you 

listen for fine details - details that 

may at first seem to have little 

significance. 

Gillean said: ‘I like listening to 

people. I'll talk, but I'm not a great 

talker. I don't think I could have 

interviewed so many people if I 

hadn't enjoyed listening.’ 

For Gillean, the project created 

some memorable experiences and 

the chance to have conversations 

with a wide array of women. 

She remembered: ‘One of the 

oldest ladies lived in Corstorphine, 

by herself, and she'd grown up 

in Sikkim in India. Her father was 

an administrator out there and 

she talked a bit about that and 

she would have been in her 

nineties then. 

‘I can't remember anything 

much more, but I just remember 

interviewing her outside on the 

garden bench, so it must have 

been in the summer. I do 

remember that she was 

very sweet.’ 

Looking to the future, the 

question presents itself: what are 

we going to do with the recordings? 

Budding historian Madison, 

suggested that once we finish 

interviewing current and more 

recent pupils we will be able to 

track changes and themes over 

a wider period of time. 

Whatever truths or ‘perspectives’ 

emerge, these oral history 

projects have made the links 

in our community stronger, 

between current and former 

pupils and between our present 

and our past. 

25

The Common Tie 

That Makes Us One 

Throughout the autumn term, 

pupils have been deeply involved 

in the heritage of George Watson’s 

Ladies’ College. 

On 2 October, 150 years to the day 

since the opening of the Ladies’ 

College, a video of current pupils 

singing the School Hymn dropped 

into former GWLC pupils’ inboxes. To 

which many reported singing along. 

That same day, a group of senior 

girls went to George Square to sing 

Ex Corde Caritas on the steps of a 

building that holds its place within 

the hearts and minds of generations 

of Watsonians. 

Maya Lancaster (Head of Sixth 

Year) reflected on the poignant 

line from the School Hymn; ‘It was 

raining, and we did draw a bit of a 

crowd, but, standing on the steps, 

in our maroon blazers singing ‘the 

common tie that makes us one’, 

really did make me appreciate the 

strong bond I have with all the other 

girls who went before me.’ 

November is for Remembrance. It 

was fitting that in 2021 the names 

of Irene Bathgate, a pupil at George 

Square and Ruby Grierson, a former 

teacher, who both died during the 

Second World War, were added to 

the George Watson’s College War 

Memorial. Current pupils from 

both the Junior and Senior Schools 

joined Rev Dr Christine Clark 

(Class of 1980), Liz Smith (Class of 

1978) and Irene’s second cousin, 

Daði Kolbeinsson (Class of 1969) 

in leading a particularly moving 

outdoor service. 

Later, the traditional Watson’s 

Remembrance Assembly, led by 

Senior School pupils featured 

only stories of GWLC women in 

wartime and a particularly eloquent 

rendition of Psalm 23 The Lord’s 

My Shepherd. The Chamber Choir 

sang the Crimond Version with 

the descant, that would have 

been so familiar to Irene from her 

days at George Square. Watsonian 

President, Gillian Sandilands 

(Class of 1978), represented the 

Watsonian Club at both services; 

‘Hearing the descant rise over the 

last verse of The Lord’s My Shepherd 

in the Remembrance Assembly, I 

got goosebumps. I was back at the 

Usher Hall for the Closing Concert.’ 

Pupils who took part in the services 

were also moved by the experience: 

‘Learning about Irene and all that 

she did during her lifetime was 

inspiring. I was honoured to read 

out her name at the Roll of Honour, 

especially with a member of her 

family present.’ (Isla) 

‘I was more than proud to read the 

stories of the different women in 

war, some only being recognised for 

their service in the war this year. It 

was very moving.’ (Helena) 

‘When we were told Irene and Ruby’s 

stories and were shown the words 

and prayers we were to read, none 

of us could talk.’ (Lottie) 

As the outdoor service drew to its 

close, School Captain Cara Buttery 

stepped forward to read a poem 

first published in The George 

Square Chronicle in April 1936. 

Written by 14 year old Irene 

Bathgate at George Square, the 

poignancy of its words transcended 

across more than eight decades 

and provided a fitting finale to the 

act of Remembrance. 

26

Matins 

The air is swept with palest gold, 

Yet, while we watch, it grows 

Brighter, finer, and more pure. 

That sweet-voiced Herald, the dawn wind, 

Calls up the sky, 

As, with a silver stream of sound, 

The bells peal clear across the cloisters, 

And monks, soberly black-gowned, 

Move rev’rently to worship. 

The bells have ceased, and soon 

The deep-toned chant, melodious and rich, 

Blends with the far-away 

dull crash of breakers 

Where the sand lies cold 

On the Steps of Day. 

Originally published in 

The George Square Chronicle 

April 1936 

27

omen of 

Extracts from the 

Throughout the 150th Anniversary year, the School Historian, Catherine 

Stratford, has been researching the lives of Women Watsonians. 

Gathering stories that celebrate the remarkable contributions they made 

to wider society and the lives of others. We are delighted to share a 

selection of extracts with you here. You can read the full stories of these 

and other Women Watsonians here www.gwc.org.uk/heritage 

Agnes Savage 

Dr Agnes Yewande Savage is 

recognised in Nigeria as the first 

woman Nigerian doctor and she is 

celebrated amongst the 120 greatest 

ever Nigerians. 

Born on 21 February 1906, at 15 

Buccleuch Place, Agnes joined 

GWLC at the age of 5. She was 

clearly a very gifted pupil and 

her school record card shows her 

winning prizes in a range of 

subjects including Science, Maths 

and Music. She left Watson’s in 

1924 to follow in her father’s 

footsteps, studying Medicine at 

The University of Edinburgh. 

By the age of 24, Agnes had joined 

her father in West Africa, serving 

as a junior medical officer. Due to 

the colour of her skin, the Colonial 

Office refused to acknowledge her 

as a European trained doctor so 

she was paid as a local employee 

and given accommodation in 

the hospital servants’ quarters. 

Agnes barely had enough money 

to buy food and she had no means 

of saving money to travel back 

to Edinburgh to see her family 

and friends. 

Agnes’s plight came to the attention 

of Andrew Fraser, Headmaster of 

Achimota College. Apart from her 

broad range of educational skills, 

he saw Agnes as a remarkable model 

for his pupils. In 1931 he recruited 

her as both a teacher and Medical 

Officer for the School. Agnes worked 

at Achimota for four enjoyable years 

before rejoining the Colonial Office 

Medical Service. And, it was not 

until 1945 that, as a black woman, 

Agnes was offered the same terms 

of service, salary and retirement 

as her white colleagues. 

Fighting racism took its toll. 

Agnes became physically and 

psychologically exhausted, which 

led to her being invalided from 

the Service. She returned to live 

in Hertfordshire with her friend 

Esther Appleyard who had been 

Chief Education Officer of the Gold 

Coast and their Alsatian, Simon. 

Agnes died following a stroke in 

1964 at the tragically early age 

of 56, just after both Nigeria and 

Ghana had achieved independence 

from Britain. 

She ‘set a sterling example for 

generations of Nigerian women 

to follow in years to come. 

Her life shows that hard work 

and self-belief can allow one 

to break barriers.’ 

28

Watson’s Series 

Jean Aylwin 

Stage cigarette dangling from her 

lips, swagger stick tucked beneath 

her chin and steady gaze at the 

camera. This photo of Jean Aylwin, 

star of the Edwardian theatre, does 

not immediately lead you to think: 

‘Now there’s a George Square Girl.’ 

Jean Aitken was born in Hawick, in 

October 1884, the only daughter of 

John Aitken and Mary Ann Morham. 

She registered at GWLC in 1895. 

Within two years of leaving school, 

Jean was living with her family in 

Glasgow and was about to be bitten 

by the acting bug. As she said in an 

interview later in life: 

‘I was living in Glasgow when 

Mr Forbes Robertson and Miss 

Gertrude Elliott were appearing 

in The Light That Failed, and one 

night when I went to the theatre 

to see that play, I became so 

infatuated with the idea of going 

on the stage that I wrote the next 

day to Miss Elliott asking her to 

help me get on it.’ 

Miss Elliott secured an introduction 

to the actor and stage director Dion 

Boucicault, but it was not enough 

for him to offer Jean any work. He 

told her that only a ‘Scotch part’ 

would suit her. As she later admitted 

wryly, ‘To tell the truth, you could 

cut my accent with a knife at that 

time, but I did not believe it.’ 

Jean’s luck changed when she 

met the manager of a touring 

company and she was recruited to 

play a variety of character roles in 

melodramas touring around country 

towns. Jean Aitken became Jean 

Aylwin and her career was launched. 

By 1905 she was in the chorus at 

the Gaiety Theatre in London’s West 

End, progressing to playing a maid 

in The New Aladdin. It was a show 

described as a ‘miscellany of fun, 

melody and glitter’ and garnered 

Jean some good reviews. 

The show transferred to the Royal 

Lyceum, Edinburgh in February 

1908. However, it seems unlikely 

that there was a school trip from 

George Square to see it. We can 

only speculate what the teachers 

and girls would have made of it. 

Jean’s career took another exciting 

turn when she was amongst the cast 

of Our Miss Gibbs which transferred 

to Broadway in 1910. That was not 

before Jean had made her first 

silent film Winning the Widow. 

She must have returned to the UK 

by the end of 1911 or beginning of 

1912, because she was to appear 

with Harry Lauder in the Titanic 

Disaster Fund Appeal show at the 

London Hippodrome on 5 May 1912, 

less than a month after the ill-fated 

liner sank. 

Jean had her admirers, and in 1913 

she married Alfred Rawlinson, the 

younger son of a Baronet. He was a 

widower and seventeen years older 

than Jean. The marriage was of 

great public interest and attracted a 

great deal of press coverage. 

Jean seems to have disappeared 

from the stage for a couple of years. 

This coincides with the return of her 

husband Toby, his health wrecked 

by his time in Turkish prisons. 

Perhaps she took time off to help 

him to recuperate. However, the 

Rawlinsons were also without 

means and Jean returned to the 

stage in 1923, taking the predictable 

part of the Scottish maid, in one 

of the two rival productions of the 

musical play Polly at the Chelsea 

Theatre. However, by the end of 

the year, Jean had withdrawn from 

the production, announcing that 

she was going to travel to India 

and the Far East to work with the 

Wesleyan Missionary Society, 

combatting leprosy. 

The reason for this sudden, 

complete change in career direction 

seems to be linked to her husband 

subsequently suing her for divorce 

on grounds of adultery, citing the 

composer of Polly, Hubert Bath as 

co-respondent. The scandal fatally 

damaged Jean’s acting career. 

When she died near Margate in 1964, 

aged 79, her death certificate stated 

that she was a retired housekeeper. 

Jean Aitken, the Edinburgh 

schoolgirl, who developed a starry 

ambition to tread the boards 

was not there. Jean Aylwin, the 

professional Scottish actress was 

not there either. Neither was Mrs 

Alfred Rawlinson. 

29

omen of 

Extracts from the 

Those school days between the ages 

of 11 and 18 were spent at GWLC. 

Judging by her valedictory account, 

it seems most likely that she would 

have joined the Edinburgh National 

Society for Women’s Suffrage 

whilst she was still a schoolgirl. She 

certainly took part in the Literary 

and Debating Society at school, no 

doubt honing debating skills that 

would later serve her well. 

a vote in the election, they could 

not be denied a vote because they 

were women. 

They lost their case but took an 

appeal to the House of Lords in 

1908. It took the Law Lords 

one month to make a decision. 

Unsurprisingly, they ruled that the 

word ‘person’ referred to a ‘male 

person’ and did not include ‘woman’. 

30 

Frances Melville 

The household into which Frances 

Melville was born might reasonably 

be described as that of a typical 

mid-Victorian middle class family. 

Her mother, Helen, gave birth to 

seven children in 10 years and when 

Frances, her eldest daughter, was 

born in October 1873, there were 

already four little boys up in 

the nursery. 

Looking back on her life on her 

retiral, Frances spoke of the 

good fortune of her upbringing 

and education. 

‘I personally am conscious of 

the great privilege …of being 

associated from early life with 

the wide forward movement in 

women’s education and improved 

political status. To have met the 

leaders of that movement, men 

and women, and been enrolled in 

it before school days were over.’ 

On leaving school in 1891, Frances 

followed a traditional route for 

middle class girls and went to 

study music in Germany. However, 

she returned in time to take her 

place in the first cohort of women 

ever to be enrolled as students 

at The University of Edinburgh 

in October, 1892, the result of an 

historic change in the Scottish 

University Ordinances. 

Frances graduated in 1897 with 

first-class honours in Philosophy. 

She worked as a tutor in Edinburgh 

and at Cheltenham Ladies’ College 

before her appointment, in 1899, as 

Warden of University Hall, the first 

hall of residence for women at 

St Andrew’s University. 

Throughout her life, Frances 

remained committed to political 

and social causes, particularly 

those relating to the rights and 

experiences of women. In one 

celebrated campaign, she and three 

other women graduates of The 

University of Edinburgh applied to 

vote in the 1906 General Election. 

They were refused. Undeterred, 

Frances and her colleagues went to 

the Court of Session, arguing that 

as the election rules stated that all 

‘persons’ who were graduates had 

Nineteen years later, and nearly 

ten years after all women had 

gained the vote, Frances stood 

as an independent candidate in 

the by-election to elect a Member 

of Parliament for the Scottish 

universities which was caused by 

the death of former Labour Prime 

Minister, Ramsey Macdonald. She 

lost to John Anderson, later the 

wartime Home Secretary. But 

Frances, whose election address 

urged her electorate to consider 

interests and values other than 

material ones, had beaten two 

male candidates into third and 

fourth place. 

Frances was involved in more 

practical activity during the War, 

helping Elsie Inglis set up and fund 

the Scottish Women’s Hospitals 

for Foreign Service. The idea of 

female medical units serving on 

the front line was rejected by 

the War Office; nevertheless a 

number of units staffed entirely 

by women were established. 

After the war, and throughout 

the rest of her life, Frances 

involved herself in the work 

of many committees and 

organisations devoted to 

improving society.

Watson’s Series 

She was a member of the Council 

of Scottish Justices’ and Magistrates’ 

Association and one of the first women 

in Scotland to be a Justice of the Peace, 

dealing mainly with cases under the 

Education and Children’s Acts. 

Looking at photos of Frances 

Melville, it is difficult to see beyond 

the reserved and stern demeanour, 

but her enthusiasm and concern 

come through in her speeches. 

And she was never afraid to criticise 

male-dominated institutions. 

Frances died at her home in 

Merchiston Place in 1962. 

Letitia Fairfield 

Sixteen-year-old Letitia, Winifred, 

two years her junior and nineyear-old 

Cecily Fairfield arrived 

in Edinburgh in 1901 and Letitia 

was enrolled at GWLC for the 

1901/02 session. 

After school, Letitia was accepted 

into The Edinburgh Medical 

College for Women in Chamber 

Street. Although The University of 

Edinburgh granted medical degrees 

to women, they did not admit them 

to medical classes. She was only 

able to take up her place because 

she was one of the first recipients of 

a Carnegie Scholarship and the very 

generous gift of £100 from her Aunt 

Sophie. Looking back at her years 

at medical school, Letitia described 

meeting some wonderful teachers 

with great minds but noted that ‘the 

women were kept under as near an 

approach to the purdah system as 

a mixed school permits. We were 

forbidden to attend university 

lectures.’ She remembered how 

she and her female colleagues 

were barred from several anatomy 

classes, for fear of embarrassing 

the male students. 

Despite receiving the highest marks 

in her year and winning several 

awards, when she qualified in 1911, 

she was recommended only for 

asylum positions. These jobs would 

have held little appeal to many 

young male doctors. 

Letitia left Edinburgh and became 

a Medical Officer for London County 

Council Schools. Before the First 

World War, her main responsibilities 

were the supervision of child health 

and welfare and the inspection of 

special schools. 

In 1909, during her graduate clinical 

training in Manchester, she met the 

Pankhursts and for the next decade, 

she would combine her considerable 

professional workload with 

campaigning for Votes for Women, 

along with her sisters. 

She joined the militant suffragette 

organisation, the Women’s Social 

and Political Union, but was to leave 

when it was suggested that her 

professional position as a doctor 

might be threatened. 

During the First World War, The 

War Office turned down Letitia’s 

offer of help. They believed that the 

help of women doctors was simply 

not necessary. However, following 

the deaths of many thousands 

of soldiers and numerous male 

doctors, the Women’s Army Auxiliary 

Corps was established. The WAAC; a 

corps of 40,850 women volunteers, 

of whom some 17,000 served 

overseas, would undertake ancillary, 

non-combatant duties. Letitia 

became the Chief Medical Officer, 

with overall responsibility for the 

medical care of these women. 

As the Second World War began, 

the War Office sought her out and 

she was appointed Senior Woman 

Medical Officer of the Armed Forces. 

Between the wars and until she 

retired in 1948, Letitia returned to 

her work for the London County 

Council, pioneering the provision 

of health care for women. She 

was called to the Bar in 1923, after 

training in Law so that she had the 

right legal knowledge to tackle MPs 

about national public health issues. 

Letitia was viewed as both eccentric 

and inspiring. She developed 

an interest in witchcraft and in 

parapsychology. She had converted 

to Roman Catholicism in the 1920s. 

In an interview towards the end 

of her life, she said, 

‘I always chose, right from the 

beginning of my career, things 

that I thought were important 

but not popular.’ 

She spent her final days in an NHS 

hospital bed, wearing a ‘highly 

improbable blonde wig’. She died 

on 1 February 1978 in her 93rd year. 

Her youngest sister, Cecily, better 

known as the writer, Rebecca West, 

survived her by five years. 

31

Dates for your diary 

The Principal and Watsonian Club 

President’s Summer Celebration 

Saturday 18 June 2022 - 1.30pm 

18 

JUNE 

School Principal, Melvyn Roffe, and Watsonian Club President, Gillian 

Sandilands (Class of 1978), will host a celebratory afternoon of events 

at Colinton Road. Guests will have an opportunity to be taken on a tour 

of the campus by current pupils, enjoy our specially curated exhibition, 

The Common Tie That Makes Us One, on the history of GWLC, as well as 

enjoying an afternoon tea and musical performances in a marquee on 

the front lawn. 

Exhibition at George Square 

and Service at Greyfriars Kirk 

Sunday 19 June 2022 - from 10am 

With kind permission of The University of Edinburgh, guests will have 

an opportunity to tour George Square, reminisce and relax with friends. 

The culmination of the Anniversary weekend will see a congregation of 

former pupils gather to give thanks for the founding of George Watson’s 

Ladies’ College at Greyfriars Kirk. 

19 

JUNE 

Tickets to attend the entire Anniversary Weekend are priced at £50. 

You can book to attend the programme of events online at 

www.gwc.org.uk/GWLC150 or through the Development Office. 

24

We Will Remember Them 

Watsonian Battlefields Tour: 26 September - 1 October 2022 

A trip for Watsonians, family and 

friends is being planned around 

the Battlefields of Belgium and 

northern France in 2022. The tour 

will culminate with a remembrance 

event for Daisy Coles, a former pupil 

of George Watson’s Ladies’ College, 

to mark the 105th anniversary of 

her death. 

During the Battlefields tour, 

attendees will follow in the footsteps 

of the many Watsonians who fought 

and died on the Western Front 

during the Great War, learning about 

the roles they played in the ‘war to 

end all wars.’ Previous Watsonian 

groups who have attended a 

previous tour found it both 

memorable and deeply moving. 

TOUR ITINERARY 

‘I’ve come with my wife and several 

old friends from School. It’s a trip 

that I’ve been meaning to do for 

many years, but I’d never have 

got around to it without it being 

organised and tailored for us. We are 

so glad we came.’ 

On the 105th anniversary of Daisy 

Coles’ death, senior pupils from 

her former school will lead a short 

ceremony of remembrance at her 

grave in the Longuenesse (St Omer) 

Souvenir Cemetery, in northern 

France. They will be joined by the 

Principal, Melvyn Roffe and the 

President of the Watsonian Club, 

Gillian Sandilands (Class of 1978). 

Daisy Coles attended George 

Watson’s Ladies' College and in 1914 

at the outbreak of war, 21-year-old 

Daisy joined the local Voluntary 

Aid Detachment becoming a 

VAD Nurse. She was working at 

Craigleith Military Hospital (now 

the Western) in 1917, when she 

volunteered to go to France. The 

58th General (Scottish) Hospital, 

where Daisy arrived in June 1917, 

was a base hospital mainly housed 

in marquees, bell tents and a few 

wooden and corrugated iron huts. 

Daisy and her colleagues at the 58th 

Hospital were kept busy as large 

numbers of serious poison gas 

cases arrived. 

At 10.40pm, on the night of the 

30 September 1917, ‘During a hostile 

air raid, three bombs were dropped 

[on the hospital]. One bomb struck 

a marquee occupied by patients and 

nurses.’ Three nurses, Staff Nurse 

Agnes Climie and VADs Elizabeth 

Thomson and Daisy Coles died, 

together with 16 patients. Another 

nurse, Mabel Milne was severely 

wounded and died two days later. 

There were 67 wounded. 

On the centenary of her death in 

2017, Daisy’s name joined that of 

her brother Lionel’s on our School 

War Memorial. You can read more 

of Daisy’s story by visiting 

www.gwc.org.uk/daisy 

How to book 

Limited places are available for the 

entire trip, or for the Remembering 

Daisy event only. To note your 

interest in this trip, please contact 

Laura Tyzack in the Development 

Office by email (development@gwc. 

org.uk) or by telephone 0131 446 

6008 by Thursday 10 February 2022. 

It is likely the trip will have different 

travel options to allow guests 

to either travel as a group from 

Edinburgh or make their own way to 

the accommodation. The trip cost 

will include hotel accommodation, 

meals, entrance fees and coach 

travel around the battlefield sites 

with a guide. 

Tuesday 27 September 

Ypres 

Wednesday 28 September 

The Somme 

Thursday 29 September 

Vimy and Loos followed by an evening reception hosted by 

the Mayor of St Omer 

Friday 30 September 

Remembering Daisy event at Longuenesse and an afternoon in 

Ypres closing with the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. 

33

From the Archives 

Dr Robert ‘Bobby’ Kho-Seng Lim 

Robert Kho-Seng Lim ( ) was born in Singapore on the 15th of October 1897. He was the son of Chinese- 

Singaporean Dr Lim Boon Keng ( ), a famous physician and social activist who had studied Medicine at The 

University of Edinburgh. At the age of eight, Robert was shipped overseas to Edinburgh for his education and in 1911 

he enrolled at George Watson’s Boys’ College. Quickly Robert acquired a ‘scottish burr’ in his accent and was universally 

known as Bobby. Bobby was a keen artist and one of the school’s top marksmen in the OTC, winning awards for his 

sharpshooting and having drawings published in school publications. He had initially hoped to pursue a career in art, 

however his father encouraged him to follow in his footsteps and try the medical profession. Bobby excelled at 

Watson’s and at just 15 he left school to also study Medicine at The University of Edinburgh. 

However, only a year into his 

studies war broke out and Bobby, 

despite his age, volunteered and 

was assigned to the Indian Army in 

France. He joined the Indian Field 

Ambulance Corps and worked as 

a Junior Medical Officer on the 

Western Front for two years before 

they were sent to the Levant. In 

1916, Bobby was allowed to return 

to Edinburgh to continue his 

medical studies. He attained the 

MBChB degrees in 1919 and was 

immediately appointed Lecturer in 

Physiology with the responsibility 

for teaching histology. The next year 

Bobby presented the results of his 

research and earned his PhD while 

also marrying his Scottish fiancé 

Margaret Torrance. 

In 1924 Bobby was made an 

Associate Professor in Physiology 

at Peking Union Medical College, 

helping establish Western 

physiology in China. The stated 

goal of those responsible for the 

College was to have Western 

medical science taken over by 

Chinese people so that it may 

become standard practice. Again, 

Bobby excelled and in September 

1925 the trustees of the School 

made him Head of the Department 

of Physiology. He also founded the 

Chinese Physiological Society, which 

began the publication of the Chinese 

Journal of Physiology. Bobby 

was managing editor and wrote 

extensively for the journal. 

However, Bobby’s comfortable life 

in medical academia and teaching 

changed forever in 1937 as the 

Japanese attacks began. Bobby 

founded the Chinese Red Cross 

Medical Relief Commission whose 

field units first saw service when the 

Japanese moved against Shanghai. 

Bobby was quick to understand 

the severity of the threat from 

Imperial Japan. As fighting spread 

along the Great Wall, Bobby had 

already organised twelve medical 

units which treated over 20,000 

casualties. He knew that China 

would require a vast number of 

persons at all levels of training, 

and he pressed upon the Peking 

Union Medical College the need for 

mass education of technicians and 

sanitarians. The PUMC would not 

adapt, seeing its mission to solely be 

the teaching of teachers. Bobby left 

it for good in 1938. 

Bobby set up the Emergency 

Medical Service Training School 

in Guizhou. This was the first such 

establishment for training doctors, 

nurses, and medical orderlies for 

the army and civil relief services. 

By 1940, the Chinese Red Cross 

under Bobby’s direction, operated 

convoys, depots, and medical units. 

The Red Cross units, now forty-nine 

in number, provided treatment and 

nursing services for the wounded; 

ambulance units, each with 120 

stretcher bearers, transported 

casualties, who otherwise would 

have been left on the field to die, 

into makeshift hospitals. The 

medical school at Guizhou was 

designed to train 200 personnel 

a month as hospital attendants 

and stretcher bearers. This and 

the similar schools he built were 

intended to be the nuclei of future 

medical schools. The largest medical 

centre in wartime China was built by 

Bobby at Kweiyang and served as his 

headquarters for much of the war. 

34

Bobby’s talents were recognised 

in 1941, when he was appointed 

Inspector General of the Medical 

Services for the Republic of China. 

Despite being one of Chiang 

Kai-shek’s most useful officers, 

Bobby was not concerned with 

politics. He treated Nationalists 

and Communists equally and was 

reprimanded by Chaing Kai-shek 

for personally providing rescue 

assistance and medical supplies 

for the Communist Chinese forces 

in Yun’an during the war. He even 

treated injured Japanese POWs after 

a riot in a camp in Guizhou. Bobby 

also looked after refugees, setting 

up an ambulance station every 50 

kilometres along the Xiangqian 

Highway. He set up tents, treated 

passing refugees, and distributed 

medicine, food, clothing, and relief 

funds. Bobby also had to tackle 

Japanese germ warfare tactics. 

Plague-infected fleas were spread 

by low-flying airplanes over Chinese 

cities. Bobby implemented free 

outpatient clinics for the citizens of 

Changde, provided a vaccine, 

and successfully controlled 

the epidemic. 

Bobby was a thorn in Imperial 

Japan’s side and after the Japanese 

occupation of Singapore, the 

Japanese tried to force Bobby to 

surrender himself by executing 

members of his father’s family 

and forcing his father to raise 

money for the Japanese war 

effort. Bobby also faced pressure 

from his own compatriots. He was 

constantly attacked with rumours 

of drunkenness and a lack of being 

truly Chinese. He was eventually 

forced out in 1942 as the Japanese 

gained more ground in the war. Still 

Bobby found allies in the Western 

powers and his work did not go 

unnoticed. In 1942 he joined the 

newly formed Chinese Expeditionary 

Force and accompanied General 

Joseph Stilwell in the retreat 

through Burma and India. When 

President Roosevelt ordered Stilwell 

to confer the Legion of Merit upon 

Chiang Kai-shek, Stilwell said, ‘it 

will make me want to throw up.’ 

However, Stilwell was allowed, 

as an antiemetic, to pin the same 

decoration on Bobby Lim. 

Chen Changwen, the former 

chairman of the Taiwan Red Cross 

Organization, wrote of Bobby, ‘if 

Nightingale is hailed as the ‘angel’ of 

the Crimean War, then Lim Kho-seng 

can be described as the ‘angel’ of 

the Anti-Japanese War, he is a very 

remarkable person.’ 

In the post-war years, Bobby kept 

working within the Republic of 

China but as the Communist forces 

continued to advance, he shifted 

his focus to setting up medical 

infrastructure in Taiwan, building 

the National Defence Medical 

College and ten hospitals across 

the island. He turned down the 

Ministry of Health position offered to 

him and in 1949 moved to America 

where he spent the rest of his 

career out of the military and back 

in academia where he had started 

in 1913; before the conflicts of the 

20th century drastically changed the 

course of his life. 

35

The Performing Arts, 

Music, Opera and Me 

36 

Mary Miller (Class of 1966) has had an 

extraordinary career in the world of performing 

arts, recently retiring from her role of Director of 

the Bergen National Opera in Norway. Mary spoke 

to Caritas about her distinguished career and the 

fate of the arts during lockdown. 

Recently returned to Scotland, after over two 

decades living and working internationally, Mary 

reflected on how her native land has changed over 

time, especially when it comes to culture. 

She said: ‘I feel that the country is more confident, 

more aware of its culture, and getting really good at 

celebrating it. In the past there was a lot of emphasis 

on tourism culture, and I think now what I find really 

impressive is the number of small companies doing 

really exciting, interesting and diverse things.’ 

Over the course of her career, Mary has been 

a significant participant in growing this self 

confidence. Reflecting on the truly transformational 

power of opera and live theatre, Mary recalls a 

project she was involved with, whilst working at 

The Scotsman, that won the hearts and minds of 

children in the local community. 

She said: ‘We did projects with kids up in Wick, in a 

disused bus depot. The comments we got back from 

some of those kids were amazing. 

‘Long afterwards, they went as a choir to sing at the 

Albert Hall and one of the kids said ‘this is great but 

not as good as singing in the bus depot’. 

From Edinburgh to Wick to all over the world, the 

transformational power and sense of togetherness 

that the shared experience of the arts fosters was 

needed more than ever in lockdown. With so 

many performances cancelled, performers and 

lovers of opera found themselves at a loss. But 

ever the innovator, Mary worked to bring them 

together again. 

‘We brought together opera companies from all 

over Europe for a project called This Evening's 

Performance has not Been Cancelled.

‘We set up a call centre, where 

people could call in to opera 

companies all over Europe, talk 

about opera, make friends, and 

make new contacts. It involved lots 

of opera makers and masses of 

ordinary people talking about how 

much they were missing culture. 

‘You could be connected to 

an extract of an opera; have a 

conversation with the make-up 

artist, the director, or someone 

backstage - it brought a huge 

number of people together.’ 

This golden thread of innovation 

and change, runs through Mary’s 

extraordinary career. As the 

Director of the Bergen National 

Opera she certainly raised a few 

eyebrows in her time at the 

helm. For example, working 

with the local prison to offer 

inmates apprenticeships. 

She said: ‘I've always been a 

disruptor quite honestly. Disrupters 

are very important in creating art. 

I wouldn’t say it's been easy, you 

are asking people to do new things, 

you are asking people to change 

all the time. Particularly during the 

pandemic, people felt frightened 

and were worried about their jobs 

and we had to think about doing 

things in a very different way. 

‘Pioneering, driving change, or 

asking people to think differently 

is tough, both on the people you 

are asking and your own sense of 

leadership. This has to be sensitively 

done and everything must be 

collaborative. You can’t bully people 

into doing things because it is not 

going to result in creativity.’ 

Leading change in such a time 

of change and upheaval like the 

COVID-19 pandemic was always 

going to be challenging; especially 

when cultural and arts are often the 

first to be cut and viewed as nonessential. 

Reflecting on the effect of 

the pandemic on arts venues, Mary 

said: 

‘One of the things the pandemic 

perhaps did, trying to be positive, 

was give us all a huge kick up 

the backside in terms of thinking 

laterally and creatively. 

‘I hope, as a result of that, it’s given 

us a sort of freedom and maybe we 

have gotten a bit stuck thinking art 

has to be done in a conventional 

way, in a conventional venue. 

‘I’m not ignoring the fact that people 

had an utterly hellish time and 

lost livelihoods, but the smaller 

organisations who were able to be 

flexible have begun to really shine.’ 

Mary has worked as a music critic for 

The Scotsman, as a concert violinist 

with the BBC Symphony Orchestra 

and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, 

so it is perhaps surprising that her 

strongest memories about George 

Square aren’t to do with music. 

‘When I was at school, I led the 

school orchestra but what I really 

wanted to do was play the trumpet. 

Being the youngest child, maybe I 

wanted my voice to be heard. 

‘I had a terrific English teacher, Nora 

Carnon, who was very fierce indeed! 

I could never sit still and she used to 

regularly throw me out of the room. 

The poetry and reading I learned 

with her was my most important 

memory of school.’ 

Since returning to Scotland, Mary 

is already looking ahead to new 

projects, including a reimagining of 

Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle as part 

of Siste Kapittel festival, which looks 

at the science of ageing and the 

relationship the eldery have to arts 

and culture. 

When recalling her experiences, 

Mary insists that she has ‘just been 

very lucky’. However, it’s clear to see 

that her distinguished career has 

been driven by dedication to the 

performing arts, and the bravery 

to lead and implement change for 

its benefit. 

37

EAST 

MEETS 

WEST 

Sarah Kwan (Class of 2004) is 

an Edinburgh-based artist and 

illustrator who has created a 

unique collection of work which 

shows a fusion of Scottish and 

Chinese culture. Caritas met with 

Sarah to hear more about this 

remarkable Series and find out 

about her memories of Watson’s. 

Sarah, you left Watson’s in 2004. 

Do the past 18 years feel like a bit 

of a whirlwind, and do you feel 

your school days had an influence 

on your chosen career? 

I would say that the past 18 years 

have felt both incredibly long and 

terribly short at the same time! 

Sometimes I think ‘That went by 

so quickly!’, but then I think about 

the many hours I have spent 

working on my craft and how it 

often felt like I was giving my all - 

but moving forward at a glacial 

pace. I have always been interested 

in some form of creative career, 

ever since I was very young. 

The fantastic Art Department at 

Watson’s and the wonderful staff 

were a massive influence on my 

development as an artist – and 

helped me master the fundamental 

skills that I needed to move to 

the next stage of learning. I am 

forever grateful for their guidance 

and support! 

Can you tell us a little bit about 

the journey you went on to find 

your style, and how you define 

your work? 

I understand the need to find a 

style, a consistency and brand – it 

used to be something that really 

concerned me as a young artist. I 

think in terms of style, it is about 

learning the basics, as a foundation, 

then choosing a way of working in 

which you enjoy and exploring that 

fully and deeply. It doesn’t mean 

that you are boxed in to only doing 

that certain style forever - just as 

we change as people when we 

develop over time – your art style 

may do the same and I think that 

is totally fine. The main concern 

for me is to always bring a level 

of consistency and quality to my 

work. I would define the style of my 

current East meet West Series as a 

fun exploration of the connection 

between my Scottish and Chinese 

culture, with pops of bright colour 

and pattern, and a pinch of humour 

Your East meets West Series is 

particularly striking, with a real 

warmth and humour. What inspired 

you to create this series of work 

and does your work always contain 

light-hearted elements? 

Thank you! A few years ago my 

Scottish friend and Chinese 

Malaysian friend were getting 

married, and they thought I would 

be the perfect person to represent 

38 

Double Happiness Thistles 

Aye & Brew Tea Set

Lucky Cat Sith Teacake Dim Sum Blossoming 

their two worlds coming together, 

so I drew some black and white 

illustrations for their wedding invites 

as a gift to them. These drawings 

lay in my portfolio for a couple of 

years, until eventually I decided 

to see what they would be like if I 

added colour and then there was a 

natural progression in turning them 

into prints. This particular collection 

does have humour and light - which 

I love - and I always try to bring an 

element of that in everything I do. 

However, I have also created other 

work that is darker in contrast to this 

series. I enjoy conveying many parts 

of my personality and experiences 

through my work – I find there is a 

certain freedom in that. 

Do you have a favourite piece 

from this Series? 

My favourite piece has always been 

my Aye & Brew Tea Set, where one 

of Scotland’s most iconic orange soft 

drinks meets a Chinese tea set. I’m 

also enjoying my latest design at the 

moment titled Blossoming – where 

Peonies and Thistles feature in a 

way that looks traditional but with a 

twist. It’s just a joyful design that I’m 

very proud of! 

You were born and raised in 

Scotland. From your perspective, 

what does it mean to be Chinese 

and Scottish? Do you feel a pull to 

one culture more than another? 

From my perspective, to be Chinese 

and Scottish is to have a celebration 

of connection, of two seemingly 

completely different cultures – but 

who at the core have some real 

human connections and that’s what 

I am representing through this series 

too. In terms of being pulled to one 

culture or the other, if I think about 

how I personally feel - the Scottish 

and Chinese parts of me are exactly 

50/50. Like I mentioned in my BBC 

Scotland LOOP series interview, ‘I’m 

Chinese and I look like this, but I feel 

really Scottish’ – and I do and I’m so 

proud to have experience of both 

cultures. You can be a mixture of 

many things and that’s totally fine, 

brilliant even! 

So much around us in the World 

today, especially politically, can 

seem like a great separation. Your 

work on the East meets West Series 

seems to be a bringing together. 

Were you influenced by current 

affairs when creating this Series? 

The series started from a place of 

connection. It symbolises what 

brings us together and doesn’t focus 

on what separates us as people. 

Now, more than ever, I believe this 

work is extremely relevant and the 

message is important. I hope that 

my series provides a safe space for 

people to celebrate what connects 

us as human beings - despite 

whatever negative rhetoric is out 

there in the world today. 

What do you find feeds your 

creativity? Can you tell us 

about your process for creating 

an artwork? 

I find inspiration in many things, 

some seemingly mundane or 

every day, and some interesting 

conversations that can spark ideas. 

What I think always helps feed my 

creativity is giving myself time and 

space to really think about the 

connections between ideas and 

how I can best present them. I also 

tend to do a lot of research online 

and read more about the subjects 

I want to draw. I try to make sure 

I have enough time to rest. Your 

brain needs to switch off sometimes 

for you to be in optimal condition 

to be creative. Creativity is a form 

of problem solving that requires a 

high level of concentration. In my 

own process, I tend to think about 

the ideas, do my own research and 

gather references. I may then create 

some form of collage or mock up, 

and then I will move on to creating 

the final piece - usually through 

drawing or painting. 

Do you have forthcoming 

exhibitions planned? Where can 

we see your work? 

My work is always on display 

and available from The Red Door 

Gallery, on beautiful Victoria Street, 

Edinburgh. Upcoming events and 

other stockists of my work are also 

available to view on my website at 

www.sarahkwan.co.uk 

And finally, if you had one piece 

of advice to pass onto a pupil who 

will be leaving Watson’s at the end 

of this school year, what would 

that be? 

Keep going and never give up. 

Pursue your goals and work on 

developing the skills you need 

for the career you want - always 

believe in your own abilities and 

never be afraid to put yourself out 

there. One of my favourite quotes is: 

‘Sometimes you win and sometimes 

you learn.’ Failing is just learning by 

a different name! 

39

WATSONI 

Sections 

SECTION UPDATES 

Community Choir 

Covid put pay to any chance of the Choir rehearsing or performing together during session 

2020-21, so they undertook a number of ‘virtual choir’ projects over the course of the session, 

following regular Tuesday evening rehearsals over Zoom. Despite the challenges, around 35 

members attended online rehearsals regularly, learned a range of repertoire and shared virtual 

choir recordings of arrangements of tunes such as What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet 

Love by Burt Bacharach and All For the Best from the musical Godspell. The choir also took 

part in GWC’s 2020 virtual St Giles’ celebration at Christmas. 

The Choir retains a waiting list, but they are still encouraging those interested to email 

watsonianchoir@gmail.com to note interest in joining the choir. 

Bra 

Rifle Club 

In line with most sports, the Club activities were severely curtailed. The County Team 

Leagues went ahead, albeit in a reduced format. The Lothians team won Division 1 for the 

first time in its history. Oliver Barron was top scorer and Adam Dove won the County Silver 

Medal. Dave Caughey was the other team member from the Club. In National Leagues, 

the A Team finished 3rd in Division 1 and in the Women’s League the A Team finished 2nd 

in Division 1. The local Lothians League format was changed to a ‘best improvement’ 

calculation. The A team continued their dominance of the league by winning Division 1. 

Bev Burnside, Jonty Barron, Susan Jackson, James Gutteridge and Chris Scobie were the 

winning team. A one off event was held in Aberdeen to determine the Scottish Champion for 

2021. Robin Thomson, Ian Thomson and Andy Coates qualified for the final. Andy won the B, 

C and D section and finished 6th in the Championship. 

Swimming Club 

The Swimming Club survived the pandemic although at a lower level of activity than in normal 

times. The Galleon Club had to follow strict guidelines, but the pool was open from September 

to November 2020 and from May 2021 onwards. The fire at Myreside prevented members 

having their usual get-togethers after swimming on Wednesday evenings but they are looking 

forward to these resuming in January 2022. 

The Club noted the sad loss of Geoff Bulmer (Class of 1954), their long-time Social Convenor. 

40

AN 

nches 

The Watsonian Club 

All current and former pupils, staff, and parents are 

eligible for membership of either the Watsonian Club, 

or its Sections. The main purpose of the Club is to 

promote and maintain relationships at home and abroad, 

strengthen friendships, to promote the Club’s recognised 

Sections and Branches and encourage participation 

in sports and other activities. We would encourage all 

Watsonians to be involved in Club activities. 

Hockey Club 

The 2020-21 season reminded us that you don’t need competition to enjoy sport. 

Whilst the pandemic meant no leagues or cups, players trained and played intra-club 

and friendly matches whenever restrictions allowed. 

Youth players enjoyed 28 weeks of coaching, and the Boys’ Colts continued until the 

end of July. Their constant positivity and smiles reminded us of the physical and mental 

health benefits of sport for young people. 

In the only Scottish Hockey competition to be played, the U14 girls became national 

champions in Dundee; and the U14 boys reached the finals. 

We are also very proud of all our players who played for Scotland at youth and senior 

levels. Sarah Jamieson and Dan Coultas played in the respective Women’s/Men’s 

EuroHockey championships; Euan Burgess captained Scotland U19s who won the Home 

Nations’ tournament; and Molly Morris, Ellie Stott and Maddie Boyes played for Scotland 

U19’s girls in their Home Nations. 

Seven of the U16 girls played for the Edinburgh Lightning squad who won the Scottish 

Academy series in July, reflecting the depth of talent in the Club. And in early August 

the following players played for Scotland’s Emerging squads v Wales: Girls: Sophie 

Anderson, Ruby Crawford, Darcy Littlefield, Kirsten Murison; Boys: Owen Hunter, Drew 

Lobb, Ally Paul, Henry Porter. 

During lockdown members kept busy, fundraising for charity and keeping fit, and the 

coaches provided youth players with weekly drills and delivered hockey balls to help them 

practice at home. 

Scottish Hockey have awarded the Club ‘Silver Club Accreditation’, giving a strong 

endorsement of the way the club operates. This reflects the work done to increase 

participation in hockey and achieve high standards while developing coaches, 

volunteers and players. 

The Club is always open to new members aged 5 to 65. For more details, 

please visit: www.watsonianshockeyclub.com 

If you would like to view the Watsonian Club Branch and Section full reports go to: 

www.gwc.org.uk/community/the-watsonian-club 

41

BRANCH UPDATES 

Belgium (Brussels) 

Not unexpectedly the Belgian-based 

Watsonians have not been able to 

meet since the pandemic hit this 

small country. At an early stage the 

Covid virus spread with speed with 

all the attendant consequences. 

The last communication to the 

Watsonian in 2019 covered a joint 

Belgian-French initiative in Paris 

to celebrate on 7 April 2019 the 

re-hanging of the Donald Caskie 

cross at the Scots Kirk in Paris. 

This cross was donated by the 

School in 1959. The Caskie story, 

as told in his book The Tartan 

Pimpernel, so enchanted the 

‘Ville de Paris’ that agreement 

was reached to place a plaque 

in Caskie’s honour on the outside 

wall of the kirk in the rue Bayard. 

The unveiling ceremony took 

place on 10 June attended by 

the deputy mayor of Paris, Mme 

Laurence Patrice. She spoke 

admiringly of Caskie and his 

remarkable WW2 achievements. 

It is indeed a rare honour for such 

a plaque to be erected in Paris. 

The Belgian Watsonian Club 

was founded in 1994, the first in 

Europe outside the UK. One of the 

founding members was Professor 

Francis J Thomson. It is with much 

sadness that we learned of his 

death in Antwerp earlier this year 

at the age of 85. We must, however, 

celebrate his outstanding academic 

achievements. ‘The Professor 

Francis J Thomson Legacy Project’ 

is now housed at the University of 

Leuven and is partnered with the 

University of Innsbruck. The aim of 

the Project is to preserve, digitise 

and extend access to Professor 

Thomson’s card index in order 

to preserve his inestimable and 

unique academic legacy as well as 

to promote and support further 

research in the field of Byzantine- 

Slavonic studies. He began his 

distinguished academic career in 

1961 as a lecturer in Russian at the 

University of Cambridge, where in 

1964 he was awarded a PhD in the 

Faculty of Divinity. 

Thereafter, he spent his academic 

life at Antwerp University 

passionately devoting himself to 

research into literature in Slavonic 

translation and the interrelation 

between Slavonic and Byzantine 

written culture. An internationally 

renowned Slav specialist, Professor 

Thomson is justly acknowledged by 

fellow academics as a pre-eminent 

bridge builder who initiated a 

rapprochement between the 

scholarly paradigms of Slavonic and 

Byzantine Greek studies. 

In the course of his lifetime of 

scholarship, Professor Thomson 

meticulously analysed the findings 

of his research and recorded the 

entirety in condensed form on several 

thousand handwritten index cards. 

This catalogue encompasses a vast 

amount of knowledge concerning 

Old Slavonic literature,namely South 

and East Slavonic literature dating from 

the beginning of the 9th century up 

to the late 17th century reforms of 

Peter the Great. His research largely 

concentrated on the history of the 

early Slavonic translations as well 

as the relationship of these 

translations to their mostly Greek 

originals. Thomson’s archive is 

legendary among Slavists and 

Byzantinists alike because of its 

completeness and breadth of content. 

It is a tool of singular relevance to 

any scholar dealing with the Middle 

Ages and the early modern period in 

Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. 

The complete cartotheca contains 

almost 100,000 small and large index 

cards, mostly with information on 

both sides. 

Andrew Brown (Class of 1963) 

Highland and Moray 

Unlike many of the Branches, the Highland 

and Moray Watsonian Club held its annual 

dinner on 17 September. The Principal and 

his wife were due to attend, but alas Covid 

put paid to their plans. Despite this, guests 

had an enjoyable time catching up with 

old friends. 

London 

On Friday 3 September, the London Club Cenotaph Observance 

took place. Liz Smith (Class of 1978) was invited as guest of 

honour as the Club commemorated the 150th anniversary of the 

founding of GWLC. Jodie White (Class of 2016), Events Secretary, 

gathered together artefacts that related to London women 

who had attended the Ladies’ College. Guests also attended a 

reception at the National Liberal Club. 

42

Australia (Sydney) 

While Scotland was in lockdown, 

Watsonians in our Australia 

(Sydney) branch came together 

for their annual Burns Supper. An 

invitation that they extended to 

others who had attended Edinburgh 

schools and they were pleased to 

welcome a ‘Fettesian’ as well as 

a Mary Erskine ‘old girl’ who flew 

down from Coffs Harbour (over 500 

kms away). 

Following the ceremonial haggis 

procession, Kenny McGilvary (Class 

of 1995) delivered the Toast to the 

School and shared his memories 

from Colinton Road. The school 

canteen featured prominently, with 

‘square sausage rolls’ and ‘baked 

beans with cheese on top’ served in a 

polystyrene cup being a big highlight 

of school life. There was a lot of 

agreement with this! 

Harry Laing (Class of 1980) 

performed his interpretation of 

Rabbie Burns’ Comin’ Thro’ The 

Rye as well as other pieces in his 

inimitable style. Harry had the 

audience rolling with laughter – 

something which was a good 

release after the preceding 

12 months. 

Angus McGhie (Class of 1993) 

delivered a very heartfelt tribute 

to former staff, including in 

particular Rod Slater and Les Howie, 

who had made a significant impact 

on his time at Watson’s. Many 

memories were recalled by others 

in the room also. Before the ‘Vote 

of Thanks’ Angus played Auld Lang 

Syne. Although we couldn’t join 

hands we were able to enjoy the 

sentiment it conveys. 

We look forward to the 2022 Burns 

Supper which will be on Saturday 

29 January. 

Pat Stevenson (Class of 1969) 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 

LGBTQ 

Tuesday 22 February 2022 •7pm | The Pavilion at Myreside 

Hosted by Past President Johnny Bacigalupo (Class of 1995) this event will open with a panel discussion 

focussed on the role of LGBTQ networks in the 2020s. Following this there will be an open-floor discussion 

where attendees can help inform how the Section will be shaped and share ideas about what types 

of activity they would like to see in the future. We are particularly keen to welcome and hear from 

Watsonians who would consider an office bearer role to help build the membership and gain momentum. 

The event will be rounded off with a drinks reception and the chance to meet the Principal Melvyn Roffe 

and Watsonian President Gillian Sandilands (Class of 1978). 

BAME 

Thursday 31 March 2022 • 7pm | The Pavilion at Myreside 

Following the recent launch of the Watsonian BAME Section Facebook Page, which has been sharing 

stories and celebrating the successes of BAME Watsonians, our small group of volunteers want to reach 

out to the wider Watsonian community to share their plans for the future and to grow their membership. 

Attended by School Principal Melvyn Roffe and Watsonian President Gillian Sandilands (Class of 1978), 

the evening will include a panel discussion and the chance to meet the Section’s committee members 

over a refreshment. This is planned as an informal and open event where you can share your own ideas 

and comment on what you would like to see from the Section over the coming year. 

Please register your attendance at these free events by emailing development@gwc.org.uk 

43

And finally... 

Copenhagen Concerts 

60 years since 

touring Denmark 

The choir and orchestra’s tour of Denmark was the first of several major events organised by the Music 

Department, under Norman Hyde’s directorship, in the early 1960s. Others included a trip to France for 

concerts and broadcasts in Paris; an invitation to Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich, to visit the school; 

and the commissioning of a work by British composer, Alan Rawsthorne, to mark the opening of the then 

futuristic Music School building at Tipperlinn. 

After assembling in the school 

grounds, the combined forces 

of singers and instrumentalists 

journeyed to Copenhagen by road, 

with ferry crossings at Dover, and 

between Jutland and Funen, and 

Funen and Zealand. Transport 

for the several dozen boys and 

accompanying masters was 

provided by two coaches from the 

Pentland Garage, one of which 

blew a tyre somewhere on the A1 

(no motorways then), the damage 

recorded in detail on ciné film by 

Jim Jardine, Head of Physics, whose 

45 minute movie (now in the School 

Archive) documents excerpts from 

the entire experience. Despite the 

inauspicious start, the buses made it 

to Stamford School, Lincolnshire, for 

the first overnight stop. 

Only in retrospect can one 

appreciate the mountain of 

organisation required for such 

a venture. Aside from securing 

transport for dozens of performers, 

music and instruments, group 

and individual passports were 

required for the French, Belgian, 

Dutch, German and Danish 

border crossings. Norman Hyde 

and his team chose schools, 

youth hostels and a convent for 

accommodation en route, but at 

the end, in Copenhagen, somehow 

found families prepared to host 

a member or two of the party in 

their own homes. On top of the 

basic practicalities, there were the 

concerts to stage, some on the way 

and a couple in the capital, one 

of these a broadcast recorded for 

Danish State Radio. 

Recreation was not forgotten, with 

detours to the beach at Dunkirk for 

ice creams; the National Monument 

to the Second Schleswig War at 

Dybbøl Mill, Sønderborg; Hans 

Christian Andersen’s cottage in 

Odense; Frederiksborg Castle; and 

the Amalienborg Royal Palace and 

Little Mermaid in Copenhagen. 

Most memorable was the Carlsberg 

Brewery outing which, after a 

guided tour of the plant, culminated 

in a product-sampling session: 

beer for the masters, soft drinks 

for the boys. As Jim Jardine’s film 

attests, hundreds of bottles-full were 

consumed, necessitating several 

roadside stops on the way back, 

as the coaches lacked onboard 

facilities. 

The drivers’ professionalism and 

patience were heroic with miles 

to cover each day on Continental 

roads, through unbypassed towns 

and cities (including London - 

no M25 in those days) and with 

44

perpetual noise from the excited 

occupants in the seats behind. 

One bus, stuck in mud during an 

excursion to a prehistoric site in 

Denmark, was extricated by several 

ranks of boys, large and small, 

forming a rugby scrum at the rear 

and pushing it to safety. 

School uniform was the dress code 

for the boys, with thick pullovers 

allowed as the season was early 

Spring. However, kilts with tweed 

jackets were encouraged and chosen 

by many, much to the delight of 

the school and youth hostel staff in 

the Low Countries and the billeting 

families in Copenhagen. 

The educational impact of the Tour 

on its members was considerable, 

particularly seeing how European 

nations ravaged by war and 

occupation were recovering and 

modernising. Differences in crosscultural 

norms between Denmark 

and Scotland were striking with 

pipe-smoking by Danish youths 

being widespread and the drinking 

of mild ale by Danish families at 

dinner habitual. 

The concerts went well and no one 

became obviously ill despite the 

hectic schedule; unaccustomed 

plumbing; daily ice creams and fizzy 

drinks; and a heavy diet of sausages, 

soup and doorstep bread served by 

institutional kitchens on the way. 

The journey home was a quieter 

affair than the outbound, everyone 

by then tired, though mildly 

triumphant. As well as parents, 

the buses were welcomed by 

Headmaster, Roger Young, on reentering 

the school grounds. 

Some of my memories of what was 

a highlight of my early teens are 

fresh, but recall of detail, after over 

half-a-century, is patchy. While 

many faces are familiar, here is a list 

of participants whom I can name 

confidently from photographs and 

the film: Norman Hyde (Music), 

Mr Hughes (Physics), David Bruce 

(bassoon), David Hughson (clarinet), 

and Christopher Whitehead (oboe); 

Bruce Graham, Alistair Mitchell, 

Donald Nisbet and Peter Ord (choir). 

To the many others I cannot identify, 

my apologies. 

Dr Peter Griffiths (Class of 1966) 

45

The Pavilion 

at Myreside 

Opening Monday 10 January 2022 

For more details about opening times and menus, 

the new facilities and how to book, visit: 

www.gwc.org.uk/the-pavilion 

or email thepavilion@gwc.org.uk

Caritas 48

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