EOGA Archive

The Executive of EOGA recognises a particular responsibility to preserve information and documentation on the history of the Eastbourne Grammar School (EGS) and its predecessor, the Eastbourne Municipal Secondary School for Boys (EMSSB). The EMSSB was established in 1899 by the local authority and holds the unique position of being the first in the country to offer free secondary education up to the age of sixteen in a newly founded school.

To capture the history of the two schools the Executive Committee initiated a project to collect and digitise EMSSB and EGS school magazines and other documents for an online archive. Fred Reeve, then Hon Secretary /Administrator of EOGA 2008-2021, accepted the challenge and continued the project as the EOGA Archivist until his unexpected death in March 2023. The President announced at the Annual Lunch on 5th November 2022 that the Archive would be named “The Fred Reeve Archive” in recognition of Fred’s service as the Hon Secretary and Archivist. To complete the project an “Archive Completion Team (ACT)” was set up and accomplished the digitization of the school magazines during 2024.

The main EMSSB/EOGA archive contains a near complete collection of School Magazines including:

• EMSSB magazines from Christmas 1909 to July 1928 missing only the issues for Summer 1910, Summer and Christmas 1914 and July 1922
• A full run of EGS Magazines from December 1928 to July 1977

The magazine was published three times each year from 1910, then annually (in July) from 1940; publication was suspended during World War 1 from 1915-1919 but continued through World War 2.

The Archive also holds:

• A partial run of Eastbourne Grammar & High School and Eastbourne Sixth Form College magazines donated by the late John Morris, who was the last Headmaster of the Grammar School, Head of the short-lived Grammar & High School and then Principal of the Sixth Form College throughout its existence.
• Various other documents, photographs and other artefacts / items of School memorabilia, details of which will be posted on the website in due course.

The ACT will be glad to hear – via the Hon Secretary – from any Old Grammarian who has School memorabilia that they believe would be suitable for inclusion in the Archive.

Reflecting the School’s position in the history of municipal secondary education in England the Executive will seek to ensure that relevant hard copy holdings in the EOGA Archive are deposited in the Sussex Record Office (the Keep at Falmer) or another location that offers public access.

As part of the celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of the EMSS/EGS the archive went live in September 2024 on the EOGA Website with all captured magazines available as “searchable PDFs”.